Well, I've had b*$$er all in my stocking since I bought it. It just sits there hanging with nothing inside it, every year, so I can only hope that one day it becomes magic and sorts things out in my life like the one in this story.
The magic is done in a very gentle way actually, not at all over the top and not really explained. It just happens without taking over the plot.
It's a cute story, but the lead female really gets on my nerves. It's like she's determined to be miserable. I know that death in a family can be hard, but hanging on like she does and getting angry at the slightest thing that goes against her plans to wallow in grief just isn't healthy. Choose a favourite shirt and hang it in the wardrobe so you can always see it. Do the things that made him happy, don't stop doing Christmas because it was something he liked. Where is the actual sense in that? So yeah, she frustrated me a bit.
He also annoyed me somewhat with his desperate need for everything to be perfect and his refusal to bend even slightly. I'm sure his grandfather would have preferred him to leave his own legacy rather than repeating his. There was also something in his eyes that I didn't like.
The grandmother was great and for once the child didn't make me feel sick from all the saccharin they usually contain and the cute little puppies were adorable.
The Christmas element gets lost a tad amongst all the romance and other issues, but its not bad at all.