Mrs. Norris was the first to board. She smiled as she placed her hand in his. “Thank you again for all your kindness, Mr. Kemper. And Merry Christmas.”
“I was glad I could help,” he said as she climbed onto the train.
The couple with the baby followed, along with the young navy man who lugged his own bag as well as the infant seat. It never ceased to amaze Clayton that one baby could need this much equipment. Time was, a bottle or two and a few diapers would suffice. These days it took the mother and two full-grown men to cart everything in. Clayton was pleased to see that the couple had struck up a friendship with the sailor. They certainly seemed to have a great deal to talk about.
The sales rep boarded next, after helping an elderly black couple with their luggage. This was the man who’d spent a large portion of the day before scowling and muttering under his breath. Kemper didn’t know what had happened to him, but this morning the man grinned from ear to ear and was about as helpful as they come.
“We appreciate everything you did for us, Kemper,” he said as he made his way into the train.
Five-year-old Kate bounced onto the first step and told Clayton, “Santa came last night and dropped off a present for me and Charles.”
“Did he now?” Clayton asked, catching Elise Jones’s eyes.
“Indeed, he did,” Elise said with a wide smile.
Apparently the adults had arranged something for the children. Clayton was glad to hear it. He wished he’d been able to do more himself, but he had his own family and plenty of obligations. It was a sad case when the railroad had to put people up in a depot for the night, especially when that night happened to be Christmas Eve.
He waited until everyone was on board before he stepped away from the train. Glancing inside the compartment, he watched fascinated as the group of once-cantankerous travelers cheerfully teased one another. Anyone looking at them would assume they were lifelong friends, even family.
Was it possible, Clayton wondered, that this small band of strangers had discovered the true meaning of Christmas? Learned it in a train depot late on Christmas Eve in the middle of a snowstorm?
The question seemed to answer itself.
A few years ago, at the end of my Cedar Cove story 8 Sandpiper Way, I answered questions about Christmas. I’ve updated some of the answers, so if you haven’t read the interview—or even if you have—I hope you’ll enjoy this….
I’ve now written quite a few Christmas stories, including Where Angels Go, as well as Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Trading Christmas, There’s Something About Christmas and most recently 1225 Christmas Tree Lane. Just don’t ask me to choose a favorite!
A few years ago, at the end of my Cedar Cove story 8 Sandpiper Way, I answered questions about Christmas. I’ve updated some of the answers, so if you haven’t read the interview—or even if you have—I hope you’ll enjoy this….
I’ve now written quite a few Christmas stories, including Where Angels Go, as well as Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Trading Christmas, There’s Something About Christmas and most recently 1225 Christmas Tree Lane. Just don’t ask me to choose a favorite!
Christmas Interview with Debbie Macomber
You obviously love Christmas. Can you say why?
When I was growing up, Christmas was always the biggest and most important holiday in the family calendar, taking precedence over birthdays and other celebrations. So many wonderful childhood memories revolve around Christmas for me—baking cookies with my mother for family and friends, wrapping gifts while listening to Christmas music, shopping for the perfect gift, cooking. My father was the youngest in a family of eight and we all lived close together, so I had lots of cousins nearby, which meant big family gatherings, too.
What are some of your favorite childhood memories of Christmas?
Well, other than the things I mentioned above, it’s midnight mass with my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. After mass we’d drive home and open our gifts. Sometimes we didn’t finish until three or four in the morning and then we’d all go to bed, happy and excited. Late the next morning we’d get up, ready to celebrate some more!
What’s your idea of a perfect Christmas meal?
This may surprise you. It’s not the traditional turkey ’n’ trimmings meal, although I love that! Here’s why: other than our children, now all married, my husband, Wayne, and I don’t have relatives in the immediate area, which is a very different experience from the way I grew up. During the first few Christmases with our young family, I cooked and baked and wrapped and decorated; in short, I tried to recreate my childhood Christmases. What happened was that I spent all of Christmas Day in the kitchen, slaving away. The children were far more interested in playing with their new toys than in sitting down to a fancy dinner. After about two years of this, Wayne and I decided to set up a buffet instead. During the day on Christmas Eve I cooked. Each of our four children could request a special salad or other dish for Christmas, which I then made. I also ordered a huge deli tray and sandwich makings. Then, early afternoon on Christmas Day, I put out the spread and everyone could eat whenever and whatever they wanted. Now that our children are adults with families of their own, we do a progressive dinner the weekend before Christmas, which has proven to be a lot of fun. We have a course at each house, starting with appetizers and ending with dessert. That way we get to celebrate and socialize together—and our children are free to set up their own family traditions for Christmas.
