The Amish Christmas Gift

The Amish Christmas Gift by Laura V. Hilton is the 2nd novel in the Hidden Springs series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not had a chance to read The Amish Wedding Promise. The Amish Christmas Gift is a heartfelt story. I thought the story contained good writing and the story moved along at a steady pace. There are some charming characters in this story with quirky traits. Elsie Miller is a whiz at organization, but she has trouble at other occupations. Elsie is getting quite the reputation in town. She can usually be seen with a candy cane in her hand. Levi Wyse is in his mid-twenties and responsible for the care of his seventeen year old sister, Abigail who is in a wheelchair. Levi has been working to pay off their extensive medical bills with the construction business that was started by his father plus the toys he makes in his spare time. He would prefer to make toys fulltime, but he is not sure that would support them. Levi makes beautiful handcrafted wood toys, but he would forget his head if it was not attached. Absentminded does not begin to describe Levi. Let us not forget George who is hard of hearing and makes up for it by talking at a high volume. I laughed often while reading this humorous Amish tale. Miscommunication and misunderstanding abound for Levi and Elsie. I did feel there was a little too much internal dialogue and repetition of the same details. Faith, family, love, guilt, and miscommunication are the themes in this cute story. There are some good life lessons and I like how the author included the scripture verses that went with each one. It was presented in an easy to understand manner that really made the point hit home for me. The Amish Christmas Gift is a sweet and amusing Amish Christmas story with proliferation of peppermint, a toy train time limit, an absentminded Amishman, icky ice cream, a familial matchmaker, and an executive elf.