Life on Christmas Eve: A Novel

by Nathan Nipper

As heard on Glenn Beck !

A small-town woman is baffled to find her life suddenly imitating It’s a Wonderful Life —and her quest to understand why leads to a life-changing encounter with a vulnerable stranger on Christmas Eve.

After watching It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time, thirty-one-year-old Julie Shelly’s predictable small-town life turns anything but as she begins experiencing uncanny parallels between her life and the fictional George Bailey’s.

Initially intrigued by the way her life seems to imitate the classic movie, Julie secretly hopes the strange similarities bear some kind of deeper existential significance. But real life soon brings her back down to earth and she dismisses the episodes as mere coincidence and the wishful thinking of her restless spirit.

Julie decides to put the Wonderful Life foolishness behind her…until a tragedy puts her faith to the test and forces her to view the odd movie coincidences in a completely different light. Her epiphany ultimately spurs her toward an extraordinary, life-changing encounter with a vulnerable stranger on Christmas Eve.

Genres: Christmas

240 pages, Hardcover

Published November 16, 2021

About the author

Nathan Nipper is a multimedia writer at Mercury Radio Arts. He is the author of the novels American Inheritance (2024) and Life on Christmas Eve (2021), both of which debuted as number one Amazon bestsellers in their respective categories. He also wrote the 2014 award-winning nonfiction book Dallas ‘Til I Cry. He has degrees in history and communication from Ouachita Baptist University and Regent University. He lives with his family near Fort Worth, Texas.

Reviews

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has just the right amount of hope and joy and cheese. If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, you'll like this. If you love It's a Wonderful Life, you'll love this. The author sprinkles in just enough of the real meaning of Christmas to connect all the hope and joy to the story. If you want to feel good at Christmas time, read this one.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very sweet novel. I’m not sure if it was self published but it worked. It put me in a good mood while reading it and made me want to watch It’s A Wonderful Life again. Book club book to be discussed in January 2022!

[Anna Kostecki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” so I was very excited to read this book. The storyline was fine, albeit rather predictable at times. Cheesy but not necessarily in a bad way, just randomly and excessively pro-life at the end in a manner I didn’t really enjoy.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feel-good story that's perfect for the holiday season.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Love the story and had no idea where it was going. Recommend this book to everyone

[kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute!!
i spontaneously found this at the library on the christmas display. i was drawn to the cover and a little part of my brain was like “it’s like the bridge from ‘it’s a wonderful life’” and then i read the blurb and it’s about the movie!
i love it’s a wonderful life so this was perfect for me. i did predict the ending like halfway through the book but it was still cute seeing it unfold
also the fact that gwen became a flight attendant aw!! this book is definitely a sign for me :) i wish they had bumped into each other and recognized each other, especially since i’m sure gwen would remember what she looks like. but i guess it’s cute to know that they’re both happy living their own lives apart from each other
idk why it isn’t 5 stars i can’t directly pin point the negatives, i guess it was a bit slow in the beginning but i quickly got into it and the entire time i felt really immersed with the story like i was experiencing it with them & i could visualize everything pretty well
still don’t understand why almost every female character’s name started with a b. what was the reason
also van and julie’s love story was kind of meh. like it would make more sense if they had both had crushes on each other and had chemistry that wasn’t just platonic, but instead julie only ever saw him as a friend, yet within a few days she realizes that she loves him romantically? and agrees to marry him? good for them but idk
idk why they never made the connection of george bailey wanting to travel the world but keeps getting delayed to how julie’s plans kept getting delayed. that was like the first similarity i noticed
but at what point did julie’s life start becoming like george bailey’s? how long did gwen know she was pregnant? like did those two events happen at exactly the same time which led julie to start experiencing that stuff?
overall it was really sweet and i liked the magic realism fantasy aspect of it

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book last year but just got around to reading it this year. I will say I don’t think that writing itself was great and I wasn’t highly engaged at first but the more I read the more I enjoyed this story and was curious how this would all relate to It’s a Wonderful Life.

By the end I was hooked and my jaw literally dropped open when I made the connection about what was going on. The ending is beautiful and heart-warming.

This is a quick Christmas read.

[James Hetland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of It's a Wonderful Life written as a contemporary story with a Christ centered focus.

Totally loved this book. It's a great Christmas story that is heart warming and funny. This is the second time I read it and enjoyed it as much as the first time. It combines Christ centered morals, a relatable central main character, Julie, along with a great ending. Leaving the reader smiling and miracles can still happen.

[Laurie Hetherington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story abrupt ending

The story drew me in, but without giving a spoiler, I’ll say I was not thrilled with the ending. The momentum of the story built, but it wrapped up so quickly it felt as if the author ran out of time and paper so he called it the end. Disappointed with the lack of development.

[Holly Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely not for everybody. I absolutely love the movie "it's a wonderful life" so this was right up my alley. This is somewhat slow moving for the 1st half of the book and pretty cheesy but it's about Christmas so that's fine with me. The ending made the book and it was a twist I didn't see coming.

[April Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was given to me as a gift, and I was pleasantly surprised! If you love 'It's a Wonderful Life,' and enjoy a Hallmark Christmas movie now and then, you will most likely enjoy it as well. The characters were relatable, the writing style was fun and well-done, and the message was uplifting. Loved the twists and the ending.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an avid fan of 'It's a Wonderful Life", I enjoyed seeing how the author wrote the happenings in the book to almost mirror those in the movie while making them about completely different people in a very different time! Also, the overall feel of the book was very heartening! A persons' story can take new paths any time during their life journey.

[Cynthia Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good Christmas read

This is a wonderful story for Christmas. The characters abound with life and love . It is a story to make ypu laugh and cry. Enjoy the life of a small town family.

[noel l spurlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

great NEW Christmas classic

This book is perfect for this time of year. I just happened to finish it on Christmas Eve, my birthday. Truly a magical time of the year, reminds us He is still in charge in spite of distractions. N.S.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Christmas read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Read it in under a day! So glad I had about it on Allie Beth Sticker&s podcast, Relatable. In a huge "It's a Wonderful Life" fan so I knew I needed to read this when I heard about it. Wonderful and unexpected!

[melissa vacula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story especially at this time of year. At bit slow, a bit boring. But a pleasant read

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book! It started a bit slow, but had a great ending and message. A feel good book!

[Kristin C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little novel that reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie but with much more beautiful meaning.

[Rene Foust · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone that loves "Its a Wonderful Life" Merry Christmas

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story centered on a town's connection to the "It's a Wonderful Life" story. Some clunky parts, but overall nicely done. Lots of tender twists.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Christmas Story

Nice Christmas Story. Easy read. Feel good story. Likeable characters. At times a little slow but overall a nice read.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and has a wonderful message. I loved his character development and how he intrigued the reader. So Good!!

[Sandra Ramirez-Noguchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The perfect Christmas read with all the feels of "It's a Wonderful Life" but with a twist. Total tearjerker of course. LOVED!!!

[Joanna Penfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though a little cheesy at parts and obvious it was the author's first novel, the ending won me over. It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite books and this story was a beautiful tribute to it.