Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor

Plot

Set in Friday Harbor, the novel opens with a prologue that features six-year-old Holly Nolan’s letter to Santa Claus, asking for a mother for Christmas. Following the death of Holly’s mother, Victoria Nolan, Holly is placed in the care of her uncle, Mark Nolan. Holly does not speak following her mother’s death, until she meets Maggie Conroy, a widow and the owner of a toy store, with whom Holly develops a connection. Mark, who learns of Holly’s Christmas wish, feels the need to find a mother for her. Despite being in a relationship, Mark is attracted to Maggie, while Maggie, despite her attraction to Mark, feels that she does not have enough to give to someone else since her husband’s death. The novel follows the developing relationship between Maggie and Mark, as well as their relationship with Holly, culminating on Christmas Eve.

Characters

Themes

Magic

The ideas of magic and, in relation, fantasy and imagination are a major theme throughout the book. Whereas Maggie believes that magic, fantasy, and imagination are important for children, Mark feels that he needs to create a boundary between reality and make-believe for Holly. However, he struggles with maintaining this boundary and begins to believe in magic himself.

Family

The idea of family is another theme in the book. While Holly and her uncles constitute a family, Mark also wants to create a family for Holly that includes a mother figure after he learns of Holly’s Christmas wish. Furthermore, Mark comes to view Holly as his own child, even though he is not her biological parent. Family is also brought up, as Maggie grew up in a large and close-knit family, while Mark and his siblings largely went their separate ways as adults, having grown up in a family whose parents had a troubled marriage and used their children as pawns. This affects Mark’s views on how to raise Holly.

Christmas

Christmas is also significant in the story. It is Holly’s wish that makes Mark ponder the idea of getting married, despite his ambivalence. It is also significant, as the Nolan family has not celebrated Christmas since Mark was fourteen, following a parental fight.

Reception

Publishers Weekly called the book a "spritely charmer" that "avoids...all the cheesy holiday miracle cliches." It considered the book to be solid with its strong leads.

RT (Romantic Times) Book Reviews gave the book a 4.5 star rating, stating that it was "poignant, heartbreaking and deeply satisfying..."

The novel was nominated in 2010 for an RT Reviewers' Choice Award in the Contemporary Romance category.