Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing - Lacey Baker (Hallmark - Nov 2021)

Series: Christmas in Evergreen (Book 4)

Welcome back to Evergreen,
the town built on Christmas wishes…
And learn what happens
after one snow-globe wish comes true.
 
Life is going great for Hannah, really. She's fallen in love with her best friend, her brother is getting married, and she's looking forward to another festive Christmas in Evergreen. Still, between her job, taking charge of the choir, and being the town's jill-of-all-trades, she's feeling uninspired…especially when Elliot starts to question his own role in the town.
 
Hannah finds fresh inspiration in the brand-new Evergreen Christmas Museum, and she volunteers for their storytelling project. When she interviews her fellow Evergreenians, however, she learns that not everyone wants the museum around; specifically Mr. Cooper who owns a third of the building. As Hannah finds herself with more and more responsibilities, and as her relationships with Elliot and her family grow strained, she starts to wonder about what she really wants. Can her love and newly-found purpose survive the changes that loom after the holidays are over?
 
This was a lovely visit back to the town of Evergreen, Vermont. The main characters in this story are Hannah and Elliot, childhood friends whose romance began during the previous book (Christmas in Evergreen:Tidings of Joy). Working together fixing the town's magic snow-globe made them look at each other as more than friends. A year later, we see where their relationship stands. A secondary plot involves the wedding preparations for Hannah's brother, Thomas, and Michelle, the mayor.
 
I liked Hannah, but she really needed to learn how to use the word "no." Born and raised in Evergreen, the town plays a considerable part in her identity. Her life is jam-packed with activities, from her job at the inn to leading the choir to jumping in when anyone in town needs help, so she doesn't have a spare minute in her day, even for Elliot. However, there are times when she feels that she's looking for something that is truly hers. She believes she's found it when the town starts a Christmas museum in the old hat factory until one of the building's owners threatens to shut it down.
 
Elliot moved to Evergreen with his mother when he was ten years old after his parents' divorce. He and Hannah became best friends immediately, and their friendship grew stronger over the years. Elliot worked for her father in his repair shop as a teen and bought it from Hannah and Thomas after their parents' deaths. The shop remains a town institution and does even better under Elliot's management, but he finds himself wishing for more. His goal of expanding the business joins with his dreams of a future with Hannah, but what will she think of it?
 
Hannah and Elliot have been dating for a year, but there isn't much forward movement in their relationship. Not much of a surprise, considering Hannah is constantly going from one commitment to the next. Nearly every time we see them together, Hannah breezes through on her way to somewhere else, and Elliot just smiles and waves her on. I got the occasional vibe of resentment from him that she has no time for him, but he never says anything to her about it.
 
We soon find out that Elliot plans to open a new store in the city, taking Hannah and moving there. He misses the city life he remembers from his childhood and wants to make his mark with something that's all his. Unfortunately, Elliot avoided talking to Hannah about any of it, sensing that it would be a hard sell. Meanwhile, Hannah goes on about her days believing that everything is hunky-dory between her and Elliot. It comes as quite a shock when she hears of his plans from someone else. They both frustrated me because they STILL didn't talk about it for the longest time. Hannah wonders if Elliot truly knows her or loves her if he thinks she'd be happy away from Evergreen. I ached for them both when they finally confronted the issue and realized their dreams lay in different directions. I wasn't sure how they would find their way back to each other. However, the magic of Evergreen at Christmas comes through and opens their eyes to what is essential. I admit I saw Elliot's solution to the new store coming fairly early in the book.
 
The biggest thing I noticed about Hannah and Elliot's relationship was that I never felt any "zing" between them. If they kissed at all, it made no impression on me. Other "clean" romances I have read have at least made me feel that the couple had some desire for each other.
 
I did enjoy being back in Evergreen during the Christmas season. I loved catching up with characters from previous books. In this book, Michelle is deep in planning her upcoming wedding to Thomas while still handling her mayoral duties. The actual event begins to look questionable when Thomas's return to town is delayed by bad weather. I ached for both as the delays kept piling up. I loved that Michelle and Thomas faced their possible disappointment by remembering that their love was more important than the event. Michelle also faces some family tensions when her dad shows up with a girlfriend. I'd love to visit the Kringle Kitchen for some eggnog waffles, though I think I'd stay away from the peppermint mocha eggnog. I smiled at seeing the teenager David enjoying his job there and his obvious culinary bent.
 
I loved the idea of the Christmas museum and using a previously abandoned building for it. I enjoyed Hannah's many ideas for displays and how she involved the entire town. I ached for her when Mr. Cooper showed up and pitched a fit about how the old factory was used. Nothing she did made a difference to his attitude. Saving the museum looked like an impossible dream. At the end, the matter was tied up in a nice neat bow, and Evergreen had another feather in its Christmas hat.