"This is a fine kettle of fish." Carlton wasn't in South Fork. She wasn't in Hayesville. What was going on? Karen and Carlton Mead are, on the outside, a happy successful couple with two smart, loving kids. They have a nice home, two cars, and lots of friends. They are, by all appearances, the quintessential American family. Beneath the surface, however, eighteen years of marriage have taken their toll, becoming endless bickering over unimportant things. Faced with the upcoming Christmas holiday, an argument over travel locations causes a larger-than-usual blowout. Karen digs in her heels. She will not spend her days with his family in South Fork. Similarly, Carlton refuses to spend his in Hayesville. And bore himself to death listening to her mother? I don't think so. They'll go their separate ways. She'll have her Christmas. He'll have his. Except, soon their mesh of lies becomes more than they can handle, and they have an important lesson to learn - that sometimes, love and family are what really matters. A sweet Christmas novella by popular author, SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS.