Marian E Keen

Alex and the Spirit of Christmas Marian E Keen

The Adventures of Alexander Catt is a series of stories that inspire integrity, creativity, and perseverance in middle-grade readers. The stories combine Alex's feline-humour and point of view with historically accurate settings and events.

In Alex and the Spirit of Christmas, Alex tells the story of the wealthy Winston family, and 8-year-old Meredith, who gets everything she wanted ... and just what she deserved! Set in the bitterly-cold Chicago winter of 1945, it's the first Christmas after World War II. There's only a week until Christmas, and the Winston family is not ready. While shopping with housekeeper Mrs. Barnes, Meredith meets classmate Billy and his sister Maddie, and Christmas magic is sparked when the children visit Santa.

Familiar traditions of the era include a Christmas pageant, a visit to Santa, Christmas gingerbread, shopping at Marshall Field's and of course chicken pot pies in the Walnut Room.