What a treat to read a Christmas story that's not a Hallmark romance. Yes the ending is predictable, but it doesn't lessen the joy of the novel. Oswald Campbell moves from Chicago to Lost River, Alabama because of his health. The community he finds there, including a little girl named Patsy, Jack the cardinal, & Frances, the local busy body, all create the home & family he wasn't expecting. Just the feel-good Christmas read I was hoping for.