Review: The Christmas Bowl

Summary: Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot—the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas. As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays? -- Tyndale

I was able to squeeze in one more Christmas book before the holiday season was over, and I'm so happy to say that it was a fun one. I took a break from the cleaning and cooking a few days ago to read THE GREAT CHRISTMAS BOWL by Susan May Warren. It was the first book that I read by Ms. Warren, but I'm sure it won't be my last. I thought THE GREAT CHRISTMAS BOWL was just a delightful holiday read.

THE CHRISTMAS BOWL tells the story of a Marianne, a mother of five adult children, who desperately wants to celebrate Christmas with her entire family. After Thanksgiving kind of falls by the wayside with everyone doing their own thing, she is even more determined to have all of her kids home for Christmas; However, she quickly learns that she has little, if any, control over many things in her life. When Marianne takes on a few new positions (including one as the high school mascot), she learns some wonderful lessons about sacrifice, love, family, hospitality and friendship.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE CHRISTMAS BOWL. It was a super quick read, but it definitely touched my heart. I loved the powerful messages in the story, and when I finished this novel, I just had happy feelings about the holiday season. In fact, THE CHRISTMAS BOWL is one of those books that helped me keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas.

Furthermore, THE CHRISTMAS BOWL was also one very funny story. I loved how Ms. Warren managed to incorporate some very funny scenes into the book... namely the ones where Marianne is dressed as a trout. The humor was so well done that I was able to picture the scenes perfectly and even found myself laughing out loud! THE CHRISTMAS BOWL was a great book, but I think it would be a perfect holiday movie as well!

I highly recommend THE CHRISTMAS BOWL if you are looking for a feel-good story this holiday season. I had a wonderful time taking a break from all the hustle and bustle and just thinking about what's important!