The 13th Day of Christmas

From the New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Jars comes a powerful story of friendship and faith!

Marva Ferguson has a very personal Christmas tradition that happens the day after Christmas. As a widow, the tradition means more to her now than it ever did.

Her newest neighbor, nine-year-old Charlee, loves Christmas too. But her family has fallen on hard times, and things get worse when Charlee becomes critically ill.

Then, on December 12, Charlee makes a wonderful discovery. A mysterious note is delivered that promises twelve days of gifts and stories that will reveal the true story behind the beloved Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” As the days go by, the gifts seem to hint at a possible lost lyric. Was there once a 13th day of Christmas? And if so, could its magic change—or save—a life?

If Marva knows something about the “letters from the Elves,” she’s not telling. However, you don’t live to be as old as Marva Ferguson and not have a secret or two—including a whole lot of faith—in your apron pocket.

Filled with laughter, tenderness, and hope, The 13th Day of Christmas invites us to see how an old Christmas favorite can turn into a true Christmas miracle.

“While celebrating all that is traditional about Christmas, Jason Wright takes us up a level with The 13th Day of Christmas to deliver a soul-penetrating message regarding more than what we enjoy about the holiday. It’s about if and how we allow that sacred celebration to change us, not in a day-long, season-long, or even year-long way, but in a life-long way.”-R. William Bennett, author of Jacob T. Marley and The Christmas Gift

“I finished reading The 13th Day of Christmas through the best kind of tears. It has everything you want in a Christmas story. At times heartbreaking but so heartwarming and, by the end, heart-mending. I loved the funny aprons, the Traveling Elves, and the quirky residents of 27 Homes. But I especially loved the touching relationship forged between an eighty-one-year-old widow and a nine-year-old girl. I can easily see a new Christmas tradition launched by what Jason Wright shares in this incredible little book!”-Dan Walsh, best-selling author of The Unfinished Gift, Remembering Christmas, and The Reunion

“Jason Wright has the unique ability to take us places that we’ve somehow known before, introduce us to people we can’t help but adore, and with his effortless prose, enable us to share their lives in a way few other authors have managed. As readers learn the secrets, tender tears will flow and The 13th Day of Christmas will likely take its place beside Christmas Jarsas a treasured holiday tradition.”-Kieth Merrill, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and best-selling author of The Evolution of Thomas Hall

Excerpt:

Marva considered whether Charlee would ever hang laundry with her again. Would she wear one of Marva’s aprons? Pick dandelions? Spin on the stump?

She had a hundred questions and only exhausted guesses for answers. When all the questions came and went, when the answers tumbled into one sad unknown, Marva was left with only one: Would Charlee live to see Christmas?