(3.5 / 5)

Rick Denton likes his life as a high-powered accountant, living how he wants, with very few responsibilities. But when his step-father, who he never much cared for, has a stroke on Thanksgiving weekend, his mother asks him to come to Florida and help out at the bookstore the couple own and run together. Rick agrees out of obligation, not expecting to stay more than a few days...which stretches on past what he expected. Rick isn't sure he can handle much more of the people who frequent the store, and worse yet, they always seem to have great things to say about his step-father, who Rick always saw as an interloper. Is it possible there's more going on here than he would have thought?

I kicked off my Christmas-season reading a little late this year, but this was a great book to start it off. The story was a little predictable, as Christmas stories tend to be (especially those that involve romance, which this one does), but it was still sweet. I teared up during a particularly emotional scene with Rick's mom (Leanne) and step-dad (Art) at the hospital, because it reminded me of being in my dad's hospital room after his heart attack, while we were waiting for them to be able to do surgery on him. And at other times, I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if I were in Leanne's place, where my husband was the one in the bed. It was well written, with Leanne's perspective showing what a loving, long-term relationship can look like.

By the end of the book, I had a few issues, the most glaring being the incredible amount of typos and grammatical errors. I can't believe this book was ever published by a traditional publishing house, as it seems to need a lot of polishing. There was also one moment that made me cringe a little, and later, I was surprised that no one in the story seemed to feel that Rick was trying to buy some of the characters' love. But those things aside, I enjoyed reading this book; it's a sweet, warm Christmas read. ( )

Often we leave behind our family, our childhood, the things that we want to forget and forge for ourselves a new path. We long to reconcile the aching in our hearts, to fill the void that is in our lives. So we search out success and wealth, relationships and fun to fill our days. We build up walls around the past, the pain, the hurt, the memories we just can't seem to put into a proper place or make fit into a perfect world that we seek.

This is the case with Rick. Leaving home years ago he had found success in the business world, including wealth and relationships. By all worldly standards he had attained what all seek. A life separate from his childhood - carefully removed from the imperfect memories that he could not make fit into his ideal world. He had shut off his mother, created a life that was suitable, and workable by his standards. Then came the call to return home and help his mother while his step-father was in the hospital.

In this time Rick comes face to face with the memories he had carefully constructed and the truth. The longer he stays the more his eyes are opened. He is asked to run the bookstore that his mother and step-father had - little did he know that this seemingly simple task would cause his carefully constructed world to unravel piece by piece.

The journey begins with the introduction of two completely opposite people - a homeless man and a single mother. Both of these people bring about a change so complete and so absolute that Rick is never the same. The things he held as truth and the world he had created come crashing down and a peace and forgiveness that he had never known follows this breaking.

Dan Walsh has a way of unfolding a story that draws a reader into the very midst of it. It is as if you, the reader are more than just an onlooker. This story is so powerful in its simplicity that it is nothing short of amazing.

Thanks to Revell for this review copy. ( )

I was browsing fora holiday book to read around Christmas, even though I don’t celebrate Christmas, I do celebrate Hannukah.
I saw the book being part of the Kindle Unlimited and decide to borrow and read it.
”Remember Christmas” is Christian fiction with clear romance. Rick the main character is leaving his successful career and has to help his mother after his step-father an aneurysm.
Rick has left his old life, his faith to God, and is pissed off with everything that returns him to his past.
Andrea and her daughter make the difference and Rick starts to understand, and change to the furrow of his faith, and back to his family.
It is a sweet predictable story with really slow pacing, and I had trouble with the whole praise the Lord. It is to Christian fiction for my taste.
Trigger warning for schizophrenia, as one secondary character is schizophrenic.
One thing that is innovating for me is the story takes place in 1980, it is strange to read about a time without mobile phones, cassette players in cars. ( )

This isn't a book I would normally read, but it popped up in a few different places where I read recommendations for it. My library had it so I gave it a shot. At first it was bland, but it did get better.
Rick has a poor me, hard heart, attitude. What matters most him are materialistic. His mom's husband Art, is found on the floor of their book store, and Rick is called in to help at the store. He thinks everyone there is weird, especially the homeless guys Rick dubbed Columbo. The homeless guy goes by the initials JD, and he comes in the morning wanting egg mcmuffins and coffee, because this is what Art did.
Rick's heart doesn't soften until he learns a few truths and accepts them. His life gets better when he gets his priorities in order. ( )

REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS was found at the book sale in our local Strawberry Festival celebration and was chosen just for the title.

It turned out to be a warm and gentle, fairly predictable (except for big plot twist toward end) story of love surrounding The Book Nook, a Christian bookstore
on the east coast of Florida. There was an abundance of Happy Endings and Christian conversion.

It would have been good if the mystery of why Rick's father left his family was finally solved: mental illness or did that come later? ( )