47. A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg

This book was a Christmas gift from my aunt, Marj. She left a sweet note inside the pages, explaining that this is one of her favorite Christmas stories and she hoped that I would enjoy it. I was touched and happy to receive such a thoughtful gift, and decided that I wanted to include it in my Magnolia Reads project.

A Cup of Christmas Tea is the story of a young adult invited to tea by an aging aunt at the holidays. After dreading it, he goes to visit his aunt and is surprised by what a great time he has visiting with her and seeing her house filled with decorations. He is amazed at how alive her Christmas spirit is even though her body is worn and aged.

As a young adult who has witnessed the deteriorating health of aging grandparents, I really appreciated the message in this book. We all need a reminder to value those people in our lives, and seek out their time instead of neglecting them. As simple as it sounds, that can be hard to remember.

I really enjoyed the writing style; it was lyrical, almost like a poem or a song. And it was clever and witty, which for some reason I wasn't expecting. Here is one of my favorite passages:

The cards were in the mail,

all the gifts beneath the tree,

and 30 days reprieve

'til VISA could catch up with me.

While this is a nice story for Christmas for all ages, I think it's aimed a bit more at adults. It is definitely a great addition to my collection of books, and I highly recommend that you add it to yours.