When it comes to Christmas, Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL is second only to the nativity story itself in terms of how many people know it and revisit it each year as part of their family traditions. In KEEPING CHRISTMAS, novelist and Dickens enthusiast Allison Pittman offers 25 readings for Advent, seamlessly bringing together the Word of God and the words of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Just as Jesus Christ changed the world on the night of his birth, so Ebenezer Scrooge changes during a single night of supernatural visitations. This contemplative, entertaining read is the perfect companion for those dark winter nights as we eagerly anticipate the coming celebration of Christmas when, like Scrooge, we are given the gift of reflection, repentance and life anew.

Long before anyone would christen it “The Dust Bowl,” Nola Merrill senses the destruction. She’s been drying up bit by bit since the day her mother died. A hasty marriage to a young preacher didn’t bring the escape she desired. Now, 12 years later with two children to raise, new seeds of dissatisfaction take root. When Jim, a mysterious drifter and long-lost friend from her husband’s past, takes refuge in their home, Nola slowly springs to life under his attentions until a single, reckless encounter brings her to commit the ultimate betrayal of her marriage.

In Hollywood during the Roaring Twenties, Celeste DuFrane has it all. Her father’s work with color movie film opens doors that lead to the stardom she’s always aspired to. But after losing her mother, she discovers that half the estate has been left to a woman accused of killing Celeste’s baby sister before Celeste was even born. Then a surprising discovery begins to fill in the missing pieces: Marguerite DuFrane’s written confession, penned shortly before her death.

Gossip columnist Monica Brisbane wonders what will happen to her job, and the lifestyle she loves, when Max Moore arrives to take over his great uncle's newspaper and infuse it with his values. Under Max’s direction, Monica embarks on her most challenging assignment yet, leading her to question the innocence of her flirtatious lifestyle. And when romance begins to blossom between Max and Monica, she must choose where her loyalties lie.

Dorothy Lynn Dunbar has everything she ever wanted, yet longs for something more. Spending a few days in St. Louis with her sister’s family, Dorothy Lynn discovers a whole new way of life and meets a dynamic charismatic evangelist...who just happens to be a woman. When offered a chance to join Aimee Semple McPherson’s crusade team, Dorothy Lynn finds herself confronted with temptations she never dreamed of.