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Unwrapping Christmas
| Our Price |
$ 13.19
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| Retail Value |
$ 14.99 |
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| You Save |
$ 1.80 (12%) |
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| Item Number |
59072 |
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Item Description...
Overview
When things do not go as planned during the holiday season, which should be a time of togetherness and family tradition, Rose, during her weakest moment, discovers the true meaning of giving--and what Christmas is really about.
Publishers Description
Through all the mix-ups and misunderstandings, amid the chaos and confusion, the true spirit of Christmas begins to emerge in unexpected ways for one woman as God shows her the true meaning of giving. Unwrapping Christmas is a Christmas story as heartwarming as the season itself. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 160
Dimensions: Length: 7.38" Width: 5.32" Height: 0.7"
Weight: 0.5 lbs.
Binding Hardcover
Release Date Oct 1, 2007
Publisher Zondervan Publishing
ISBN 0310272262
EAN 9780310272267
UPC 025986272265
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Availability 21 units.
Availability accurate as of May 25, 2012 12:59.
Usually ships within one to two business days from New Kensington, PA.
Orders shipping to an address other than a confirmed Credit Card / Paypal Billing address may incur and additional processing delay.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Emotional, Christian, Christmas Story Mar 15, 2010 |
Nicely written, very emotional, Christian-centered story of a mother trying to balance her family responsibilities with her perceived religious obligations to help other people at Christmas. Quick read. Happy ending.
| | |  | Unwrapping Christman Nov 23, 2009 |
| ALthough Unwrapping Christmas was not a well-written book, it was a thought provoking book. It is always easy to get involved with the wrong priorities and though we can recognize it in others, we do not always see it in ourselves. I appreciated the fact that this was an easy read and really has made me consider what I do for others and whether I do it with my heart, or with my "checklist" of things to complete. | | | | By the numbers Oct 15, 2008 |
In this novella, Rose is the mother of teenagers and the wife of a man who works long hours. Rose is no less busy, devoting herself to numerous charitable and church-related activities. As Christmas nears, Rose finds herself pulled in several directions at once. A woman at church is worried about a lump in her breast, and Rose wants to comfort her. Another woman's son is using drugs, and Rose wants to comfort her. Yet another woman is worried about her husband's ominous medical diagnosis, and Rose wants to comfort her. But Rose simply has too many demands on her time, including preparing the Christmas Eve dinner for her extended family.
"Unwrapping Christmas" moves along quickly, but there is little substance. Rose runs around lamenting the busyness of her life while accomplishing very little. Her husband criticizes her frequently for her failures as a mother while he himself misses family events. Meanwhile, there is a great deal of talk about God and prayer, but even this seems rather ho-hum, in part because of a curious grammatical choice. The author, for reasons that I do not understand, does not capitalize pronouns that refer to God.
There are, I believe, good intentions here, but the treatment is too superficial and too derivative of It's a Wonderful Life in spots to offer much insight or genuine holiday cheer, at least for me.
| | |  | This short and sweet story reminds readers of the need to pay attention to what's most important, especially during the holidays Jul 15, 2008 |
In UNWRAPPING CHRISTMAS, prolific novelist Lori Copeland spins a slim faith-filled story of an overloaded mom and the true meaning of the holiday.
Copeland's protagonist, Rose, is a 38-year-old mother with teens who doesn't know how to say no. "I guess I could" is her ever-present mantra when asked to do anything at church, at home, or for her Minnesota community. The tension of feeling that she needs to do "the Lord's work" is running her life. If anyone needs a casserole, a volunteer shift, a voice in the choir, or a shoulder to cry on, Rose is there to meet their needs. Anyone's needs, that is, but her own family's.
She knows Christmas "should be more than frantic activities, hectic crowds, and overworked husbands... it wasn't that she didn't want to slow down, but life got in the way... she was do busy doing Christmas, there wasn't time to experience Christmas."
As the story progresses, Rose's husband accuses her of neglecting her family. But, muses Rose, trouble had never touched them yet. After Christmas she promises herself that she'll get things back in order. After Christmas they'll eat dinner together, she'll have time to really talk with her kids, and she and Joey will get their marriage back to where it used to be. After Christmas....
But she finds herself praying, "Dear God, why do I feel so worn, so empty, so tired? I spend every waking moment doing what I can, but my efforts amount to sifted chaff, they're meaningless...." Shouldn't all her busy-ness be making her feel good? Over-committed readers will resonate.
As Rose continues to say "yes," you'll see what's coming. Of course, things fall apart before Christmas, and Rose is forced to come face to face with the consequences of her busy-ness. Anna is involved with a boy who is three years older and, from all appearances, not the sort of date Rose envisions for her daughter. Son Eric feels neglected and gets into trouble at school. Husband Joey works later and more often. The climax, when it comes, shows Rose that she doesn't have to run the world alone --- and that others can rise to the occasion when called on for help.
Even though all of her hustle and bustle is to do good deeds, or do things for God, Rose finally realizes that she has neglected the most crucial to-do list of all --- making time for what is most important. Or, as her husband tells her when she finally hits the wall and can't do another thing: "Let someone else experience the blessing of helping out. You're hogging it all."
Copeland sermonizes a little, especially when Joey lectures Rose about her do-good habits after an accident, and the story loses steam in the last quarter. The formatting is uneven throughout the book, which I found odd; some chapters begin with a beautiful screened art candle and trivia about Christmas, others do not. The end of the novel is padded with recipes, a letter from another author on the life of Christ and a sample chapter from an upcoming Copeland book.
If you are looking for a priority check for the Christmas season, or if you are the type of woman who gets over-committed during the holidays, you may find this story a timely reminder of what is most important. And there's no time like the Christmas season to reassess priorities and commit to New Year's resolutions about saying "no" to good things sometimes, when they keep us from caring for those we love.
--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby | | | | New Perspective Mar 11, 2008 |
Has Christmas become one long toilsome to-do list jammed packed with needa-do, oughta-do, but you don't want to do? Do you dread this time of year?
Well, join the club.
In Unwrapping Christmas, Rose is worn out! Stressed to the limit, she is trying to please everyone who asks her to do something, from hosting the family holiday dinner to helping out at church functions. Her family is reduced to eating take-out dinners every night, her children have run amok, and her husband is nagging her about never being home anymore.
But what's a good God-fearing Christian woman to do? Say no to people in need?
Lori Copeland reminds us to unwrap the self-imposed layers we put around Christmas to re-discover its true blessings. Initially I thought this book was going to be a sappy yuletide read. I was mistaken. Copeland tackles a lot in this short story: illness, drug use, judging, wayward children, and finding balance by knowing when to say "no" and mean it.
I recommend this story to anyone who has missed the true meaning of this holiday season.
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