When Anna’s dad leaves her a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift with strict instructions not to open it until morning, she never expects her scheming stepmother, Melanie, to tear into it first. But Melanie’s greed triggers a chain of events she never saw coming… How about some karma for Christmas?
Christmas used to be my favorite time of the year. Twinkling lights, gingerbread cookies, the smell of fresh pine from the tree, not to mention the stockings stuffed with treats, too. It all felt magical.
My dad remarried a few months ago, and his new wife, Melanie, made sure I felt like an outsider in my own home. She wasn’t evil exactly, not like the stepmothers on TV, but she just had a way of smiling while tearing down your confidence and spirit.
“Oh, Anna, is that what you’re wearing? Girl, I’d rethink that!” or “I’m sure your dad will spoil you again. He always does, doesn’t he? It will stop soon.”
And to make it worse, everything she said was drenched in that sickly-sweet tone that made my stomach turn.
But I kept my mouth zipped for Dad’s sake. He honestly looked so happy, and I didn’t want to ruin it. Mom had passed away ten years ago, when I was seven. I told myself that I could put up with Melanie, at least for Dad’s sake.
It had just been Dad and I for so long, and if Melanie made him feel less alone, maybe it was worth it.
I thought that until a week before Christmas, making sure that I was trying hard for Dad’s sake.
And that’s when everything changed.
Dad pulled me aside one evening, his expression oddly serious but playful at the same time.
“Anna,” he said, holding out a box wrapped in gold foil with a red velvet bow. “I have something really special for you this year, love.”
This box was gorgeous, like something straight out of a Hallmark movie. I wanted to unwrap it immediately.
“What is it, Dad?” I asked, eyes wide.
He smiled, but there was something else in his gaze, like a flicker of something unreadable.
“Oh, it’s a surprise, kiddo,” he said. “But I need you to promise me something.”
“Okay… what?”
“Don’t open it until Christmas morning,” he said.
When 17-year-old Rosalie’s stepmom, Susan, sabotages her Christmas by secretly canceling her flight, Rosalie is devastated. But karma has other plans. A series of ironic twists and turns leaves Susan stranded, humiliated, and exposed for her manipulation… ensuring that her Christmas is far from perfect.
