Making
Christmas by Laura Chapman
Releasing
November 8, 2016
Self-Published
While
settling into a new career in a new community, Ivy is determined not
to let the holiday season pass her by. Enter the grownup advent
calendar: twenty-four days of festivities to celebrate Christmas.
What begins as a bit of fun turns into a mission to spread cheer when
she meets Everett. After learning about his bad Christmas attitude,
she invites him to join her quest. Despite his initial reservations,
Everett quickly gets caught up in the spirit of the calendar. But
when new feelings surface and are impossible to ignore, Everett’s
inner curmudgeon threatens to put a damper on the whole experience.This holiday novella from Laura Chapman brings the warmth of the holiday season to life.
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I only have one problem with this book, a book this fun and enjoyable should be longer then just a novella. Granted I didn't konw that this was a novella before diving into this. I can honestly say I loved this book! Being that I was a novella it didn't dive deep into the character, but what I can get out of the characters at the present moment was enough for me to like them. Ivy seems pretty outgoing to be I mean the way the two first met I was pretty surprised how it turned out. Meanwhile Everette awkward as can be was willing to take on this strange challenge with Ivy and end up showing what he can really do when he's needed.
I think that with the holidays coming up and people really stressing out or trying to get into the mood should check out this book. Plus if you think about it with how short this book was if your a person strapped for time and looking for a holiday pick me up then this will do it for you. After reading this book I actually would love to do something similiar with her advent calendar and do a few holiday themes things and brag some of my Grinch-like friends to come along.
“About
my project,” she begins. “I’ve always loved the holiday season.
Everything from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve then Christmas and New
Year’s Eve—it’s a magical time. Plus, I was born on Christmas,
so the holidays are extra special. But the past few years I’ve been
so busy with work and . . . stuff . . . that I kind of lost track of
them. It was always more important to focus on getting the next big
ad campaign out than stopping to smell the sugar plums.”
“Ad
campaigns? You’re in advertising?”
“No—not
anymore.” She taps her fingers on the edge of the counter. “I
left my old agency earlier this year to start an Internet-based
company with my friend. We moved to Lincoln in October because it’s
a welcoming place for startups. Anyways, the past few years the
holidays have gone by in a hazy, chaotic blur. I want to make sure it
doesn’t happen again this year. I’m going to stop and smell those
sugar plums.”
I
almost ask what sugar plums smell like but go with a question that
makes more sense. “So you’re celebrating the holidays with a
Christmas coffee?”
“Today,”
she agrees. “Then tomorrow I’ll have another festive activity
waiting for me.”
She
digs into her purse and removes a piece of red card stock. It’s
covered with tiny green paper pockets, each neatly printed with a
number counting up to twenty-four. Twenty-four.
“It
looks like an advent calendar.” Just like the ones my grandma gave
my sister and me every Christmas until we graduated college.
Her
eyes light up. “That’s exactly what it is. This is my grown-up
advent calendar. I saw one on Pinterest—though, they had
twenty-four bottles of wine lined up in a rack to drink every day of
December leading up to Christmas. I like wine, but I’m not a big
fan of all the varieties, which would defeat the purpose of drinking
twenty-four different wines. It also didn’t seem like the best way
to celebrate the season. Do you connect binge-drinking wine with
Christmas?”
“No.
But maybe some people do?”
“I
suppose, which is kind of sad. But I probably shouldn’t judge what
works for other people.” She shakes her head. “Anyway, over
Thanksgiving I started thinking about what I wanted to do this
holiday season. Books I wanted to read. Movies I wanted to watch.
Experiences I wanted to have. So I made a list. Using the list, I
created a calendar with each of the items reserved for a different
day. I wrote everything down on different pieces of paper. I folded
them up and randomly scheduled them throughout the month. That way,
I’ll be surprised every day.”
“You
made a random schedule? How will you know if you have time or the
materials you need to do it?”
“I’ll
make the time.” She turns to the counter when the barista arrives
with three cups. Over her shoulder, she asks, “Do you want to try
gingerbread or eggnog?”
I
don’t know. “Eggnog.”
I guess.
She
hands me one of the cups and takes the other two. “Actually, I do
know what I’ll be doing one day because I had to buy tickets. I
want to see The
Nutcracker—I haven’t
been since I was a little girl. But everything else will be a
surprise.”
I’m
listening to her explanation so closely I don’t even realize we’ve
stepped out of the coffee shop until the cold bites my face. She has
certainly shaken up my morning routine. “Do you really think a
Christmas to-do list will suddenly make the holidays better?”
“I
do.” She grins when I shake my head. “Do you doubt it will?”
“I
don’t know.” I lift a shoulder. “It seems like a stressful way
to spend the month. And for what? An overly commercialized holiday
that only racks up charges on our credit cards while people are
starving and struggling in the world. All the while, people miss
their deadlines and pile more work on your desk because you’re the
single guy in the office and they have to get to their kids’
Christmas programs or go bake cookies at their mother-in-law’s
house. Christmas was fun when we were kids, but as adults, it kind of
sucks.” I shake my head again. “No offense to you and your plan,
but most years I want to get through the month of December with as
little fanfare as possible.”
“Interesting.”
She says nothing else but studies my face again for a couple of
seconds. I nearly squirm under the intensity of her gaze. “Well, I
hope you enjoy the coffee. Merry Christmas.”
What Happens at Midnight by Laura Chapman
In this holiday novella by Laura Chapman, celebrate the holiday season with a love story about second, and fifth, chances and learning to trust your heart.
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to Follow Tour:
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I liked this book it was nicely written and enjoyable enough. Wasn't really into it, it did start of great but I was slowly loosing interests. It was a good book maybe just wasn't for me. It was good enough to catch my attention and to finish it through. It was sweet to read and I loved getting to the reasoning behind the heart break and what happens after they meet. I wish I got to know more about the characters because as sweet at Natalie is or the characters in general it was hard to connect and really care for the characters. But then again this is a sort of novella its supposed to be short and sweet. It was overall pretty good and a nice holiday read.
Laura
Chapman is the author of First & Goal, Going for Two, Three &
Out, and The Marrying Type. A native Nebraskan, she loves football,
Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Connect with her
online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube and on her
website at www.laurachapmanbooks.com.
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