What’s the best Christmas present you ever received?
I have two answers to this—a spiritual one and a, shall we say, more worldly one. From a spiritual perspective, this question is easy to answer: Jesus, who is, after all, the reason for this celebration in the first place. (And don’t forget that the origin of “holiday” is “holy day.”)
My second answer is something that happened in 1994. Our oldest son, Ted, and his wife, Lana, were returning from their honeymoon just before Christmas and their flight was delayed. They arrived at the airport in Portland, Oregon, on Christmas Eve, where they were stuck. Wayne and I drove all the way to Portland to get them, and then the rest of the family—the kids and my parents—came from their homes to ours on Christmas Day. Having the whole family together, especially when we weren’t expecting to, was such a gift!
What’s the best Christmas gift you ever gave?
A few Christmases ago my entire family went on a cruise around Hawaii. It wasn’t the traditional Christmas, that’s for sure! But it was a very special time since we spent it with our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. It’s been quite a few years since we were all together on Christmas Day and it’s certainly a holiday every one of us is going to remember.
What inspired The Perfect Christmas?
This book was initially published in 2009, and it marked a return for me to romantic comedy. As you know, my heroine goes to see a matchmaker, and that situation was based on news stories I’d recently read, about the fact that people were revisiting this old-fashioned approach to love and courtship. The idea of the three tasks probably has its origin in fairy tales—three is such a traditional and often magic number in stories.
Three of your Christmas stories have been turned into original movies for Hallmark Channel. What was that like?
The books were Mrs. Miracle, Call Me Mrs. Miracle and in 2011, Trading Christmas. The first two featured TV star Doris Roberts as the title character, and both movies were the most-watched of the year on this channel. Seeing my stories turned into movies has been an exciting and fascinating experience, and I’ve learned a lot about the differences between books and scripts. Trading Christmas was first published in 2004 as When Christmas Comes and is partially set in Leavenworth, Washington, which is practically the Christmas capital of the world. This is a town that takes Christmas very seriously.
Speaking of Christmas towns, what about Cedar Cove? Your final book in this series is a Christmas title.
Yes, 1225 Christmas Tree Lane. We’ve included the first chapt
er in this volume as an introduction and an enticement. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane seemed the perfect way to wrap up this series. I’d set a previous Christmas story in Cedar Cove, as well—the one in which Mary Jo first appears—and of course there’ve been Christmas scenes in several of the books, such as 8 Sandpiper Way.
What are your favorite Christmas movies and stories by other authors?
Naturally I love the classics in both books and movies. Among movies, The Bishop’s Wife is a great favorite, as is Miracle on 34th Street (the original, although the remake isn’t bad). A Christmas Carol by Dickens is a perennial must-read (and I like the various movie versions—but no Scrooge has yet equaled Alastair Sim’s). I’ve also enjoyed Christmas Regency novellas by Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney.
What are your plans for this Christmas?
Wayne and I will be in our Washington home until just before Christmas. While there, we’ll have celebrations with our kids and their families, plus I’ll organize get-togethers with groups of friends. Then he, Bogie (our dog) and I will set out on our winter road trip to Florida, armed with lots of audio books. Driving across America is a surprisingly delightful way to spend the holiday—or part of it anyway!
Merry Christmas, Debbie, Wayne and Bogie!
And Merry Christmas from us to all my readers!
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1515-3
THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2011 by MIRA Books
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the individual works as follows:
THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2009 by Debbie Macomber
CAN THIS BE CHRISTMAS?
Copyright © 1998 by Debbie Macomber
Excerpt from 1225 CHRISTMAS TREE LANE
Copyright © 2011 by Debbie Macomber
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Debbie Macomber, The Perfect Christmas
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