25 Reviews of Christmas: For The Love of St. Nick by Garasamo Maccagnone

I'm just a sucker for a Christmas story, and this little book reads like a true life memoir instead of a work of fiction...



The setting is northern Michigan, a locale where you're always guaranteed a white Christmas. Tiger (as he's known in the story) and his brother Johnny are the young sons of a Navy Commander, raised by their father and their nanny, Mrs. Pennington, after the death of their mother.

That alone is heart-wrenching, as Mr. Maccagonone has the gift of word pictures in his writing. Soon, Tiger's father moves the boys to their new home in Michigan and hires Nanny Pennington to care for them.

Johnny's mother died giving birth to him, leaving Johnny weakened and prone to illness. Tiger learns to care for his younger brother in a way that is lost in family life today.

Mrs. Pennington is a devout Catholic, and she teaches the boys to pray for the Navy and all of our armed forces, as well as for Commander and his unit. Tiger takes his faith one step further, which (while I didn't agree with the theology) I found also heart-warming.

Kind of like when I'm ill or down and my children come and take my hands and pray over me with fervent faith. Something else I fear is lacking in many homes today.

When Commander is called away on a secret mission, the boys can only watch and pray that he makes it home in time for Christmas. But what neither boy expects is a Christmas miracle that will take your breath away.

Mr. Maccagnone is truly a gifted writer. The publication of this story doesn't do it justice. This deserves the honor of being a full-color illustrated children's book, and I hope one day it is picked up by a major publisher.

While the theology isn't mine, the passion behind it is what I strive for. His images play inside your head as you read page after page of this delightful memoir. The narrator's heart is evident, as is the author's.

"For the Love of St. Nick" receives four out of five bookmarks from me, with a tiny magnifying glass (found a couple of typos in the book--and they always bug me:-)

Happy Reading!