A Dreamspun Christmas by Marilyn Campbell, Justine Davis, Carole Nelson Douglas, Edith Layton, and Emma Merritt

                 I know it’s not Christmas, but when it comes to books like A Dreamspun Christmas, that doesn’t really matter.  The stories in this book are sweet stories that are great to read when you need something light and happy.  Obviously everything is going to turn out all right in the end.  Nothing really dire is going to happen while it gets there.  These are stories to enjoy, pure and simple.

                “Ghosts of Christmas Past” by Marilyn Campbell is the first story in this book.  Janice Fowler is a journalist who has been invited to a small town to write about their resident ghosts.  What she does not know is that Mayor Wesley Haversham plans on using the article to bring tourism and revive the town his family has lived in for generations.  The citizens, however, have a different hope.  They believe that if Wesley falls in love and has a son to carry on the family tradition of being mayor, then the town will be saved.  In their minds Janice is the perfect candidate for this task, but when Janice discovers what is going on, she does not agree.  Instead she wants to leave the town.  In order to convince Janice to stay, the townspeople may need some ghostly intervention.                    

                The second story is Carole Nelson Douglas’ “Christmas Magic”.  In this one, Mel is a window dresser who goes back in time and meets the family that owns the house her apartment is currently in.  Well, “meet” might be the wrong word.  Nobody can actually see Mel as she walks around, but the son of the house, Jeremy, is able to hear her.  She makes her presence known while he tries to write a hit Broadway song.  Jeremy’s dream is to have his work on Broadway, but his father does not agree.  In his father’s mind, Jeremy, as well as his sister, is supposed to marry whoever their father deems fit in order to get their family out of their money troubles.  Jeremy believes if he can write a hit song, he will be able to save both himself and his sister, but he is stuck on what to write.  Mel tries to help him in whatever way she can, and falls in love with Jeremy in the process.  They want to be together, but how can they when Mel is from another time?   

                Emma Merritt’s “Star Light, Star Bright” is a historical piece about a disheartened architect.  Nick Devlin once worked for a large architectural firm, but when he went out on his own, his former employer became determined to ruin Nick’s name.  Unable to get even the smallest of projects, Nick no longer knows how he is going to afford his house.  It is not just himself he has to worry about, but his adoptive mother, Addie, also lives with him, along with all the “wounded birds” she collects.  To care for one of her “birds”, Addie hires a nurse, Sara, adding another person to the household.  She does this while Nick is away on a presentation.  At first Nick is not happy about this, but then he meets Sara and falls in love, not knowing she is an angel, destined to return to Heaven.             

                In another historical story, “It’s a Wonderful Christmas” by Edith Layton, Lady Maude is excited about Christmas, sort of.  She is thrilled to have her son home from school, but she is not so sure about having her parents for the holiday.  Lady Maude has never felt wanted by them, and she thinks they blame her for the deaths of her two brothers as children.  Then there are her constant worries that she is not good enough for her husband, the Viscount Southwood, otherwise known as Miles.  Despite her concerns, Maude is determined to create a wonderful Christmas for all.  She just never expected it to include Miles’ old fiancée, Cressida, who Maude never knew even existed.  While upset, Maude tries to take this new twist in stride, but when everyone seems to favor Cressida over herself, including Miles, Maude does not know what to do.  The final straw for Maude is when the entire family, Cressida included, goes out on an adventure and leaves Maude behind.  In despair, Maude wishes she never existed.  Much to Maude’s surprise, her wish is granted.

                The final story is “The Crystal Dove” by Justine Davis.  Case Rafferty is pretty much a modern-day (okay, the ‘90s) Scrooge.  He is all about work and control, so when a crystal dove appears out of nowhere, he gets cranky.  Wanting to know where the dove could have possibly come from, Case is referred to a holiday store.  Its owner, Kestra Shepherd, just might be the person who can help figure out the dove mystery.  Or not.  Kestra does not know where the dove came from either.  She tries to convince Case it was a gift and he should keep the dove, but Case does not want any part of it.  The dove, however, has other ideas.  No matter what Case does to get rid of the dove, it manages to reappear once again.  Frustrated, the only person Case has to turn to is Kestra.  He starts to spend a lot of time with her and ends up falling in love.  The problem is Case is a workaholic, and that is the last person Kestra wants in her life.     

                As I said before, these are just sweet stories.  They’re well written and great for when you need something happy to read.  I don’t know how many times I have needed something like that.  However, I will warn you, this book was published in the 1990s so it may be a little difficult to find, but it’s worth a shot.  They’re great stories and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.