Yes, Carol . . . It's Christmas!

by Cindy Vincent

Loved this book! Totally got me in the Christmas spirit! C.R.

As the top salesperson for Pfunn Party Supplies, Carol Frost doesn't exactly know how to have fun herself these days. Though she wasn't always such a humbug. Once upon a time, she was famous for hosting Christmas parties that were filled with everything from laughing guests and luscious hors d'oeuvres, to artfully iced sugar cookies and creatively decorated Christmas trees. To top it off, she even wrote a best-selling book that became the authoritative tome on Christmas party entertaining at the time -- The Complete, Total, Ultimate, Everything-You-Might-Possibly-Want-to-Know Guide to Hosting the Best Christmas Parties Ever.

Yet that was long ago, before her life changed and she stashed her tinsel and twinkle lights away once and for all. And while Carol soon learned to settle for her boring but comfortable existence, an old friend knows that Carol isn't really living up to her potential. An old friend who . . . well . . . now enjoys her eggnog in the afterlife, you might say. To goad Carol into going back to her former party hosting ways, said friend sends three of her specter pals to pester Carol. Then much to Carol's annoyance, she is visited by the Ghost Hosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, on a plane filled with plenty of holiday revelers. And though Carol only wants to be left alone, the Ghost Hosts have other plans. Instead, they take her on an adventure that wasn't exactly on her itinerary . . . or printed on her ticket stub. From that moment on, Carol's life will never be the same. Provided, of course, she survives the jingle-bell rollercoaster of a ride and makes it home in time for Christmas . . .

Genres: Christmas, College

103 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2017

About the author

Cindy Vincent, M.A. Ed., is the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers, a mystery series for kids and cat-lovers that features the adventures of two black cat detectives. And yes, as she is often asked, Cindy used her own black cats, Buckley and Bogey, as the inspiration for the series, since they seem to run surveillance on her house each and every night. Cindy is also the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls, along with the Daisy Diamond Detective novels, which are a spin-off from the games. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and an assortment of fantastic felines. Cindy is a self-professed “Christmas-a-holic,” and usually starts planning and preparing in March for her ever-expanding, “extreme” Christmas lights display every year . . .

Http://www.cindyvincent.net
http://www.buckleyandbogey.com

Reviews

[Jes Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, Carol... It's Christmas! by Cindy Vincent was a charming Christmas Carol retelling with lots of Christmas decorations, cooking, and Southern hospitality. Carol is no Scrooge, but she was once the queen of Christmas parties until a horrible almost-made-me-cry event tore her emotionally apart. Now it's up to a ghost and three spirits to get her back on track in time for Christmas! A very short, breezy read to help you get into- or sustain- the Christmas spirit.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and the opinions are my own.

[Linda Klager · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful Christmas book! There was a lot of fantasy involved, a lot of comedy and the story brought how important it is to be a giving person during the Christmas season. I hope this author continues to write great fiction.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a quick read, Yes, Carol, ... It's Christmas by Cindy Vincent is a fun read. In 93 pages it tells the story of Carol Frost, salesperson of the year for Pfunn Party Supplies Wholesale Distributors. Years ago Carol wrote the best-selling book, Complete, Total, Ultimate, Everything-You-Might-Possibly-Want-to-Know Guide to Hosting the Best Christmas Parties Ever. Unfortunately an incident led to the end of her Christmas party hosting days. Then one night before Christmas, she is visited by ghost hosts, of Christmas past, present, and the future. These visits change Carol's life forever! This book is of course a new take on an old tale, but you can't help but feel good after reading it!

[J.M. Stengl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another clean, fantasy retelling--this time of A Christmas Carol. This novella is a quick read with plenty of laughs and some sweet thoughtful moments.
Another one to snap up for holiday reading!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was amazing! I recommend this for all Christmas lovers. I have been searching for a great Christmas book that contains my favorite things about the holidays, and this one does not disappoint! The cover is pretty. I really appreciated all the details about Christmas, such as the Christmas cookies, decorating, and spending time with those you love. All Christmas fanatics will love this book. I really appreciate that the author Cindy Vincent is a lover of Christmas as well.

Carol is a great character, and I wish that I was able to read her book that she wrote in the story! I loved the quotes from the book at the beginning of each chapter!

The ending was amazing and encompasses what Christmas should really be about! Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. Great job Cindy Vincent!

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a quick, refreshing dash of Christmas cheer at any time of the year, this book, a clever retelling of Dickens set in modern day, is ideal.
Carol Frost, one-time Christmas-party diva, has lost her joy and hasn't thrown a party in years. How can she regain her former zest for life?
You'll have to read this little book to find out!
I must say that even though I read this story in July in the midst of a hectic summer, I am now looking forward to the Christmas season . . . Heh.
Highly recommended to any lover of Christmas, and even to the Scrooges out there who need a bit of Christmas joy!

[Ruth Pople]

Get into the Christmas spirit with this fun book about how a top sales rep, who also wrote a top selling book, lost her mojo for throwing parties and is visited by the 3 Christmas hosts to get her groove back! A lot of fun and Christmas joy here to get you in the Christmas mood! I loved this book and it was just a good old fun read with a feel of the classic Scrooge :) I did receive my copy for review purposes and no monies were exchanged.

[Wulfwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute take on A Christmas Carol. As it is a short story I don’t want to give away to much. I liked Carol. There were ghosts to take her on her journey and a friend who passed away but wanted to warn her to change her ways. I liked her story on why she lost her Christmas spirit. I thought it was a legit reason. I loved the ending. If you need a short, fun story in the Christmas Carol spirit, grab this.

