The Candle Giver — Barbara Briggs Ward

It's been an emotional journey for Steve having lost Abbey after thirty-some years of being happily married. With the passing of time, he thinks about moving on yet hesitates. While encouraged by those around him, Steve seeks a sign, a whisper, something mere words cannot express. With two families coming together in celebration of a double wedding on Christmas Eve at the old farmhouse surrounded by woods and pastures and a majestic barn full of reindeer, the magic of the season demonstrates yet again anything can happen. Sleighs pulled deep into the woods by mighty horses bring loved ones to yet another place full of wonder and surprise as a gift wrapped inside a worn-out trunk full of special things left to a granddaughter by a grandmother she'd never know proves invaluable. What sounds like violins -- like harps being played and a chorus singing from somewhere amidst the pine and birch trees offer reassurance as snow angels lie in wait and eternal love spreads its wings, reaching beyond the mountain tops. Christmas wrapped in new beginnings by old traditions makes a most astonishing season-unforgettable.