Celebrating friendships this time of year is one of the best things about Christmas. In her new book, THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB, author Ann Perlman takes a look at a group of women friends and how their lives interconnect, especially during the holidays.

Every year, Marnie and her twelve closest friends get together to have a Christmas Cookie Exchange. An annual event for over 15 years, everyone brings their cookies in beautifully wrapped boxes or bags, a covered dish, some wine and shares what has happened in their lives over the past year!

This year, the stories are especially poignant. Marnie's oldest daughter is experiencing a risky pregnancy, and her other daughter is unmarried and also pregnant. Jeannie's father is having an affair with her best friend, Rosie's husband doesn't want children, Laurie is moving away, and Taylor's life is in shambles after her husband left her. Each woman has a story to tell, and they are all interwoven, just as each of their lives are connected in so many ways. Through it all, however, the women band together, providing support and love for each other through thick and thin.

Ann Pearlman has delivered a passionate, heartfelt story of women's friendships and their importance with The Christmas Cookie Club. Her characters are personable, and their situations are those that most women have dealt with at some point in their lives.

Each chapter begins with a delicious recipe for the cookie that chapter's main character has brought to the party, and each chapter ends with an essay on a key ingredient found in each cookie. So not only is this a fascinating story, it is also a unique cookbook of sorts.

THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB would be a perfect gift for girlfriends of all ages this holiday season.