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Product Description From the New York Times bestselling author of Circle of Friends and The Glass Lake comes a stunning new collection of fifteen Christmas stories with all the magic and spirit of Christmas, and filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius.  In all fifteen stories, instead of nostalgia, Binchy evokes contemporary life; instead of Christmas homilies, she offers truth; and instead of sugarplums, she brings us the nourishment of holidays that precipitate change, growth, and new beginnings. The stories in this completely unabridged production powerfully portray many lives--step-families grappling with exes, long-married couples faced with in-law problems, a wandering husband choosing between "the other women" and his wife, a child caught in grown-up tugs-of-war--during the one holiday when feelings cannot be easily hidden. The time of year may be magical, but the situations she describes are universal. And Maeve Binchy's writing. combined with Fionnula Flanagan's storytelling ability, makes us care about each one in this extraordinary collection--on the night before Christmas, or anywhere, any time of the year. Fionnula Flanagan received an Emmy for her leading role in Rich Man, Poor Man, and a second nomination for her role in How the West Was Won.  She also appears on the BDD Audio productions of Maeve Binchy's The Glass Lake, Circle of Friends, and The Copper Beech. Review "Poignant. . . Compassionate. . . All the stories boast Binchy's deft touch and knowing warmth." --San Francisco Chronicle "What makes [Binchy's] stories so inviting is the subtle way they tilt from humor to sorrow, then back again, in the blink of an eye." --Detroit News/Free Press "Wonderful." --Cincinnati Post "Timeless." --Kansas City Star "A delight." --Chattanooga Free Press From the Paperback edition. From the Inside Flap ;i>New York Times bestselling author of Circle of Friends and The Glass Lake comes a stunning new collection of fifteen Christmas stories with all the magic and spirit of Christmas, and filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius.  In all fifteen stories, instead of nostalgia, Binchy evokes contemporary life; instead of Christmas homilies, she offers truth; and instead of sugarplums, she brings us the nourishment of holidays that precipitate change, growth, and new beginnings. The stories in this completely unabridged production powerfully portray many lives--step-families grappling with exes, long-married couples faced with in-law problems, a wandering husband choosing between "the other women" and his wife, a child caught in grown-up tugs-of-war--during the one holiday when feelings cannot be easily hidden. The time of year may be magical, but the situations she describes are universal. And Maeve Bin About the Author Maeve Binchy was born and educated in Dublin.  She is the bestselling author of Evening Class, The Glass Lake, The Copper Beech, The Lilac Bus, Circle of Friends, Silver Wedding, Firefly Summer, Echoes, Light a Penny Candle, London Transports, two plays, and a teleplay that won three awards at the Prague Film Festival.  She has been writing for The Irish Times since 1969 and lives with her husband, Gordon Snell, in Dublin. From the Paperback edition. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. This Year It Will Be Different Ethel wondered had it anything to do with her name. Apart from Ethel Merman there didn't seem to be many racy Ethels; she didn't know any Ethels who took charge of their own lives. At school there had been two other Ethels. One was a nun in the Third World, which was a choice, of course, but not a racy choice. The other was a gray sort of person, she had been gray as a teenager and she was even grayer in her forties. She worked as a minder to a Selfish Personality. She described the work as Girl Friday; it was, in fact, Dogsbody, which scanned perfectly, and after