A Good Deed at Christmas

Callum Bloodworth

Nominated to Best feelgood-book 2023!

‘Earmarked for unwise ideas’ was written in Sophia’s father’s curly handwriting on the white envelope that contained a sum of money. It was the beginning of best friends Elsa and Sophia’s brilliant Christmas project; Christmas on Wheels, a way to bring joy to the people who are lonely and need a Christmas miracle.

Eight days before Christmas, Elsa is kicked out of her flat. With an already bruised heart and nowhere to go, she manages to find a red little cottage in Drottningholm, Stockholm. In the ad the cottage is called ’rustic and cozy’, which she imagines means small and outdated. But since she feels like she has no other options she accepts the offer. She moves in with no other company than the secret she has been caring for over a year, a secret which is causing her to drift apart from her friends and her family. She settles in to celebrate Christmas on her own and ignores the calls from her sister and parents.

The cottage turns out to be a great escape for Elsa until her friend Sophia calls and reminds her about the Christmas on Wheels project they have been discussing for years. It’s a slightly crazy, but brilliant, idea, and Sophia insists that this is the year for it and that it might be just what Elsa needs, and Sophia too. Sophia has been left money from her dad who passed away barely a year ago. He only had one instruction, to spend it on one of her unwise ideas. Sophia manages to convince Elsa, and they set the project in motion.

They rent a van and become a Christmas party on wheels. They arrange a Christmas hotline for people who are lonely, suffering from heartbreak, or maybe just want some company. They get their first customers and are all set with mulled wine and freshly baked gingerbread. Without realizing it, Elsa is starting to look forward to spending some time with her friend, and maybe this will be the perfect time to tell her about her secret.

However, when the project is about to start, Sophia suddenly leaves to look after her mum, who is grieving her late husband, leaving Elsa to see the project through herself.

With Christmas not turning out as planned, Elsa struggles to see the project through and feels lost. But when she ends up with a grumpy teenager as a sidekick and the more customers they manage to help, the more she feels a sense of meaning. When a half-naked man dressed up as Santa stumbles into her van and makes her laugh for the first time in ages, she begins to think that maybe this is just what she needs.

A Good Deed at Christmasis a joyously festive and heartwarming Christmas novel. It brings to light the power of family and the magic of love and is the perfect novel to curl up with on a winter’s night. ‘Tis the season for finding romance, new friendships, and eating freshly baked gingerbread.

‘If you want funny, emotional, and sometimes sappy entertainment – A Good Deed at Christmas is perfect.’
– BTJ

‘Callum Bloodworth tells a heartfelt and warmth story about lonely people.’

– Dagens Nyheter, Lotta Olsson