This whimsical Christmas chick-lit is a cross between retellings of It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. Fans of Nancy Thayer or Donna Van Lière would surely enjoy this book.

The protagonist, Noelle, is not a fan of the holidays. She’s at a crossroads in her life where she doesn’t think love and adventure are possible for her, so of course, in a freak coincidence, Noelle gets locked in the department store where she works on Christmas Eve during a sudden snowstorm. At first, she panics like any normal person. Then Noelle takes advantage of the situation, trying on clothes, sleeping in the comfiest bed, etc., until a commotion ensues in the shoe department. She meets Charlie, an elderly woman claiming to be her guardian angel.

The plan Charlie concocts is simply to put on shoes and visit the “ghosts” Christmases past and make different decisions to see how Noelle’s path would be different if she had not always taken the safe road. Risks. Chances. It’s what Noelle needs to learn to embrace. Going down memory lane is George Bailey from It’s Wonderful Life, and visiting the Christmas Past is Scrooge of A Christmas Carol. Harbison did a fantastic job of blending the two classics.

The sort of love interest in this is Jake, the man Noelle always seems to miss connecting with. However, how Harbison makes him show up at the very end and leaves it open to interpretation doesn’t wrap the story up in a neat Christmas bow. Yet the story remains light and fluffy, which is just what readers expect for a Christmassy read. Giving this one a 2-5 stars.