The Perfect Christmas Read online

  Praise for Debbie Macomber’s Christmas Stories

  “With The Perfect Christmas, Macomber has spun Christmas gold… The author’s charming style comes through with every turn of the page, leading readers through a variety of emotions—so keep a box of tissues at hand! Definitely one for the keeper shelf, highly recommended!”

  —The Romance Readers Connection

  “Call Me Mrs. Miracle is an entertaining holiday story that surely will touch the heart… Best of all, readers will rediscover the magic of Christmas.”

  —Bookreporter.com

  “With a wink and a wish, there’s always magic whenever Mrs. Miracle shows up, along with some good old-fashioned romance! Don’t miss this special Christmas book!”

  —Romance Reviews Today on Call Me Mrs. Miracle

  “Familiar townspeople, three impulsive brothers on the hunt, and a pair of appealing protagonists bring to life this sweet, humorous romance that, with its many obvious parallels, is a satisfying, almost tongue-in-cheek retelling of the Christmas story.”

  —Library Journal on A Cedar Cove Christmas

  “A lighthearted, decidedly modern retelling of the Christmas story, this is vintage Macomber. Its charm and humor are balanced by the emotional impact of heroine Mary Jo’s situation, and many readers will find it irresistible.”

  —RT Book Reviews on A Cedar Cove Christmas

  “Macomber’s latest charming contemporary Christmas romance is a sweetly satisfying, gently humorous story that celebrates the joy and love of the holiday season.”

  —Booklist on Christmas Letters

  “Macomber’s take on A Christmas Carol…adds up to another tale of romance in the lives of ordinary people, with a message that life is like a fruitcake: full of unexpected delights.”

  —Publishers Weekly on There’s Something About Christmas

  “It’s just not Christmas without a Debbie Macomber story.”

  —Armchair Interviews

  Also by Debbie Macomber

  Blossom Street Books

  The Shop on Blossom Street

  A Good Yarn

  Susannah’s Garden

  Back on Blossom Street

  Twenty Wishes

  Summer on Blossom Street

  Hannah’s List

  The Twenty-First Wish (in The Knitting Diaries)

  A Turn in the Road

  Cedar Cove Books

  16 Lighthouse Road

  204 Rosewood Lane

  311 Pelican Court

  44 Cranberry Point

  50 Harbor Street

  6 Rainier Drive

  74 Seaside Avenue

  8 Sandpiper Way

  92 Pacific Boulevard

  1022 Evergreen Place

  Christmas in Cedar Cove (5-B Poppy Lane and A Cedar Cove Christmas)

  1105 Yakima Street

  1225 Christmas Tree Lane

  The Manning Family

  The Manning Sisters

  The Manning Brides

  The Manning Grooms

  Christmas Books

  A Gift to Last

  On a Snowy Night

  Home for the Holidays

  Glad Tidings

  Christmas Wishes

  Small Town Christmas

  When Christmas Comes

  There’s Something About Christmas

  Christmas Letters

  Where Angels Go

  The Perfect Christmas

  Angels at Christmas (Those Christmas Angels and Where Angels Go)

  Call Me Mrs. Miracle

  Trading Christmas (Trading Christmas—previously titled When Christmas Comes— and The Forgetful Bride)

  Dakota Series

  Dakota Born

  Dakota Home

  Always Dakota

  Heart of Texas Series

  VOLUME 1

  (Lonesome Cowboy and Texas Two-Step)

  VOLUME 2

  (Caroline’s Child and Dr. Texas)

  VOLUME 3

  (Nell’s Cowboy and Lone Star Baby)

  Promise, Texas

  Return to Promise

  Midnight Sons

  VOLUME 1

  (Brides for Brothers and The Marriage Risk)

  VOLUME 2

  (Daddy’s Little Helper and Because of the Baby)

  VOLUME 3

  (Falling for Him and Ending in Marriage and Midnight Sons and Daughters)

  This Matter of Marriage

  Montana

  Thursdays at Eight

  Between Friends

  Changing Habits

  Married in Seattle (First Comes Marriage and Wanted: Perfect Partner)

  Right Next Door (Father’s Day and The Courtship of Carol Sommars)

  Wyoming Brides (Denim and Diamonds and The Wyoming Kid)

  Fairy Tale Weddings (Cindy and the Prince and Some Kind of Wonderful)

  The Man You’ll Marry (The First Man You Meet and The Man You’ll Marry)

  Orchard Valley Grooms (Valerie and Stephanie)

  Orchard Valley Brides (Norah and Lone Star Lovin’)

  The Sooner the Better

  An Engagement in Seattle (Groom Wanted and Bride Wanted)

  Out of the Rain (Marriage Wanted and Laughter in the Rain)

  Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Cookbook

  Debbie Macomber’s Christmas Cookbook

  DEBBIE MACOMBER

  The Perfect Christmas

  To

  Gary and Marsha Roche

  And

  In Memory of Bob Mullen With thanks for sharing their love of Civil War history With Wayne and me

  October 2011

  Dear Friends,

  I believe many of us dream—or dreamed!—about hosting the perfect Christmas. It took me most of my adult life to realize that “perfect” and “Christmas” are two words that don’t really go together….

