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"The Christmas Doll," a new Christmas novel, is the perfect gift for this season and a must-have addition to your Christmas book collection.
Jason F. Wright, New York Times best-selling author of "Christmas Jars," shares a true story from the life of Gail Saxton Miller, a billionaire businesswoman and owner of the Utah Jazz NBA team.
Gail's childhood, however, was vastly different from her life now. Facing poverty in the 1940s, the Saxton family made ends meet by turning their small home into rental apartments and made do with hand-me-downs and secondhand items.
“'The Christmas Doll' is about a girl who learns a very valuable lesson. At one level, readers will recognize themes of frugality and treating our earthly possessions with care and respect, “ Wright says. “But for me, the story goes much deeper. The lasting lesson of 'The Christmas Doll' is that every single one of us deserves a second chance.”
“I’ll never forget the first time I heard the story of the Christmas doll,” Wright says. “I was sitting across the desk from Utah Jazz owner and billionaire philanthropist Gail Miller. In that magical moment, I knew her childhood experience in a humble Salt Lake City neighborhood was about much more than a simple Christmas gift. When she finished her story of a quiet Christmas morning in 1949, I asked more than a few follow-up questions. Soon she was sharing other experiences from that season of her life. But while she might have moved on, my mind was still completely captured by a little girl, a big wish, and a brand new doll.”
"The Christmas Doll" teaches a wise lesson about the true meaning of the holiday. Christmas isn't just about beautiful decorations or shiny, expensive gifts; it's about the miracle of Jesus to make old things new, revitalize our lives, and bring out the best in humankind to care for another.
This holiday picture book is illustrated by the brilliant Utah artist, Howard Lyon. “His work here — and in everything he does — is exquisite,” Wright says about the illustrator. Lyon is an artist that was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. For much of his career, he has painted dragons and trolls or scenes from science fiction. His work can be found in products from Dungeons and Dragons books, World of Warcraft cards, "Magic: the Gathering" and "Star Wars."
Wright was asked what he hopes readers will take away from his newest book. He explains, “We live in a society where everything is disposable. Buy it cheap. Use it once or twice. Toss it in the trash. Buy another.”
“Sadly, this approach applies to more than just gizmos and gadgets. Tired of a friend? Toss him out. In a relationship that isn't as shiny as the day you first met or married? Put it on the curb and watch someone haul it away. We sometimes give up on what matters most.”
“Instead of at first scratch or dent tossing a widget in the trash, what if we cleaned it? Cared for it? Gave it second life? What if when we had some conflict with a friend or a neighbor, we simply took a breath? What if when we slip into tension with a sibling or another loved one, rather than run away, we took time to fill in the emotional scratches? To mend? To fix? Isn't that what Christmas is all about in the first place? Newness? Rebirth?”
Wright concludes, “This holiday isn't about trees and lights and well-wrapped gifts. It’s about a perfect man who established a pattern for the rest of us. If Jesus Christ is the one we seek to follow, if we truly desire to live the way he lived, shouldn’t we do our imperfect best to apply his lessons of forgiveness, redemption, and second chances? While you and I don’t have his divine power — only he can perfectly forgive and ultimately resurrect what was once dead — we can in our own mortal way give life again to people and things too quickly discarded. That’s the real spirit of 'The Christmas Doll.' May it live in all of us.”
Wright is also a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author, creator, and speaker. His work has appeared in more than 100 newspapers, magazines, and websites across the United States, including the Washington Times, the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, CNN.com and FoxNews.com.
Wright and his wife, Kodi, live in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley. They have two girls, two boys, and a 100-pound Goldendoodle named Pilgrim who thinks he’s a lapdog.
"The Christmas Doll" is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Deseret Book, and through many other book resellers. Grab your copy today!
