Comfort & Joy

Holiday fiction is a growing genre in literature and film. The category is niche, as the broader public offers its focus only once a year for a few weeks, but stories that revolve around the holidays are beloved, from Hallmark’s Christmas movies to classic literature. Christmas fiction is a particularly successful subset of holiday fiction, and Comfort & Joy falls neatly into this genre. The story includes personal tragedy, growth, adventure, and an element of magic, following in the tradition of other popular stories. For example, Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s novella A Christmas Carol undergoes a journey facing ghosts of his past, present, and future. Scrooge experiences a personal transformation, realizing that by helping others he can help himself. Similarly, in Comfort & Joy, Joy realizes that by helping Bobby connect with his dad and process his mother’s death, she can face her past and reconnect with her sister. Joy returns to Bakersfield ready to forgive and take responsibility for her life. 

In the classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, the main character George Bailey experiences suicidal ideation until an angel shows him what the lives of others would look like without him, demonstrating his value in the community. In both It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, the characters are guided through reflection and personal growth by the supernatural. Magic allows the characters to experience alternate realities that fill them with the hope and faith to continue living. Holiday fiction also often explores the importance of travel and adventure. The Polar Express, for example, takes a skeptical young boy on a journey to the North Pole. The boy returns with an unwavering faith in the magic of Christmas. Similarly, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women ties its themes of generosity and family bonding to the personal journeys of each March sister, as they venture beyond their home and into the wider world. Jo’s ambition to pursue her writing career, for example, leads her on an adventure to New York, reflecting a yearning for independence and personal growth. Their acts of love and courage during the holiday season highlight the transformative power of both adventure and familial connection. In Comfort & Joy, Joy has spent years yearning for adventure. Her exploration of the wilderness in Washington restores her faith in God and her enthusiasm for life itself.