John and Madison Carmichael's success in their careers has come at a high price at home: they are on the brink of divorce. To soften the blow for their two children, they decide to spend one final Christmas together as a family. Responding to a travel brochure, they set off to "Celebrate Christmas Past" in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with a group of historical re-enactors.

Tensions worsen when their car breaks down, but a horse-drawn carriage arrives and delivers them to the home of Judge Andrew Norton and family, where their Victorian Christmas begins. With none of the comforts or distractions of contemporary life, John and Madison rediscover each other and the love they once felt. But upon their return to "modern civilization," the Carmichaels learn that the nineteenth-century house has been empty and boarded up for more than thirty-five years. Could it be that a miracle from "Christmas Past" has brought their family together again?

Call it a daily meditation on the world around us for nature-lovers and nature newbies alike, An Irish Nature Year gleefully explores the small mysteries of the seasons as they unfold - Who's cutting perfect circles in your roses? Which birds wear feathery trousers? And what, exactly, is an amethyst deceiver? An Irish Nature Year is an illustrated day book filled with plants, animals, birds and creepy-crawlies from all over the island of Ireland. With one short entry for every day of the year, nature columnist Jane Powers serves up 5 minutes' worth of wonderment to enjoy on your coffee break, on your commute, or to relax with at bedtime. From 'weeds' in the pavement cracks and surprising inhabitants of vacant lots, to unusual finds along our shoreline and hedgerows, you'll find more of the natural world to admire right under your nose, and relish the little things that mark the passing of the seasons across the ever-changing Irish landscape.