Christmas and its magic strikes again!

Synopsis

You are invited to spend CHRISTMAS ON THE CLOSE where each of the neighbours are celebrating in their own special way.

Diane always enjoys baking special festive treats, which she happily delivers to her friendly neighbours on The Close as Christmas approaches.

When she decides to seek closure with a romantic matter from her past, she unexpectedly finds herself on an emotional journey she isn’t prepared for.

Her granddaughter, Emma, has all the technical know-how to assist in the search for answers, but is distracted by an intense – and highly unsuitable – romance of her own.

The two women must deal with unsettling issues as they begin to face the reality of their situations, but their familial bond helps to provide the security and support they need to answer the questions they face.

The sixth standalone episode of ‘Christmas on The Close’ reveals how it may be easier to allow the head to make all the decisions, but the heart will never stop fighting for what it really wants.

My review

Diane always wants to make sure that all her neighbours on The Close are feeling all right. And now that the holidays approaches, she makes sure that each and every one of them are on the receiving side of her special festive treats.
But Christmas is also the time that Diane thinks back about her first love, Joe. and this year she is determined to find out what happened to him and have the so much needed closure.
Together with her granddaughter Emma, who is having her own issues of the heart, they start the search for the lost love.
But they didn’t expect to start an emotional rollercoaster, and only with the mutual support, they can manage to find all the answers.

This was the first time I read something from this author, and when I realized this short story was part of a whole series, I was a bit afraid that it would be difficult to catch up with everything.
but my fears were ungrounded, because this story is a perfect standalone!

Diane is the perfect grandmother and neighbour. She looks after everyone, and wants to make sure that all her beloved ones are happy. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a neighbour or a family member, she just wishes you all the best and wants to help out at all costs.
So when the story of her first love is told, I found it a heart – warming moment, and even if we know that her life would take another turn, I hoped it wouldn’t have a dramatic twist.

I had a hunch that the news she received in the past was not the complete truth, but when Diane and Emma discover what truly happened, I was truly shocked. I find it hard to grasp that someone would go that far… Even if you don’t agree with a decision, that’s understandable, but to go THAT far… I just cannot understand it!

But I loved reading not only Diane’s tale, also Emma’s was something I enjoyed to read. she finds herself in an impossible situation. And when Diane points out the reality of it, it’s of course a bitter pill to digest, but Emma sees how it’s just told with the best intentions and takes Diane’s advice at heart.

I found this a beautiful story to read, with heart – breaking moments, but also with heart – warming moments when it’s clear that not all is truly lost.
The magic of Christmas did his work again, and it filled me with joy, hope and happiness, just the feelings that Christmas should evoke.
A short story, with the perfect ingredients, and a hunger to read all the author’s other work!