  I remember the year the kids and I bought a huge Christmas tree, leaving my poor husband to fit it into a stand about seven times too small. That “perfect” Christmas tree ended up being tossed out the front door with a few choice words from Wayne.

  Then there was the Christmas I spent the entire day in the kitchen cooking the perfect dinner for my young family. Just about everything that could go wrong did, including losing electricity in the middle of roasting the turkey. By the time dinner was ready, I was exhausted. Imagine my dismay when I realized all four kids were far more interested in playing with their new toys, and Wayne had been snacking all afternoon and wasn’t hungry. Let me just say—not our best Christmas.

  Over the years we’ve refined our family traditions but the idea of the perfect Christmas lingers in my mind, so—as inevitably happens with writers—I decided to create a story based on that elusive goal. This book was first published in hardcover in 2009; you’ll see that I’ve provided a new epilogue, which gives you a brief update on the characters and their lives. I’ve also included additional bonus material, such as a few recipes from my brand-new Christmas cookbook and a knitting pattern. And you’ll also find one of my first Christmas stories—still a favorite of mine— Can This Be Christmas?

  I’d love to hear from you—whether it’s just to say hello, to tell me what you think of the story or to describe your own “perfect” (or not so perfect!) Christmas. You can reach me at P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366, or through my website, www.DebbieMacomber.com.

  Merry Christmas!

  Contents

  THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11<
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  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Cassie’s Ideas for the Perfect Christmas Party

  Infant Santa Hat

  Christmas Eve Eggnog

  Crock-Pot Chicken Chili

  Five-Minute Cranberry Walnut Cobbler

  Ice Krispie Snowmen

  Many Bean Soup Mix

  Cream Scones with Dried Figs and Cherries

  CAN THIS BE CHRISTMAS?

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Christmas Interview with Debbie Macomber

  THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS

  Chapter 1

  “Who mails out Christmas cards before Thanksgiving?” Cassie Beaumont lamented to her best friend.

  Angie Barber looked up from her microscope and seemed to take an extra moment to consider what Cassie had just said. “You got a Christmas card? Already?”

  Cassie wheeled her chair back to her station. “Can you believe it?”

  “Who from?”

  “An old college friend. You wouldn’t know her.” Cassie shrugged. “Jill married Tom two weeks after we graduated.”

  “They have children?”

  Cassie caught the wisp of longing in Angie’s voice and answered with a nod. “Two, a boy and a girl, and of course they’re adorable.”

  “Of course,” Angie echoed.

  The Christmas card photo showed the four of them in matching outfits of green and red. The mother and daughter wore full-length green dresses with red-and-green plaid skirts. Father and son had on three-piece suits with vests in the same fabric as the dress skirts. It was too adorable for words.

  “There was a letter, as well.”

  “Everything in their lives is perfect, right?” Angie asked.

  “Perfect in every way,” Cassie grumbled. The unfairness of it all was too much. Jill, who worked as a financial planner, held down a forty-hour-a-week job, kept a meticulous house and still managed to be a terrific wife and mother. Despite all the demands on her time, she’d mailed out her Christmas cards a full month in advance.

  “Is there a reason the perfect Jill sent her Christmas cards so soon?” Angie asked.

  “Jill and Tom just moved into a new home and wanted to update family and friends with their address change. Oh, and there was a photo of the house and it was—”

  “Perfect,” Angie finished for her.

  “Perfect doesn’t begin to describe it.”

  Angie watched her closely. “Do I detect a slight note of envy?” she asked.

  “Slight envy? Me?” Cassie asked, exaggerating the words. “Heavens, no. What you’re hearing is a full-blown case of jealousy. The green-eyed monster is alive and well.” Cassie rolled her chair to the end of a counter filled with an assortment of microscopes, test tubes, slides and other equipment, then stood, hands propped on her hips. “Do you realize how long it’s been since I’ve been on a real date?”

  “You went out with Greg last week,” Angie reminded her.

  “Greg isn’t a man,” Cassie blurted out. “I mean, he is, but not in the sense of someone I’m interested in,” she said. “Greg’s…completely unsuitable as marriage material.” She didn’t need to explain that, at thirty-four, the ticking of her biological clock got louder by the year.

  Angie sighed. “I agree.”

  He was eligible in practically every way but he happened to be divorced and in love with his ex-wife. Unfortunately, he hadn’t figured that out yet. The entire date, if it could even be called a date, was spent rehashing the tragedy of his divorce. He went on and on about how much he missed his three kids—and his ex-wife, if the number of times he mentioned her name was any indication. The night had been sheer drudgery for Cassie. It was her first and last date with Greg.

