The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Have you ever been the Head Woman during a holiday dinner? If you are a man, then you might not know about the Head Woman, but if you are a woman, then you know who the woman-in-charge is. She’s the one who owns the house everyone is visiting, cleans and decorates, cooks the dishes, and cleans up the mess. She’s usually the matriarch of the family, but in some families that no longer have matriarchs the status can alternate between female siblings. I have been the woman-in-charge during my adult life so I can tell you that being the Head Woman is stressful. I can’t imagine being the Head Woman without having the appreciation of my family. Unfortunately, that was the situation for Sandy Forbes in The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home by Nancy Warren. Her three grown sons were spoiled to the core, rocked with sibling rivalry, and unappreciative of the hardships their mother endured during the holiday season. After a particularly awful Thanksgiving, Sandy asks her sons to host Christmas. They accuse her of selfishness! Can you imagine?! If my mother told me she was too tired to host Christmas, I would volunteer before she could take another breath. It is this indignation that makes Sandy decide to run away for Christmas and makes the reader root for Sandy’s happiness and her family’s increased maturity. I honestly thought this novel was going to be silly as I was thinking of the song Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer. But the novel addressed many concerns felt by women of a mature age while harkening the meaning of Christmas: a time to express love for all of those around us. Aside from the few spelling and grammar mistakes, I would recommend The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home. When I read reviews by reviewers who say they ‘identified with the heroine’, I’m sometimes a bit bemused: I’m never quite sure how one can identify with a witch, or pointy-eared princess, or red-eyed demoness. I probably lead a very dull life.However, I really, really did identify with this one. Seventy-one-year-old Sandy has had enough: enough of cooking turkeys (which, as a vegetarian, she doesn’t eat), enough pies and enough shortbread cookies. She’s had enough bickering, feuds over the Xmas dinner goodies, and fisticuffs with the mince pies. Solution? Run away. Well, not so much run away, as down tools and leave them all to it. I’m not in my seventies, and I do have a very lovely family, but I have had enough of cooking turkeys, fat-splattered ovens, and endless washing up. Don’t tell anyone, but I really would like to take a leaf out of Sandy’s book and do a flit!Sandy picks what she hopes will be the perfect spot to enjoy her fuss-free Xmas and finds an expected but very welcome little bit of icing on her own Xmas cake in the form of a gentleman.A sweet and entertaining little seasonal tale sprinkled with charm, appeal, and feel-good: qualities I am beginning to become accustomed to from this author who knows how to strike the right chords.
What do You think about The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home (2012)?
Really short and really cute. Appreciate those people that do for you :)
—erict
