Teenager Callie lives a luxurious life bouncing between New York City and her prestigious prep school, but she’s forced to spend her Christmas holiday with grandparents in Wisconsin whom she barely knows. She arrives with a chip on her shoulder having been disappointed by her over-achieving, guilt-ridden mother, Zoey, and makes sure that everyone is as miserable as she is.

1st Impression Publishing (2005)
ISBN 0976336561
Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (3/06)


Teenager Callie lives a luxurious life bouncing between New York City and her prestigious prep school, but she’s forced to spend her Christmas holiday with grandparents in Wisconsin whom she barely knows. She arrives with a chip on her shoulder having been disappointed by her over-achieving, guilt-ridden mother, Zoey, and makes sure that everyone is as miserable as she is.

But as in all entertaining books, twists and turns deliver a very different teen by the end as she learns valuable life lessons about the importance of family and friends. We also meet a variety of entertaining characters, from the farm hands that reminded me of those on the Wizard of Oz to Callie’s outrageous friends. And we know exactly what kind of girl Callie is when the staff at Tiffany’s knows her by her first name!

Admittedly, I didn’t expect to enjoy this novel for several reasons. First I only read Christmas books in December. Second, designer and brand names are dropped right and left which makes it either more realistic or more like one big advertisement, depending on your perspective. And I’ll confess I am many years removed from wearing a teenager’s shoes. But I told myself each night just one more chapter, and then found I had read ten more before I put the book down. Ample dialogue and short chapters kept the story moving as it delved deeper and deeper into Callie’s family history and that of a potential love interest and his family.

Sylvia Hysen is a screenwriter and this contemporary family comedy is an adaptation of her own award-winning screenplay. I can easily see how it would translate to film. Plenty of details make it a visual read. As a writer, I enjoyed learning how she took a personal interest in the Locks of Love organization, which uses donated ponytails to make hairpieces for ill children, and incorporated it into the story.

While we can’t all relate to prep schools or dairy farms, most of us can understand family conflict and the importance of resolving it. It is always compelling to read abut a female character with brains, spunk and heart. A Very Dairy Christmas amuses and warms our hearts. And it’s not just for the holidays either!