Nora Bonesteel is an elderly woman living in the mountains of Tennessee. Nora has the “sight”, which means she knows things before they happen and she also sees ghosts. Nora is pleased the Havertys from Florida have bought the old Honeycutt place and are fixing it up. The Havertys are “summer people”, but decided to stay for Christmas. The Havertys have put up a Christmas tree, but the tree has been mysteriously knocked over several times. Nora is invited into the old home where she has not been since she was a girl and she remembers attending Christmas parties in the home. Nora is able to solve the mystery of the tree being tipped over. In a parallel story the sheriff and his deputy go out Christmas Eve to arrest an older man for a minor traffic accident. The old gentleman is not quite ready to be taken to jail. ( )

Two interwoven Christmas themed short stories featuring Ballad series regulars. I enjoyed the one about the two Christmas ‘angels’, Sheriff Arrowood and Deputy LeDonne, but the near-scorn heaped on non-mountain folk in the one about Nora Bonesteel was like rain on a wedding day. For me, it dampened the Christmas spirit in what could have been a touching story. ( )

Not quite up to the standard of the rest of McCrumb's sophisticated and well-plotted Ballad series, this short, sweet Christmas story is kind of the equivalent of the Christmas episode of an ordinarily heavy television drama. Pleasant, nostalgic, and full of Appalachian holiday details, it's brief and light enough to fit between your stressful holiday errands. ( )

From Amazon:

When someone buys the old Honeycutt house, Nora Bonesteel is glad to see some life brought back to the old mansion, even if it is by summer people. But when they decide to stay through Christmas, they find more than old memories in the walls. On Christmas Eve, Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and Deputy Joe LeDonne find themselves on an unwelcome call to arrest an elderly man for a minor offense. As they attempt to do their duty, while doing the right thing for a neighbor, it begins to look like they may all spend Christmas away from home. In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmas time.

My Thoughts:

It feels like Christmas whenever Sharyn McCrumb writes about Nora Bonesteel. I look forward to her books and any mention of her in her other Ballad mysteries which are rich with folklore and tradition. This time her story was tinged with more than a little melancholy as Nora Bonesteel is getting older and I worry about what will become of her, and if the "Sight" will be lost with her passing. She is a tough intriguing character and represents so much history and tradition, especially in this book where the second homeowners are transforming the landscape. This is a wonderful holiday book and a lovely addition to her ballad stories. ( )

This story is about sheriff Spencer Arrowood and deputy Joe LeDonne and Nora Bonesteel. Will happen with them. The sheriff and deputy go on a call to bring in someone. They go about as if they now the person. Though the person they have come to get put them though some things. To find out what they did and help they do. They all look like they may on spend Christmas away from home.

Nora get a visit from a couple that bought the old Honeycutt's house. Things start to happen once this couple decides to come up and spend Christmas at the house. Nora and many other things start to happen with memories and spirits are found in the walls. You need to read to find out what the story is behind the old memories. ( )