The yada yada prayer group gets decked out

Jodi Baxter loves the holidays, and this year she has plans. Her kids are coming home for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas, and the whole Yada Yada prayer group is getting ready for a big New Year's party. Turkey dinners, tree trimming and decorating are all on her list.

The season does not stay on schedule. Jodi runs into a former student, and the meeting leaves her puzzled. A crime knocks her off her feet, a wedding gets arranged in a hurry, and a child arrives who will permanently alter her family.

Jodi narrates in the first person, so the story stays close to her own voice and her own worries. It is Christian fiction about a circle of women friends who pray together, and the group matters most when events pile up faster than Jodi can manage them. The mood is warm and domestic, with a faith-centered view of what the holidays are for.

The friends find that the party they planned is not the celebration the season has in store. The book moves from Thanksgiving toward New Year's, and the friendships carry Jodi through each surprise on the way.