At the age of eighteen, Marly Pierce thoroughly embarrassed her family by becoming pregnant with a guy she hardly even knew. That was years ago and he had long since gone into the Marines and out of her life. She was doing pretty well in the business of landscaping, but making a new life and reputation for herself in her small hometown was not going to be easy. How could it be when even her mom would not forgive her?

A marine wakes up with amnesia in the hospital injured by a bomb that killed his best friend. He wished he could remember even his name, but that was not to be for awhile. The man sitting in the room called "Pop", seemed to have the answers but the doctor said that it was better for him to remember on his own. Memories, like nightmares, were haunting him, but they were making no sense. Nothing made sense anymore, especially the landscaper that he was so drawn to. Why did she hate him? What had he done to hurt her so badly? If only he could remember and make amends. He was so different now than from how she described him when he was younger.

Could people change enough to deserve a second chance? That was the decision Marly had to make, as well as a few other people in town. Christmas is always a great time for new beginnings, but was there enough magic in this season to make everyone remember the important things in life?

Kay Stockham writes a beautifully, well thought out book. The plot of A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER is magically endearing. I love it when the "underdog" wins, and in this book there is a lot of great winning. What a terrific story!