Nine stories. Nine pasts to overcome. Nine futures hang in the balance. Christmas is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but what happens when the past threatens to destroy the peace and joy of the season? When the men and women in these stories face overwhelming challenges in their lives, can hope be restored this Christmas? Mountaintop Christmas by Stacy Monson Wilderness camp leaders Mikayla Gordon and Dawson Dunne have planned their perfect mountaintop Christmas wedding, but nature seems to have other plans. Mikayla will have to face the one thing that has terrified her since childhood or her hopes of a magical mountain wedding to the man of her dreams will be buried deep under the fresh coating of snow. Like Wool by Eleanor Bertin Young David Fawcett is all duded up for a night of punk rock with his buddies when the past butts into his plans, thrusting him out into the cold of a snowy Christmas Eve to face his worst enemy. Ever Greening by Deb Elkink Thirty-year-old anti-Advent Holly, who’d abandoned Montana as a pregnant teen, faces another Christmas—and this time the meaning of the Incarnation—in the barren desert of Nevada far from the evergreen forest of home. A Beautiful Christ-mess by Brenda S. Anderson When prodigal son Zachary Belden returns home at Christmas to surprise his family with news, he’s surprised with other news that turns his surprise into a big mess and challenges his newfound faith. The Christmas Sweater by Janice L. Dick Jeanne, a retired librarian and one-year widow, is dreading her first Christmas without Sam. However, when her childhood friend moves in next door, Jeanne wonders if alone might be better. Spunky Debbie McCormick won’t allow Jeanne to wallow in her grief, and seems intent on pushing her into decisions she’s not ready to make. Taste of Heaven by Sara Davison When Shawn and Daphne Cook’s hopes for their future are crushed, it ta