Five Reasons CRAFTY CHRISTMAS is my Favorite of all My Books

You know how it is. One shouldn’t really play favorites—or at least admit that you have them. But I confess. A CRAFTY CHRISTMAS is my favorite book in the Cumberland Creek series. So far. Okay, so I’ve probably said that about each one of the books at one time or another. Admittedly. But I can honestly say at this time, in this moment, this book is my favorite.

Here’s my top five reasons:

1. Sheila’s story. In my first three books, the point of view shifts between Vera, Annie, and Beatrice. In this book, it goes between Beatrice, Annie, and Sheila. Never fear—Vera is still a prominent player in the story, but we don’t get her point of view. Sheila is a woman in her 40s. She’s always put her family first—ahead of her own dreams. In this story, Sheila comes into her own.
2. Randy, Paige’s long-lost son, joins them on the cruise and we get to know him better. He was a joy to write—as was the relationship between Paige and Randy.
3. The fantasy element. I’ve never been on a cruise. So, I researched a great deal, of course, and much is grounded in hardcore realities of cruising. But I allowed my imagination to run wild in some of the cruise scrapbook cropping scenes. It was so much fun to fantasize. If I were having a Christmas crop and budget was not a concern, just what would I do? What would I serve? What kinds of giveaways would there be? (Hint: there’s a lot of chocolate, sparklies, and servers dressed in elf suits.)
4. The holiday theme. This kind of relates back to Sheila’s story, but we get a glimpse into an important shifting perspective with some of the Cumberland Creek characters as they gather to celebrate.
5. My surprise ending. This has nothing to do with the murder mystery. But if you’re a fan of the series, you will delight in the epilogue. And that is all I’m saying. Grin.

I really love these characters, whether they are scrapbooking, cruising, or eating a slice of pie from Pamela’s Pie Palace. If you’ve not met them yet, I hope you do—and I hope you like them as much as I do.

In the mean time, check out my Christmas crafts gift ideas page on Pinterest. Fair warning–there’s HOURS of fun there!