Set in 1918, in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, the story is about young Ruthie and the Christmas she would never forget. With her papa off in the Great War, Ruthie and her mama must figure out how to honor their family’s promise to provide the perfect Christmas tree for the village church that year.
Early in the spring, Ruthie and her papa had chosen the perfect tree, high up on the edge of a cliff. As Ruthie hoped and prayed for her papa to come home for Christmas, she and her mama prepared for the holiday with meager funds and a lot of love. As tradition in the town, since Ruthie’s papa was to provide the tree that year, Ruthie was to be the angel in the school Christmas play. She practiced hard and longed for money for a special dress. No one in town thought that the family could fulfill their word with their papa off at war; but determined and proud, Ruthie and her mama set out to provide that perfect tree and hope to surprise the whole town. And as the season often surprises those who give, they are in for some sweet moments of their own.
