by Tom Cotton
First published 2011
Carmen stands at the center of a community preparing for Christmas festivities. The approaching holiday brings together neighbors who rarely speak and families separated by old grievances. As Carmen navigates the traditions that bind her small town together, she discovers that the Latin poems her grandmother taught her hold keys to understanding both her heritage and her future. The Christmas festival becomes more than seasonal celebration when Carmen must choose between preserving old ways and embracing change. Through candlelit services and snow-covered streets, she learns that some traditions survive because they carry truth forward through generations. Her journey reveals how ancient words can speak to modern hearts, and how celebration itself becomes a form of prayer.
Genres: literary-fiction, christmas, family-life, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: found-family, preserving-the-past
Setting: Christmas
Period: Holiday Season
104 pages · Paperback · Lulu.com