All I Want for Christmas Is the Holiday Pick-Me-Up We Need This Year

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In the past few years, I’ve grown to appreciate Hallmark and Netflix Christmas movies. They may be predictable and cheesy, but there’s something so comforting about that familiarity, especially when it’s covered in fake snow and candy canes. That same aura abounds in in Wendy Loggia’s new novel All I Want for Christmas, which delivered the feel-good vibes I was hoping for—and had a few pleasant surprises up its sleeve.

All I Want for Christmas centers on high school junior Bailey Briggs, a lover of all things Christmas who wants to have a kiss under the mistletoe this year. While currently single, she has two contenders to share her wish with: Jacob Marley, one of her classmates whom she doesn’t get along with; and Charlie, a charming, mysterious British boy she meets while out with friends. On the surface, the choice seems obvious to Bailey, but spending time with Jacob proves she might not have been completely right about him after all.

Right from the first chapter, this book is rife with Christmas cheer. Each chapter is titled after a Christmas song, ranging from classics like “Deck the Halls” to Taylor Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm.” There’s no shortage of gingerbread decorating or ugly Christmas sweaters, and Bailey even admits that her parents named her after George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life. With all this in mind, the references never feel too forced or out of place, striking the perfect balance between indulgent and lighthearted. I found myself getting excited whenever I recognized a reference or a pun, and the fact that something so simple could bring a smile to my face made it all the more enjoyable.

While the story itself was familiar, Bailey and Jacob were anything but. From the book’s summary, I went in assuming Bailey would be a wholesome girl-next-door type constantly clashing with Jacob, who sounded like a huge jerk on top of being a player. And when they have their first interaction, that’s what it seems like—at first. Jacob comes to the bookstore where Bailey works and she helps him pick out books for his family, only for him to realize he’s forgotten his wallet and has to come back another day to buy them. His body language and sheepish expression tell us he genuinely feels bad for this, but to Bailey, the entire situation comes across as an a careless mistake, and she’s sure he won’t actually come back to buy anything. The novel is told from her perspective, meaning she’s slightly unreliable when it comes to narrating events as they take place, and while she is correct in assuming that Jacob can be immature and rowdy at times, that’s honestly not that surprising, given that he’s a teenager. The fact Bailey is so quick to judge him reveals that she herself is in the wrong and may have some growing up to do of her own.

I can’t get into too much about Charlie without giving away the reason why he’s there, but rest assured he has plenty of swoon-worthy moments that leave Bailey wanting to spend more time with him. However, the fact that he’s so put together and seemingly perfect is partly why Bailey has such a difficult time sorting out her feelings. Charlie is more of a dream boyfriend, an embodiment of her ideals and expectations when it comes to a relationship, while Jacob is a more realistic and relatable person, someone worth getting to know because he’s considerate and sweet, even when he’s teasing her. I was impressed that both Jacob and Charlie were presented in a way that showed the pros and cons of a relationship with them, and while I was a bit impatient with how long it took Bailey to work out who she wanted to be with, I really can’t fault her for that.

Ultimately, All I Want for Christmas is a light, fun read that radiates with the warm holiday feeling I always get around this time of year. It was something I realized I needed, a breather from the stress of work and worrying about how to spend time with family while still being safe. Books have been a beacon for so many of us in 2020, and immersing myself in Bailey’s world with its sense of normalcy made me realize just how much I’ve missed that. I highly recommend giving this one a read for the holidays this year.

All I Want for Christmas is out now.