Women of the West
inspirational fiction
Series · inspirational fiction
Christmas Hope
The Christmas Hope series by Donna VanLiere has 11 known books (11 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Christmas Shoes (2001).
- Books
- 11 known books (11 novels)
- Published
- 11
- First published
- 2001
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Literary Fiction
- Last checked
Start here: The Christmas Shoes (2001) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Christmas Shoes
The Christmas Shoes opens the Christmas Hope series in 2001, Donna VanLiere's debut novel inspired by the popular Christmas song of the same name about a boy buying shoes for his dying mother's final Christmas. Its unexpected success as a New York Times bestseller led to a 2002 CBS film starring Rob Lowe and the rest of the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Shoes - Book 2:
The Christmas Blessing
The Christmas Blessing arrived two years after The Christmas Shoes, continuing the Christmas Hope series in 2003 with another self-contained story of loss, hope and family at Christmastime, and was itself later adapted for television.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Blessing - Book 3:
The Christmas Hope
Written by Donna VanLiere, The Christmas Hope appeared in the series in 2005, another mostly standalone entry set in a small American town at Christmastime, and one of several titles beyond the first to be adapted for television.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Hope - Book 4:
The Christmas Promise
Running 224 pages, The Christmas Promise was published in 2007 as part of the Christmas Hope series, continuing Donna VanLiere's roughly once-every-one-to-two-years run of loosely connected Christmas-season novels.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Promise - Book 5:
The Christmas Secret
Published in 2009, The Christmas Secret belongs to the Christmas Hope series, one of several titles beyond the original Christmas Shoes that was also adapted for television.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Secret - Book 6:
The Christmas Journey
The Christmas Journey is the sixth novel in the Christmas Hope series, published in 2010, another self-contained story of loss, hope and family in a small American town at Christmastime.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Journey - Book 7:
The Christmas Note
The Christmas Note follows The Christmas Journey in the Christmas Hope series, published in 2011 as Donna VanLiere continued her loosely connected run of Christmas-season novels roughly once every one to two years.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Note - Book 8:
The Christmas Light
The Christmas Light precedes The Christmas Town in the Christmas Hope series, published in 2014, another mostly self-contained story sharing the series' recurring small-town setting and occasional overlapping characters.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Light - Book 9:
The Christmas Town
The Christmas Town sits between The Christmas Light and The Christmas Star in the Christmas Hope series, arriving in 2016 as Donna VanLiere's loosely connected Christmas-season novels continued into their second decade.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Town - Book 10:
The Christmas Star
At 307 pages, The Christmas Star is the longest book in the Christmas Hope series, published in 2018 and continuing Donna VanLiere's run of self-contained stories of loss, hope and family at Christmastime.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Star - Book 11:
The Christmas Table
Following The Christmas Star, The Christmas Table arrived in 2020 as the latest entry in the Christmas Hope series, closing out roughly two decades of Donna VanLiere's loosely connected Christmas-season novels.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christmas Table
About the Christmas Hope series
The Christmas Hope series began with Donna VanLiere's 2001 debut novel The Christmas Shoes, itself inspired by the popular Christmas song of the same name, about a boy buying shoes for his dying mother's final Christmas. The book's unexpected success -- a New York Times bestseller adapted into a 2002 CBS television film starring Rob Lowe -- led VanLiere to continue writing a loosely connected series of Christmas-season novels roughly once every one to two years for two decades.
Rather than following one continuing cast, each Christmas Hope novel tells a new, mostly self-contained story of loss, hope, and family centered on a small American town at Christmastime, with occasional overlapping characters and settings connecting the books loosely to one another. Several titles beyond the first were also adapted for television, including The Christmas Blessing, The Christmas Hope, and The Christmas Secret.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read the Christmas Hope books in order?
No -- each novel tells a mostly self-contained story; the series is connected loosely by setting and occasional shared characters rather than one continuing plot.
How many books are in the Christmas Hope series?
Eleven, published from 2001 to 2020.
Which Christmas Hope books were made into movies?
The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing, The Christmas Hope, The Christmas Secret, and The Christmas Note were all adapted into television movies.
If you like the Christmas Hope series
Reading order last verified .