One woman's quest to conquer Christmas

Merri doesn’t want much from life–a job, healthy kids, a modest apartment, cheap fun…

And a LAVISH Christmas.

No, really.  While other people save for vacations and cars, Merri saves every spare dime for her annual Christmas Extravaganza!

But when she loses her job three months before Christmas, survival means dipping deeper and deeper into the Christmas fund!  What’s a Yuletide fanatic to do?

All Barney wanted was to win a pool table for The Mission, but watching a single mom’s dogged determination to win a great Christmas gift for her kids makes it hard to keep his eye on the needs of the mission instead of the shifting hopes of his heart.

The Story Behind Merri’s Christmas Mission

For years, I’ve written about “Barney” Barnett and his work with the Rockland Mission. It began with Matt bringing his guests from Montana to The Mission in Argosy Junction. Barney’s impact on people is evident from that first book and carries through others. In Tarnished Silver, you find Barney as a youth and see how The Mission became such an integral part of his life.

But until now, I’ve never really shared his story. Only once was a wife ever mentioned in passing—in one of the HearthLand books. So, I decided to show how he met that wife. And, well, I couldn’t help but throwing Lita and Curtis from Advent in as well. After all, I’ve never really given them any more “page time” after their story.

Merry Christmas, and may all your packages reflect the love that went into selecting them!