Today I am reviewing Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson out 2 September 2025
Book Description:
What will happen when a tropical escape from holiday blues turns into a snowy wonderland filled with joy and cheer?
Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, she would rather avoid the holiday season. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn’t helped!   
So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas–by herself–bah humbug! But bad weather and God’s radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt’s farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas–one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit.
Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella delivers all the charm of a holiday Hallmark movie, is rooted in Christian faith, woven with sweet romance, and features A Christmas Carol themes.
Book Review:
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
I have always loved Melody Carlson’s Christmas Novella and this one doesn’t disappoint. I love how they are all so different. The book starts in Seattle with Carol about to fly to the Bahamas for Christmas. Due to a dysfunctional family Carol doesn’t like Christmas. Doesn’t help it’s also her birthday. When she flies out the weather has different ideas, and she ends up in Michigan with all flights ground and no hotel rooms.
It’s here she connects with her mother’s sister who her mother is estranged from, but a bed is better than the airport floor. Her plan is just one night till the flights resume. But she finds something in Michigan she didn’t realise she was looking for.
Her Aunt Maria is a wonderful character as are her friends Antonia and Larry and their son Victor. The location is also charming and just what Carol needs. Carol works as an interior decorator mainly staging homes for sale and for holidays. She gets to use her skills to help Maria in a way that makes her feel more alive.
The book flows well and I love the idea of being snowbound but with people not in an airport. Seeing Carol find a loving Aunt and learning more about what happened before she was born is done well. I could see this as a Hallmark movie.
A wonderful Christmas novella.