  “The problem is, we don’t meet many guys here at work,” Angie said. Cassie was well aware of that. Since they were holed up in a lab eight to ten hours a day, working as biochemists for a plastics company, the opportunities to socialize outside the job were limited.

  “What really hit home,” Cassie said, “after receiving that Christmas card, is how badly I want a family of my own.”

  “I know.” The longing was back in Angie’s voice, too.

  “I don’t understand why it’s so hard to meet men. I’m reasonably attractive, right?”

  Angie nodded enthusiastically. “Yes.”

  “Thirty-four isn’t so old, is it?”

  “Not really.”

  Cassie shook her head and wondered why she was still single. She wanted to be married, and she liked to think she had the full package—five-five, dark hair, dark eyes. She was attractive, as Angie had confirmed, and she was smart, with a successful career, an engaging personality (if she did say so herself) and plenty of friends. “I blame my mother for this.”

  “Your mother?”

  “I blame my father, too, even if he didn’t stick around all that long.”

  “Or maybe because he didn’t stick around.”

  “Yeah, I guess. After the divorce, my mother was so down on marriage, the whole idea terrified me.”

  “But it doesn’t anymore, does it?”

  “No. I want a husband and I’d really like children.” She grinned. “The ironic thing is, my mother’s remarried.”

  “Marriage seems to terrify your brother, too. Shawn should be married by now, don’t you think? He’s older than you are.”

  “I’m not so sure about Shawn.” Cassie sometimes wondered if Angie might be interested in her brother. There was actually nothing to indicate that, but every once in a while Cassie had this feeling…?. “He travels so much that maintaining a long-term relationship would be difficult for him.”

  “True,” Angie said.

  Shawn was a well-known artist who painted murals all over the country. Brother and sister were close and kept in touch, calling each other two or three times a week. Currently Shawn was in Boca Raton, Florida, painting the side of a building that stood next to the freeway. He’d sent her photos of the mural from his cell phone—an ocean scene, which Cassie knew was his favorite. Whales rising up out of the crashing waves. Dolphins and sea turtles and all kinds of fish frolicked in the sparkling blue water. His murals made headlines wherever he went and huge crowds showed up to watch him paint.

  “Shawn’s a different case,” Cassie said. In her opinion, that summed up the situation pretty accurately.

  “But if you were married, I bet he’d show some interest in finding a wife,” Angie commented.

  Cassie had never thought of their family dynamic in those terms. Perhaps, in some obscure way, Shawn was waiting for her to make the leap first. Angie might be right. It wasn’t that Shawn followed her lead—far from it. They’d both been traumatized by the divorce and by their mother’s reaction. Their father, who wanted his kids to call him Pete, had been in and out of their lives. Mostly out and yet…yet he’d had a powerful influence on his children, whom he rarely recognized as such.

  “Shawn won’t feel marriage is safe until he sees you happily married,” Angie went on to say.

  Cassie scowled at her friend. “What makes you so smart?”

  “Just an observation,” Angie said. “I may not be correct, but it seems to me that you and Shawn are afraid of love.”

  “Me afraid of love? Hardly.” Not if the longing in her heart was anything to go by. Like her friend Jill, she wanted it all.

  “Whenever you meet a man—no matter how perfect he is—you find fault with him,” Angie said.

  Now, that was categorically untrue. “Not so,” Cassie argued.

  “Oh, it’s all wine and roses in the beginning, but then it’s over before you even have a chance to really know the guy.”<
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  “How can you say that?”

  “Well, mostly,” Angie told her softly, “I can say it because I’ve seen you do it again and again.”

  “You’re not talking about me and Jess, are you? The man had no class. He scratched his private parts in public!”

  “Not Jess.”

  “Who do you mean, then?”

  “Rod.”

  Cassie cocked her head. “Rod? Rod who?”

  “I don’t remember his last name. You went out with him a year ago.”

  “Not Rod Showers? Good grief, he was so cheap I had to pay for my half of the meal and tip the valet because he refused to do it.”

  “What about Charles…”

  Cassie got the point quickly enough. “Okay, okay, so I have standards.”

  “High standards.”

  “Okay, fine. High standards.” Cassie had made the effort, though. “I’ve tried to meet men.”

  “We both have.”

  “I had hopes for that online dating service.” The advertisements had looked so promising. Cassie and Angie had signed up together and then waited expectantly to meet their perfect matches.

  It didn’t happen.

  “I had real hopes for that, too,” Angie returned sadly. “I thought for sure we’d meet really wonderful husbands.”

  Cassie sighed. That had been an expensive venture. Her expectations had been great and her disappointment greater. Angie’s, too. In fact, Angie was the one who’d suggested trying the Internet.

  “The church singles group was a good idea,” she said now.

  “A great idea,” Cassie concurred, “if there’d been any men involved.” They’d gone there to discover the group consisted of thirty women and two men—both close to retirement age.