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The Christmas Stranger
Table of Contents
About The Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Christmas classic The Christmas Box and the #1 Netflix movie The Noel Diary comes a powerful and thought-provoking holiday story about love, loss, and the mysterious workings of heaven.
Sometimes the universe sends us exactly who we need...
Three years after losing his family in a Christmas Eve accident, grief-stricken Paul Wanlass hasn’t just given up on Christmas, he’s given up on life. He can’t imagine anything to keep him here—not his work as a computer repairman, not the residents in his Salt Lake City neighborhood, and certainly not the idea of connecting with someone new. When a stranger knocks on his door, claiming to be picking up a laptop, Paul allows him in—but discovers the man has a very different mission in mind.
Paul wakes the next morning unsure if his encounter with the stranger really happened or was just a dream–but when the stranger shows up again, Paul challenges him to give him just one reason to live. The stranger agrees to the challenge but warns Paul not to expect a path he would have guessed or chosen.
As the stranger promised, Paul’s life takes a wild and fateful turn. A robbery connects him with a woman who has also lost the love of her life, and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, Paul rescues a young boy from bullying, only to find the boy needs a different kind of rescue. The twists leave Paul wondering what these people have in common, and why they were brought together. Who—or what—really is this Christmas stranger, and how will Paul find meaning once again?
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Christmas classic The Christmas Box and the #1 Netflix movie The Noel Diary comes a powerful and thought-provoking holiday story about love, loss, and the mysterious workings of heaven.
Sometimes the universe sends us exactly who we need...
Three years after losing his family in a Christmas Eve accident, grief-stricken Paul Wanlass hasn’t just given up on Christmas, he’s given up on life. He can’t imagine anything to keep him here—not his work as a computer repairman, not the residents in his Salt Lake City neighborhood, and certainly not the idea of connecting with someone new. When a stranger knocks on his door, claiming to be picking up a laptop, Paul allows him in—but discovers the man has a very different mission in mind.
Paul wakes the next morning unsure if his encounter with the stranger really happened or was just a dream–but when the stranger shows up again, Paul challenges him to give him just one reason to live. The stranger agrees to the challenge but warns Paul not to expect a path he would have guessed or chosen.
As the stranger promised, Paul’s life takes a wild and fateful turn. A robbery connects him with a woman who has also lost the love of her life, and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, Paul rescues a young boy from bullying, only to find the boy needs a different kind of rescue. The twists leave Paul wondering what these people have in common, and why they were brought together. Who—or what—really is this Christmas stranger, and how will Paul find meaning once again?
Product Details
- Publisher: Gallery Books (November 4, 2025)
- Length: 272 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668014912
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Raves and Reviews
“The most popular holiday tale since Tiny Tim.”
– Newsweek
“[The] master of the holiday tearjerker… Fans of Evans’ work will be both moved by and invested in this semiautobiographical tale.”
– Booklist
"Evans is a remarkably relentless optimist whose moving, hopeful, and easy-to-absorb essays will greatly appeal to and inspire a wide range of readers."
– Shelf Awareness
"Evans extols gratitude, humility, and love....Succinct musings meant to inspire."
– Kirkus Review
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): The Christmas Stranger
eBook 9781668014912
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Author Photo (jpg): Richard Paul Evans Photo by Emily Drew.(0.1 MB)
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