It may not be Christmas right now, as I review this story, but I think this is a short book that can be read at any time. It may start out looking like a seasonal event, but by the time Dale, his “fearsome warrior” husband Keyno, and their circle of multi-species friends get done with it, it has turned into a rather unique human-alien mix of customs. As proven here, Christmas is one of the hardest human cultural events to understand for an alien. Even the idea of someone trying made me smile, but Keyno is so adorably intent on making it happen for Dale, it was bound to be good. Considering how many other human customs Dale has already introduced to Tah’Nar, I was pretty sure this one would be a success as well. I was so glad to see that it turned out to be even better than I expected.

This story is set five years after the events of ‘Journey’s End’, and features not just former human Dale, his Tah’Narian mate Keyno, and their adorable – and usually up to no good - five-year-old twins Szin and Raiden, but all my other favorite characters from the series. It all starts when Keyno has a situation on his hands – Dale seems depressed but won’t tell Keyno what’s wrong. Dale thinks there is nothing that can be done about his hankering for Christmas, his favorite Earth holiday, but Keyno has a different opinion.

I laughed so hard when Keyno decided to ask Dale’s mother for advice, then proceeded to research Christmas with a vengeance. His way of boiling everything down to “three key points” – just like the strategist he is – was hilarious, and his comment about “some religious aspect that he better ignore” had me in stitches. As for the way he, and later the Tah’Narian children, deal with Santa Claus and the fact this “older heavy-set male” is supposed to fit through a chimney – you have got to read it to see yourself. Hilarious doesn’t even come close.

Keyno’s planning pays off in a big way. There is more than one heartwarming surprise as he and Dale go through the first Christmas ever celebrated on Tah’Nar. Watching all the kids interact was great fun, and the entire story left me feeling warm and fuzzy.

If you liked Dale and Keyno in the two previous ‘Harvest’ books and want to see more of their lives, if you enjoy unconventional ways of celebrating Christmas, and if you’re looking for a feel-good read that is full of friendship, love, and lots of humor, you will probably like this free novella as much as I did. It has certainly left me anticipating the first book about the next generation of Tah’Narians (Bound by Fate) even more!
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