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    The Perfect Christmas Gift
    The Perfect Christmas Gift
    The Perfect Christmas Gift
    Ebook86 pages1 hour

    The Perfect Christmas Gift

    By Terri J. Haynes

    ()

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    About this ebook

    All Brea Sutton wants for Christmas is for something to go right. Instead of a magical family holiday, her parents are going to Hawaii, ruining Brea’s plans. For the first time in her life, Brea will be celebrating Christmas alone.

    The office holiday gift exchange gives her an opportunity to recapture the joy of Christmas...until she picks the name of the most challenging person in the office. Undeterred, Brea is determined to find the perfect Christmas gift. Her quest unearths some surprising truths and she discovers Christmas cheer comes in very unexpected ways.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTerri J. Haynes
    Release dateDec 8, 2016
    ISBN9781370305247
    The Perfect Christmas Gift
    Author

    Terri J. Haynes

    Terri J. Haynes, a native Baltimorean, is a homeschool mom, writer, prolific knitter, freelance graphic artist and former Army wife (left the Army, not the husband). She loves to read, so much that when she was in elementary school, she masterminded a plan to be locked in a public library armed with only a flashlight to read all the books and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As she grew, her love for writing grew as she tried her hand at poetry, articles, speeches and fiction. She is storyteller at heart. Her passion is to draw readers in the story world she has created and to bring laughter and joy to their lives.Terri is a 2010 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest finalist, and a 2012 semi-finalist. She is also a 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarterfinalist. Her publishing credits include Cup of Comfort for Military Families, Crosswalk.com, the Secret Place Devotional, Urbanfaith.com, Vista Devotional, and Publisher’s Weekly.Terri holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theology, a Master's degree in Theological Studies and a certificate in creative writing and graphic design, meeting the minimal requirements of being a geek. She and her husband pastor a church where she serves as executive pastor and worship leader. Terri lives in Maryland with her three wonderful children and her husband, who often beg her not to kill of their favorite characters.

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      Book preview

      The Perfect Christmas Gift - Terri J. Haynes

      The Perfect Christmas Gift

      Copyright © 2016 Terri J. Haynes

      Published by Terri J. Haynes at Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      About Terri J. Haynes

      Other books by Terri J. Haynes

      Connect with Terri J. Haynes

      Acknowledgements

      Thanks to God for this gift. I am honored and humbled that You, in your infinite wisdom, chose me to tell stories. You are the master storyteller. I’m so fortunate to have learned from the best.

      Thanks to Abrian Haynes, my husband, best friend, secret keeper, food bully and pastor. I can’t thank you enough for being a strong enough man to be married to me. To my children, Jazmyne, Dartanyon and Emmanuel, thank you for being my cheering squad and entertaining distraction. Those are valuable jobs and you guys excel.

      To Linda Sothern, my audience, thanks again for being brutally honest with your critiques. AND you have leveled up on your conjunction killing. AND thank you for always being excited to read something new from me. BUT I only did this to drive you crazy. BUT you know I love you.

      To my community and family, thank you for allowing me to be the weird writer among you. Thanks to my readers, who bless me with your support and fan squealing moments. You have no idea how that helps me to keep pounding out the words.

      1

      My parents never mentioned going to Hawaii for Christmas. We had gathered for Christmas every year at their home in South Carolina, everyone rearranging their schedules to be there. We compressed all the joys of Christmas into a four-day stretch; decorate the tree, carols at church, presents and dinner. A whirlwind celebration of tinsel and togetherness that reminded me of our years living in Columbus, Ohio, the celebrate everything city.

      Our holiday was crammed with as many Christmas traditions as we could fit in, all of us going along with everything from the liturgical to the downright silly. We did it all without complaining, arguing or fussing. Anytime they would get negative, I would head them off at the pass with more Christmas cheer. That was my vital duty during Christmas: to make sure everyone had the best Christmas ever. I had become a master a diffusing tension. But there was no way to diffuse the tension of my parent’s Christmas trip would cause.

      The announcement that there would be no Christmas celebration came in August. They did it without ceremony or fanfare.

      My mother had called and simply said, Your father and I are going to Hawaii for Christmas this year.

      I switched my phone from one ear to the other as if that would change what she’d said. Hawaii?

      Yes.

      My mouth moved, but no words came out. They couldn’t. We’d always spent Christmas together. I had already found an apple and sausage stuffing recipe to try out.

      Finally words came to me. But what about Shawn, Tim and me?

      You all aren’t kids anymore. Time for you guys to do things on your own.

      I pouted like I was a kid. We did plenty on our own. We all lived on our own with jobs to support us. But Christmas, that wasn’t something people did on their own. It was the one time of year when the phrase, the more the merrier, actually applied. I made sure everything went perfectly for Christmas because it was the one time I could. I couldn’t stop the growing unrest between my parents or my brothers’ bickering except at Christmas. We were a little better each year. At least I believed we were. How much would not getting together erode the progress we’d made?

      Mom filled me in on all the ship’s activities and all the ports of call they would be seeing. She seemed excited. I listen with joy for them on one shoulder and melancholy on the other. Maybe it would be good for Mom and Dad to get away alone. Things hadn’t been right between them for a number of years. Not that they had mentioned any issues to my brothers and me, but it was palatable when we were all together. The cruise would be something to remember.

      For that matter, so would my plans.

      For the first time in my life, I would be celebrating Christmas without my family. Christmas for Brea Sutton would be something depressing like carryout Chinese food, not because I wanted it but

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