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This collection of Christmas stories is infused with military tributes and dedication to tradition. Most of the stories share the same characters. In one story, Tim is a sullen teenager who prefers Christmas vacation with his friends to a family trip. Then, he becomes a grandfather on the other side of the coin. Dave's Christmas decorations in one story inspire Sam in another tale. Sam is a child during WWII in an early narrative and plays a department store Santa in the 1990s in later tales. Sandy is an American soldier deployed in Gaza in one story, then a Katrina volunteer in another. Each tale of transformation bears a Christmas message of good news recapitulated in an epilogue.
The book itself acts as a fable. Its format conveys that abundant gifts are from the heart and not the pocketbook. The stories create their own lineage and tradition by building on one another, like the family Christmas traditions they celebrate. Although the stories employ biblical references, Jesus is rarely invoked. Rather, a general godliness pervades in scenes of people overcoming barriers and helping one another. For instance, a family enlists men at a homeless shelter to fix up a neighbor's house. American soldiers and a Muslim family join forces to escape a bomb attack. The stories develop into a final climactic tale in which businesses and individuals enact a detailed and rigorous plan to assist Katrina victims. Typos pose a challenge to the book's otherwise effective, streamlined format. However, the Christmas spirit comes across in the characters' consistent efforts that maintain the legacy of Christian ethics.
The stories and their inhabitants—a diverse cast of men, women, young, old, rich, poor, and from across time and the globe—are the Christmas presents. The physical presents in the stories serve as symbols for the real gift of making Christmas experiences. Dave makes his own illuminated Christmas decorations in memory of his mother's wisdom that real Christmas light comes from within. German decorations and tree traditions are prominent, showing the author's influences and preferences. Down-and-out characters' turns for the better inspire them to pass the good vibes along. Amy is poor and depressed until she meets Sandy at the department store where they both work. Sandy and Sam make work friendly enough for Amy that she changes. Instead of drudgery, she makes her workplace a springboard for good deeds, arranging donations for soldiers' families. In another tale, Naomi, a Katrina victim, almost loses hope until Sandy's team of volunteers restores her faith in a promising future. The characters, each in their own way, live out the age-old Christmas message.
Like true stories, such as the Christmas truce of 1914, these about-faces provide a balm and a reminder of instances of good news in a sea of bad news. While the tragedies are realistic, such as separations due to deployment and working poverty, the triumphs are also portrayed. Out of real calamity comes real joy. Hard work is rewarded with pleasant outcomes. The book's clear, simple, and accessible writing matches the efforts of hometown heroes in a big-hearted collection of stories that go down like homemade hot chocolate on a winter day.