Sometimes a year can be very long.

Smothering. Filled with anxiety. More of life leaning toward the negative instead of the positive.

Ever have one of those years?

I’ve tried to focus on the good in my life, especially during Thanksgiving.

Now the Christmas season is here, and I want to remember hope. As an avid writer and reader, I find uplifting stories help me through difficult times. Tales of heroes and villains, where good overcomes evil. Stories of everyday, ordinary people who make a difference in the lives of others.

So, I plan to share some of my favorite seasonal reads. And good news! In the coming months, I will also be posting guest posts by friends who want to share what gives them hope in their lives. I can’t wait for you to read their stories.

When it comes to Christmas fiction, here are two great books:

1. The X-Mas Club by Lenora Worth. Christmas is a time for miracles…After a tragic traffic accident several years ago, Veronica Cearley has avoided all socializing and celebrating—especially during Christmas. Her daughter wants her mother back and finally gives her an ultimatum: this year, she’s spending Christmas with her fiancé’s family, and if Veronica doesn’t rediscover the joy in life, she won’t be involved in planning her spring wedding. When Veronica finds a flyer inviting people to attend a “Not a Christmas Club” on her daily walk, she wonders if fate has played into her hand.Cullen Murdock doesn’t want to spend Christmas alone. He’s back in Hidden Mountain, Georgia, on business, and while he and the town have a history, he’d prefer to keep it locked in the past. He puts a plan in motion to ensure he has company for the holiday, hoping that the other lonely people he’s invited are willing to accept his mysterious invitation and make a few positive life changes.

   Forced together with three other lonesome people, Veronica and Cullen fall hard and fast, but will Cullen’s secret steal their newfound Christmas spirit?

2. The Ornament Keeper by Eva Marie Everson. Award-winning author Eva Marie Everson wraps up a Christmas story of hope, love, and forgiveness just in time for the holidays. The Ornament Keeper, a contemporary Christmas novella, features Felicia and Jackson Morgan, who are spending their first Christmas apart after twenty years of marriage. But a lifetime of gifted ornaments helps Felicia piece together the story of their marriage and the one mistake of unforgiveness she made before they said, “I do.”Can these memory-filled ornaments reunite this family before Christmas? Only time will tell.

I believe you’ll love these books and find hope and peace amongst the pages. What gives you hope during the Christmas season?

Click to tweet: The Smidgen of Hope: The Christmas Season. Two great fiction reads to give you hope during this time of the year. #ChristianLiving #hope #faith

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