One More For Christmas

Like a cosy cup of tea on a rainy day.

Very slow and boring

A poignant story. Gayle Mitchell runs a very successful business, and has written two best-selling motivational books. She has agreed to be interviewed on-air by a young, up-and-coming woman reporter. At the end of the interview the film crew want some promotional stills, including one with Gayle holding an award she recently won. Gayle didn’t like it much, so it had been placed on the top shelf of a tall bookcase; she couldn’t find her assistant so climbed on a chair to get it down. The chair began to wobble as she stretched to reach the award, and she fell, the bookcase landed on top of her, and a point of the star-shaped award hits her head, she passed out. When she came round she was in terrible pain and was being attended to by the EMT, who asked if anyone had contacted her family. Her staff insisted she had no family, but she asks them to call her daughter, her eldest daughter. It is the reporter who provides the information, she had researched her subject before the interview. After an internet search they find that her daughter Samantha is the CEO of a bespoke luxury holiday company in Boston, so they phone her to let her know her mother is asking for her. Nobody knows that she has been estranged from her daughters for more than five years.

And so begins the story of a family reconciliation, - maybe! Samantha and her sister Ella both rush to New York to see what needs to be done; neither, for various reasons, wishing to actually be involved in doing any nursing if that is necessary. Neither of them had told Gayle that they no longer live in New York. On their second visit she also discovers that Ella has a husband ... and a daughter, Tabitha, who is nearly five. Gayle realises how much she has missed, and asks to spend Christmas with them all. Her daughters can think of nothing worse, and in desperation Ella says they are all going to Scotland, thinking it will put her off - but Gayle says she will come too. Samantha is appalled, the Scotland connection is an estate owner who wants her to include his estate in her holiday destination programme. She has had a very embarrassing telephone conversation with him, when she thought she was talking to someone else, and never wants to even speak to him again, never mind take up his offer of a Christmas break for her and her family so that she can see first-hand what they have to offer. She wishes she had not told . her sister about the conversation!

There are many awkward times between them all from that point until they sit down together and tell the truth about events in their past, and the daughters understand why their mother had behaved in the way she had throughout their childhood. It is good news too for the estate, the family fall in love with their surroundings, and Samantha comes up with all sorts of events and activities they can offer that will make it a sure-fire success, especially when she finds out that her mother has further suggestions, and has already started getting one of them organised.

The story is also about the family who own the estate. Their life was upset when the estate owner died. His wife Mary desperately wants to stay there, but they have to produce an income or they will have to sell up. Her daughter Kirstie is helping in the house, but she is unhappy that they have visitors for Christmas, and would rather be working outside. Brodie is a data analyst, when his father died he came home to help out, he set up office on the estate and works freelance to bring some income into the estate. As the story evolves new beginnings are found for all of them. There is romance too, touching and sweet. The lives of two wounded families are healed, and close bonds are formed.

A delightful Christmas story full of the ‘aah’ factor, and well worth reading.