Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 92
First published 1995
Mallory Pike feels tired of Christmas commercialism and dreams of celebrating the holidays the way families did long ago. She shares her vision with the Pike family, and they embrace her idea wholeheartedly. Their enthusiasm pays off when they win a contest that brings them ten thousand dollars and a film crew to document their traditional celebration. The cameras roll as the Pikes bake cookies, hang stockings, and trim their tree in old-fashioned style. Initially, everything proceeds smoothly and the family enjoys their quaint holiday preparations. However, the filming process gradually spirals beyond anyone's control. The presence of cameras and crew transforms their simple celebration into chaos. The very thing Mallory hoped to avoid creeps back into their home through the filming process. Her dream of a peaceful, traditional Christmas crumbles as the documentary takes over their lives. Mallory must confront the gap between her holiday wishes and reality.
Genres: christmas, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, holiday-spirit
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
136 pages · Paperback · Scholastic Paperbacks