The Hired Man's Christmas by George Givens

 

Summary (from the publisher): In the tradition of Christmas memoirs such as A Child's Christmas in Wales and A Christmas Memory, The Hired Man's Christmas is the story of how the events of two Christmas Eves brought George Givens from boyhood into manhood. Every summer a mysterious man known only as "Frank" arrives to help George Givens's grandfather with his farmwork. No one knows the hired man's last name, where he comes from, or why he always seems to be so sad. Once the season's crops are harvested, he disappears only to reappear the following summer. This routine continues for many years -- until one fateful Christmas Eve.

The hired man never returns to the Givens farm after that day, and the mystery of his final disappearance seems destined to remain unsolved. Then, on Christmas Eve many years later, George serendipitously discovers the long-lost hired man's fate. This discovery teaches him a powerful lesson about the importance of family and the endurance of love.

The Hired Man's Christmas is a story of simpler times, but its message resonates across the years and in the hearts of fathers and sons even today.

Review: In this true story from the author's childhood, George Givens reflects on how a hired man who worked on his grandfather's farm when he was a child ended up making a provide impact on the relationship with his own father. Every summer, a mysterious man named Frank showed up to work on George's grandfather's farm and disappeared when the harvest was over. Until one Christmas Eve, when he shows up looking unbearably sad. He lives as mysteriously as he appears and is never seen again. Years later, when George is a young man, who learns of the fate of the hired man, and this discovery teaches him a searing lesson about the importance of family. 

This was a heartwarming tale that can easily be mistaken for a novel. Told in simple but moving prose, this novel tells of a childhood in a simpler time and of a strained father son relationship that, while never perfect, is improved because of George's witnessing of the hired man's story. This was a very brief Christmas book, just over one hundred pages. I read it in two sittings. It is a simple story, with a simple message, and therein lies both its strength and its appeal. 

Stars: 4