The Farewell Christmas

Book excerpt: Jackie Shields was a hero to many. After graduating high school at age sixteen and college at twenty, he became a fighter pilot in the United States Navy. Jackie even flew with the famed Blue Angels, the navy's elite demonstration flight squadron. When Jackie returned home to Winchester, Massachusetts, for Christmas in 1956, he received a hero's welcome. But no one was more excited to see Jackie than his youngest brother, Billy. In The Farewell Christmas, William Shields shares the story of his last Christmas with his older brother Jackie. With his hero home for the holidays, ten-year-old Billy has a Christmas he will never forget. From the time Jackie surprises Billy on his evening paper route to their last good-bye, Jackie shows Billy what being a hero is all about. Billy's love for his older brother shines through in an inspiring way as he relives a time of sledding, snowball fights, and family feasts and reminds us all that the best gift is spending Christmas with family. A bittersweet story of faith, family, and innocence, The Farewell Christmas will take all readers back to their own childhood Christmases and inspire them to create memories with their families that will last a lifetime.