Christmas Past: Tracie Peterson's "Tidings of Peace"

Few historical fiction books specifically focus on Christmas. Sometimes the holiday may be mentioned, but it is hardly the focus of most stories, many of which span several years. Yet for this special time of year, author Tracie Peterson brings us Tidings of Peace, a set of four novellas about Christmas during World War II.

Each of the four stories takes place in December, during one of the last three years that America was at war--1942, 1943, and 1944-and involve characters from the small town of Longview, Washington, not far from Seattle. All have been affected by the war, in small or large ways, while trying to go about their daily lives. Home in Longview connects the otherwise unrelated stories, with characters from earlier stories making cameo appearances in later stories. Each story features a light romance while dealing with some aspect of World War II and its impact on servicemen and their families.

The first novella, "Coming Home", introduces a man wounded at Pearl Harbor the previous year. A Longview family grieves the loss of their son, who died at Pearl Harbor, and welcomes their son's friend. In the second story, "Remember Me", a Marine pilot parachutes from his doomed plane and finds himself alone on an island in the South Pacific, while his fiancée back home works in a bomb-making factory in Seattle. "Shadow of His Wings" features pilots flying a mission over France in late 1943, and a young couple that quickly married due to an unplanned pregnancy; now the baby is due and the husband is overseas. The fourth novella, "Parachutes and Lace", includes women working with the Red Cross in England near doctors working at the hospital. A couple has wanted to marry for the last few years, but the ongoing war seems to have prevented a normal wedding. Even basic materials, to make a wedding gown, are scarce in England in late 1944.

Central to all four stories, though, is Christmas -- and all the wonderful, nostalgic feelings associated with this time of year. Family and friends, as well as seasonal events such as Christmas caroling, Church services, drinking eggnog, eating fruitcake, and decorating the Christmas tree, are all here. The stories all have a decidedly upbeat, light and merry tone, all with happy endings. None of the major characters die-only the Pearl Harbor man mentioned by his family-and all come to appreciate their loved ones at this special time of the year. Problems are quickly introduced and easily resolved, fitting within the length of each story. In some cases events turn out even better than in real life. (For example, the procedure to remove in-grown toenails, even today with lasers and much more so even twenty years ago, is far more invasive and painful than the author's description in "Parachutes and Lace".)

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