As Christmas neared, I decided it was time for a holiday novella. Grisham's "Skipping Christmas" was a humorous escape last year, but this book looked a bit more serious."The Winter Seeking" is a concise and wonderfully rendered tale of a woman dealing with many of the emotions we confront during the Christmas season. She struggles with her parents' divorce and her mother's illness. She also wrestles with her own issues of faith. When, at the suggestion of another young lady, she decides to read the Christmas account and put herself into the story, her perceptions begin to change.In some emotionally-charged, yet understated, final scenes, Vinita Hampton Wright wraps up a story that adds depth to the season. It never sugarcoats, but it does bring comfort. It never preaches, yet it offers hope. Sometimes laughter is a great medicine; in this case, a few tears clean the soul.