[Bob Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book to read. The story was very "entertaining". Carol was a likable character and her adventures kept me from putting the book down.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Yes, Carol… It’s Christmas

Author: Cindy Vincent

Chapters: 10

Pages: 103

Genre: Christmas Stories, retellings

Rating: 4 stars

My favorite Christmas story after the birth of Christ happens to be A Christmas Carol. Even though it was 7th grade before I read the actual book and saw the stage production. The story itself was a part of my Christmas traditions from a young age as my mom loved the story, and Disney gave us a Mickey's Christmas Carol. It's so much a Christmas tradition that I've seen even movie version of the book to date. So when I heard about this book Yes, Carol… It's Christmas by Cindy Vincent I knew I just had to read it.
Yes, Carol... It's Christmas is a modern retelling of the classic story but with a twist. Carol is our Scrooge, a woman who at one point loved Christmas. Decorating and hosting parties. But when an incident happened during a Christmas party when her kids were young, Carol become pretty become a workaholic and turned her back on all things Christmas. Until one plane flight a few days before Christmas when she is visited by the ghost of her friend, who tells her in the course of the night she will be visited by three ghosts: Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future much like the original story. But in Yes, Carol... It's Christmas Carol makes an even bigger change than Scrooge did at least in my opinion.
I liked Yes, Carol… It's Christmas even more than A Christmas Carol if that is even possible and will now become a Christmas season re read in the years to come. To me Carol was a character I could relate too with not wanting to celebrate Christmas, but not for the same reason as Carol. But when my mom passed away in May of 2016 that Christmas I didn't want to celebrate or decorate because my mom loved holidays and decorating especially for Christmas. It was hard to want to celebrate when she wasn't here to celebrate with. Though I did try to keep some of the traditions alive, I failed miserably. The only thing I remembered was the ornaments for me and my sister. The same for 2017 as well. It also didn't help that Christmas has always been hard to celebrate since 2003 when I lost my grandpa 13 days before Christmas. But after reading Yes, Carol... It's Christmas I am willing to try to bring back my mom's Christmas traditions to keep them alive for me and my sister and my dad. Because as this book as taught me keeping the traditions and the celebrations can also help keep the good memories alive.
There was a scene towards the end of the book when Carol was in the grocery store line in which she did something that my mom had totally done many times through the years, because in my mom words, "No one should spend Christmas alone." I recommend this book to anyone who loves A Christmas Carol, a good retelling or Christmas in general. This is the perfect read and rather short at 10 chapters and 103 pages.

I received a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

[Marianne Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Yes, Carol . . . It's Christmas!" by Cindy Vincent is a cute modern day retelling of a Christmas Carol. It's a quick read about Carol Frost, top salesperson at Pfunn Party Supplies, who though once famous for her Christmas parties, has lost her holiday spirit. Some of my favorite parts are exerts from Carol's fictional book 'The Complete, Total, Ultimate, Everything-You-Might-Possibly-Want-to-Know Guide to Hosting the Best Christmas Parties Ever' that begin each chapter as we follow Carol on her adventures with Ghost Hosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Quick short reminder of what is really important guaranteed to put some holiday spirit into any Scrooge with a case of the bah humbugs.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It read like a fun, feel good, flick. Very Christmas-y.

[Julie Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol used to throw the best Christmas parties. She even wrote a book on how to throw the best Christmas parties. But that was years ago. Carol hasn't thrown a party in years. All Carol is interested in this year is getting home and hoping that her kids can make it over for the day. Once Carol embarks on her journey home strange things begin to happen. She is visited by a friend who has been dead for some time. Her friend tells her that she will be visited by 3 more ghosts. More precisely, "Ghost hosts." The Ghost Host's of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Carol is less than amused when each ghost shows up to show her things she would prefer to forget. There is a reason why Carol no longer throws wonderful Christmas parties and she'd prefer to leave them in the past. By the time the ghosts are finished with Carol will she have changed her mind?

Yes, yes this is a re-telling of A Christmas Carol, that timeless classic by Charles Dickens. I've always been a fan of the story and re-tellings. I absolutely enjoyed Yes, Carol...It's Christmas! I love how at the beginning of each chapter we are given a party tip for hosting the best Christmas parties. I especially enjoyed this quote when Carol was watching her 9 year old self baking cookies with her grandmother:

"You must remember, Carol, that Christmas is all about giving. And not about what presents we're going to get. Hosting a wonderful Christmas party is one of the best gifts you can give to others, since you can truly make people happy."

I love that! I love also that Carol once again finds her love for Christmas. The little references throughout the book to the original A CHRISTMAS CAROL are fun to catch as well.

If you are looking for a fun and fast Christmas read this one will surely put you in the Christmas spirit!

**I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes. All opinions are my own**

[Miranda Atchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this novella to be a snappy, slightly quirky holiday read. I loved the nods to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Full of sass and heartwarming moments, this novella moves at a swift pace. While at times Carol was a little hard to like, I found her to be a mostly relatable character. I think that most people in her situation would feel like a Scrooge around the holidays. Yet as the tale moves along and Carol is transported to Christmases past, present, and future, she learns to leave her Grinchiness behind and gets back to the heart of Christmas. The message of spending the holidays with friends and families is something I think most readers can appreciate.

All in all, if you’re a fan of contemporary chick-lit and love Christmas stories, this book is for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous

I was reading for a while and came upon the friend on the plane and had to read it to my husband! Hah!
It was a fun book to read with a really good message.