The Ornament Keeper by Eva Marie Everson

The Ornament Keeper by Eva Marie Everson
Series: Stand Alone Novella
Publisher: Iron Stream Fiction on September 24, 2018

Review by Kelly Goshorn

I’ve had this little gem on my shelf for a couple of years now and each Christmas I got caught up in the season’s new releases and sadly chose to postpone the read for another year. Knowing I’d be crunched for time this December, I thought it would be the perfect choice for this month’s review since it was a short 144-page novella. Now that I have, I wish I’d read it sooner.

The Ornament Keeper is a contemporary Christian novella that follows Felicia Morgan’s first Christmas separated from her husband, Jackson. As a result, Felicia wants no part in decorating for Christmas. Her daughter, Sara, encourages Felicia to at least get a tree so that her younger brothers will have some semblance of Christmas in their home. She even promises to string the lights in her father’s absence. With great reluctance, Felicia concedes.

According to Morgan family Christmas tradition, no other decorations could be added to the tree until Felicia hung the 19 ornaments Jackson had given her throughout their marriage. As Felicia unwraps each gift, memories of their happy and unhappy times together flood back and the usually simple task of decorating their tree becomes a journey of self-reflection she nearly leaves uncompleted.

The author skillfully uses flashbacks to tell the story of Felicia and Jackson’s relationship from the sweet early days of marriage in 1998, because Sara was on the way, to deep hurts from perceived slights, lack of communication, and missed opportunities. Each memory adds a little more to the puzzle and unravels an emotional journey of misconceptions, sacrifice, laughter, bitterness, and joy.

As the Christmases come and go, the reader has an eyewitness view of a marriage becoming more entrenched in anger and doubt as husband and wife drift apart. Yet as Felicia hangs each ornament on the tree, she also remembers joy and laughter and the hope of what might have been. She comes face-to-face with her own misgivings about her “obligatory” marriage and finally sees all that Jackson sacrificed as well. Felicia’s heart opens to forgiveness and reconciliation, first with herself then with Jackson, and ultimately her Heavenly Father as well.

“One thing I’ve learned in all this is that God uses everything, Felicia. Even our mess-ups.”

~Jackson Morgan, The Ornament Keeper

The Ornament Keeper is a poignant novella that packs a powerful punch with lessons about marriage and communication and about not letting grievances fester. It’s about hope and restoration and I can’t think of a better time to ponder that lesson than at Christmas when hope came to earth for all mankind.

With 4.5 fish, The Ornament Keeper will touch your heart and give you all the feels this holiday season.

I purchased a copy of this book at a local bookstore.