“Hamish’s family were unusual in that they had always celebrated Christmas—tree, turkey, presents and all. In parts of the Highlands, like Lochdubh, the old spirit of John Knox still wandered, blasting anyone with hellfire should they dare to celebrate this heathen festival.”
In a part of Scotland, celebrating Christmas is frowned upon due to its pagan roots. However, police constable Hamish MacBeth loves the Christmas festivities and is determined to spread some holiday cheer to everyone he encounters. Duty still calls, though, and he must try to find a missing cat and track down the people who stole a nearby town’s Christmas tree and lights. In the midst of those cases, he also tries to organize a Christmas singing at the nursing home and takes the new schoolteacher out to dinner.
I found A Highland Christmas when I was looking through what holiday ebooks were available to check out from my local library. I often read mostly holiday themed books in December to get into the Christmas spirit. I have not read any of Beaton’s books before.
The case of the missing cat leads Hamish to finding out why the owner is a sour old woman and finding a child who is treated mostly like an adult by her parents. The woman and child end up helping each other. The case of the missing tree and lights leads him to an idea that could provide a lot of Christmas spirit but also a lot of trouble for him if he gets caught. Again, most of the people in the area don’t believe in celebrating Christmas with all the festivities. Is he willing to risk it?
A Highland Christmas was a very enjoyable holiday read about people, connection and the holiday spirit. It’s number 15.5 in the Hamish MacBeth series and I think if I had read the entire series I would have enjoyed it even more. It was a quick read and would definitely get you into the holiday mood.
Do you have a favorite holiday read? Share in the comments!