A Christmas to Remember! by Brenda Minton

from the December 25, 2017 issue

Tagline: A past good deed turns into a special Christmas for Lydia and Jason...

Observations: I know I said I wasn't going to analyze the Harlequin stories, but I think they're getting the hang of writing for Woman's World, so here we go.

This was a lovely story. It was easy to see why they chose it to appear in the December 25th issue. In the past, I have cautioned against including too much sadness in your stories. This is still true. You can mention the death of a spouse, but you can't dwell on it too much. This story strikes the perfect balance between including the melancholy but still managing to be an uplifting read at the end.

Here's that poignant moment where that information is revealed:

"My daddy taught me that Christmas is always in our hearts," the little girl said with authority. "My mommy is in my heart too, even though she's in Heaven."

Lydia didn't know what to say. She knelt before the girl, putting them at eye level.

"I think that's a very wise thing your daddy told you. And since we both know Christmas is special, I have something special for you. Homemade peppermint sticks. Would you like one?"

So, you get that sentimental tug, you introduce the information that this man is a widower, but then you move on.