Santa is in an institution. The good elves live on food rations in Old Town. The reindeer are mentally bent. The Herald Angels are powerless to bring corruption to the forefront in their newspaper. Can two humans save the North Pole and destroy the sinner's paradise that Jack Frost built? With melted snowmen on the take, a nutcracker-toy soldier army, ostracized elves and some reindeer bent on the North Pole's restoration, join the revolution to save Christmas. Reader discretion advised. This is a Christmas tale for adults. Bad language and sexual situations, not to mention the destruction of nearly every Christmas icon that we hold dear.

Victoria Spencer hates Christmas. For the last ten years, disaster has struck on Christmas Eve, leaving Tori dreading the holidays. When she's assigned to cover the light displays for her newspaper, she's determined to spend as little time on the article as possible. Especially once she realizes she's to feature frat boy Gabe "The Babe" Robertson, her former college crush. Gabe Robertson is a different man than he was in college. Every December, he transforms his acreage into a winter wonderland designed to celebrate the birth of Christ and share God's love with the community. He also uses the lights to raise money for Operation Mistletoe, an organization that sends Christmas to troops stationed overseas. Unable to set aside her prejudice, Tori looks for ulterior motives in Gabe's actions and determines to dig deeper. Will her investigations destroy any chance of a Merry Christmas?

His Assignment. . . When freelance journalist Connor Lawe returns to his hometown to convince his ailing father to sell the family newspaper, he's tasked with finding a "warm and fuzzy" story for the upcoming Christmas issue. Youth leader Sarah Kendle and her ragtag group of "angels" definitely falls into that category. Her Responsibility. . . Sarah Kendle volunteers to chaperone a group of precocious seventh-grade girls as they deliver "Good-News Grams" to people in the community. She hopes the girls will discover that it really is better to give than to receive, but dodging cynical reporter Connor Lawe wasn't part of the plan! Their Mission. . . Four mischievous matchmakers band together to spread peace and goodwill. . .and convince two lonely people that love is the best Christmas gift of all.

Neither debunking nor worshiping, Smith pierces the veil of myth and mystery around the Holy Lance--the spear that pierced the side of Jesus Christ on the cross. Illustrations.

Pp. 34.