Nostalgic Christmas

Anne Garrison knows Christmas. She grew up in and around her father's wooden toy store, a magical place that often seemed to her like it was Santa's own workshop. She even learned how to do woodcarvings herself, a skill that she loved using when she was young. Now, as an adult, she has left that handmade way of doing things behind but still has a lot to do with Christmas cheer as the toy buyer for a major, nationwide department store chain. These days, Anne is responsiblefor finding the latest and greatest toys that are sure to brighten any child's Christmas morning. When Anne's father decides to retire and close the store, Anne returns to her small hometown of North Bay, Maine to help box up decades worthof memories and prepare the building for new owners. It's a nostalgic trip down memory lane as she stumbles upon a box of 24 hand carved Santa Claus figurines that she made when she was young. Each Santa has a theme - from Secret Wish Santa to Christmas Wish Santa, Music Santa, and beyond - and each has a short message of inspiration that makes them even more charming. Thinking that no one would want to buy them, Anne and her father start giving them away to customers andfriends, hoping they will find good homes and maybe provide a smile along the way. But they wind up doing much more than that. One of the first Santas goes to Jessie, the 10-year-old daughter of local mill manager Keith McClain, a widoweddad who is worried about rumors that the mill might be closing. Jessie is enamored by the Santa and it, along with some helpful advice from her Aunt Patty, gets her to audition for the town's Christmas pageant. When Anne and Keith are drafted into helping plan the town's Christmas events - a tree lighting, a carnival, and the pageant - they keep running into problems that threaten each of the events, but a little good luck and some gentle encouragement in the form of the wooden Santas winds up creating solutions that save the day more than once. As they work to make the North Bay Christmas celebrations merry and bright, Anne and Keith grow closer but all of that is threatened when word comes in that the millwill be closing and many of the town's residents, including Keith, will be losing their jobs. As her way of proclaiming her love, Anne carves a special Santa just for Keith and it gives him the idea that winds up fixing everything. The mill is saved, the pageant goes on with Jessie doing a heartfelt solo, and Anne and Keith kiss under the mistletoe. Based on the book, THE HOUSE OF WOODEN SANTAS, by Kevin Major.