All Things Christmas: A heartwarming holiday novel from the USA Today bestseller

by Melissa Hill

'if you miss Maeve Binchy, Hill will cheer you up.' CLOSER
Cosy up with a warm and insightful bookclub novel about Christmas traditions and enduring family bonds, from the USA Today & Irish Times #1 bestselling author.

The first family Christmas without her. The traditions that will keep them together.

Estranged siblings Romy, Matt, and Joanna return to their Dublin childhood home for the first Christmas after the death of their beloved mother, Cathy.
Grief has pulled them apart and old resentments linger—but Cathy has left them one final a selection of her favourite holiday traditions to complete together in her absence.

From picking out the tree, rediscovering festive childhood mementos, and re-engaging with the local community, each Christmas task brings nostalgia, unexpected laughter and the chance to heal old wounds.

And as they slowly discover what it means to be a family without the heart of their home, the siblings learn that even in the hardest season, a mother's love can still light the way.

'A warm, beautifully crafted read.' GRAZIA

*Originally published as The Beautiful Little Things.*

Genres: Christmas

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

Melissa Hill is a USA Today bestselling author living in Ireland’s beautiful County Wicklow. Her page-turning contemporary novels of family, friendship and romance are published worldwide and have been translated into twenty-six languages.

A Hollywood adaptation of her international bestseller Something from Tiffany's, by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios, was released worldwide in Dec 2022.

Other novels including A Gift to Remember and The Charm Bracelet have been adapted for screen by Hallmark Channel USA, with multiple other titles currently also in development for film and TV.

For more info, visit her website at www.melissahill.info

Facebook: facebook.com/melissahillbooks

Instagram: @melissahillbooks

Melissa also co-writes forensic thrillers with her husband under the pseudonym Casey Hill. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Reviews

[Anne Gardepe · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What is it about life that we are all always so eager and willing to line up for the next race? When the one we'll never, ever win is that which we run against ourselves."
-Cathy Moore, from the novel

The Moore family of 5 have celebrated Christmas together for many years in Dublin. After the death of Cathy, the mother who has held it all together, grief, stress and quick tempers drive the siblings, Romy, Matt and Joanna apart.

Their first Christmas without Cathy will certainly be different but somehow, they all make the effort to be home for their dad, Bill. Feelings are still raw but the discovery of Cathy's journals urging them to continue the holiday traditions leads to healing.

I selected this book because I wanted a Christmas story. It was interesting enough, but I was put off by the poor editing of the novel to the point that I was thinking a 2 rating, but the plot kept me reading and I decided a 3. I felt the title was odd, having little to do with the story. Probably will not look for another by this author.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read Christmas stories during the holiday season and this one is a bittersweet read. It’s a story of a family , whose matriarch Cathy has cancer. We are privy to her diary and thoughts as she chronicles her last Christmas with her loved ones. It’s an intimate look at how her subsequent death affects each family member : Bill the husband of Cathy and father to Joanna, Matt, and Romy , the siblings who take center stage in this tale. Each one can frustrate the reader at times with his/her behavior but I felt the story was an accurate portrayal of the dynamics within a family. Even though there is much sadness and grief because of Cathy’s passing, this novel is one of hope as each character moves forward in life. I liked this as it is not your overly sappy holiday tale but still heartwarming.

[Bianca Torrente · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautiful Christmas book about family, loss, healing, and forgiveness especially during the holidays when we should be cherishing family most. I loved that it wasn’t your normal cheesy holiday romance (though I love those too!!) but was rather a relatable story about a family learning how to navigate grief during Christmas. I always love reading a Christmas book leading up to Christmas and I’m really happy came across this one this year. I’d recommend this book to anyone wanting a holiday read different from your conventional romance ♥️🎄

[Lynn DeSimone · Rating 5 out of 5]

All things Christmas

What a difference a year makes. This is about a very happy, typical family. A working dad, a stay at home mom, and 3 adult children. Christmas was one of the times that they all made a point of coming home to celebrate. But this one would be different. It is a story of how family handle grief and learn that they need each other to get by and learn to be happy again.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sure the author meant to use this as a lesson, but personally, it was a downer. Every page brought more conflict, more blaming, more shouting, and more unacceptable behavior than any family would continually put up with. It was a chore to read, constantly hoping the next page would reveal something more positive.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. The story was good & well-written. I gave it 3 stars because there were a lot of errors in it; typos & grammatical errors (such as a word being typed twice or punctuation missing). Poor proofreading, if there was any proofreading at all. I just found that annoying.

[Susan Marie Ballain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this story in some ways very sad but I can see where this mother just wanted to give her children one last Christmas to remember. The grieving process just came along in the process as in many loss of a parent!
I felt that this was a very great story and I loved it!

[Carole Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but death around Christmas made me sad. It is a reality, the first Christmas without a loved one is hard.

[Susan Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

A more realistic family Christmas story. Families

, are not perfect. They are still family and we love them, no matter what.

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Things Christmas

This was a remarkable story. Deeply moving, emotional and the best book of the year. A must read, highly recommend. Happy holidays and enjoy

[Nicole Petersen Sofolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A realistic Christmas story without cookie cutter romance. I found it moving, emotional and relatable. Highly recommend for a holiday time read!

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice relaxing Christmas story

[Krisann Dikes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a cozy Christmas book for the feel-good but this was too much about sad things in life. Disappointed.