I dedicated The Baby’s Christmas Blessing to my sister because she inspired some of my heroine’s quirky tastes in food.
How quirky, you ask?
As a kid, my sister used to mash up her Christmas dinner into a big pile and eat all the different foods—turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy—in one bite, and we used to joke about how one day we’d invent a product called Christmas-in-a-Can and become wealthy businesswomen! (We might have been onto something, too, because I guess Heinz beat us to the punch last year and sold out almost immediately!!!)
Of course, having this hilarious memory, I wanted the heroine of my new book to do the same thing with her holiday meal. 😆
However, at the time I started writing the book, I thought it would be too presumptuous (!) to write a Christmas book for Love Inspired. Surely, I thought, Love Inspired would only want Christmas books from well-established authors who’d been writing for them for a long time.
So, I wrote the first draft of the manuscript and set it during the Thanksgiving season, and the heroine was going to dream about creating Thanksgiving-in-a-Can.

Me and my sister on Thanksgiving when we were kids🍁
Imagine my surprise when my editor asked me to rewrite the book—and make it a Christmas story!!! 🎉🎀🎄
I was happy oblige, but it got me thinking that there are way more Christmas books than Thanksgiving books. Since Thanksgiving is almost here (in the U.S., at any rate), I wanted to share a few books that feature Thanksgiving in case you want to add them to your TBR.
Ten Terrific Thanksgiving Reads for Your TBR
- My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade
- Becky Wade’s debut Christian romance novel! A must read!
- Pathway to Peace by Elizabeth Maddrey
- The hero and heroine meet at Thanksgiving dinner, and the Amazon reviews are great! “The story is a good one that kept me reading well past bedtime.” 🦃
- What Could Be by Jaycee Weaver
- A fabulous series starter by the talented Jaycee Weaver. ❤️
- An Unexpected Legacy by Amy Anguish
- The hero and heroine of this story meet in a smoothie shop. Hmm, maybe since Heinz already introduced Christmas-in-a-Can, my sis and I can invent Thanksgiving-in-a-Smoothie!!! 🤣
- Lighten Up by Angela Ruth Strong
- An oldie but a goodie! “Smart, snappy, real, and convicting.”
- Not Until Now by Valerie Bodden
- A powerful story of faith, love, and forgiveness, Not Until Now will draw you in, touch your soul, and leave you with a happy sigh and a heart filled with hope.
- Cadence of Cranberries by Valerie Comer
- I love, love, L😍VE this title! Cranberry sauce is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, and I’ve been to a real cranberry bog on Cape Cod, too!
- Call You Home by Jan Thompson
- To save a landmark family restaurant in Savannah, two chefs must put aside their twenty-year-old feud and cook together. “The many scripture passages…spoke to my heart.”
- Muskoka Blue by Carolyn Miller
- Did you know that up until I was 18, I celebrated Thanksgiving in October? Come read about Canadian Thanksgiving in this charming story! 🇨🇦
- The Gathering Table by Kathryn Springer
- This might be at the end of my list, but it’s at the top of my TBR! I’ve enjoyed every Kathryn Springer book I’ve read, and this one has such a beautiful fall cover that it’s impossible to resist! “A tale of hope and saving grace amongst the hurt and fears of life.” 🍁🍂
Have you read any of the books on this list? And… would you ever consider trying Thanksgiving- (or Christmas-) in-a-Can?
P.S. I don’t have a giveaway on this post, but I’m going to be giving away 24 paperbacks in December! Find out more (and sign up if you’re so inclined) at: https://bonus.meghannwhistler.com/christmascountdown
Hi Meghann, these books all sound great, I don’t think I’ve read any of them. Here in the UK we don’t have Thanksgiving but I always think it sounds like such a nice holiday and I love finding out more about it. Thanksgiving recipes I’ve seen look amazing, but I’m not sure about all at once in a can 😂
Hi Ruthie — I was surprised to see that the Christmas Dinner in a Can from Heinz did so well last year! It probably helped that they only made 500 of them!!! 😆
Good morning, I loved reading your post! And Thank you so much for sharing about these Thanksgiving books, they all sound like great reads. Your new upcoming book sounds like a very good read. Have a great weekend and stay safe. God Bless you and your family.
Thanks, Alicia! Hope you have a great weekend, too! ❤️
Loved your post!! I haven’t read any of these, YET, but I’ll be checking them out!!! I don’t think I want to try Thanksgiving or Christmas in a can!
Ooops!! I did read Valerie’s book!! Way back!! LOVE her books!!
Awesome!!! But, ha ha, yeah! I can’t say that Thanksgiving in a Can would be my #1 choice, either 😉
I love your Thanksgiving story. I would so try Thanksgiving-in-a-can. The books you recommend sound good. I have read other books by some of the authors (all very good authors) , but none of these books. God bless and have a great day. ❤❤
Thanks, Bonnie! I’m glad that my sister and the heroine of my new book aren’t alone in their penchant for Thanksgiving-in-a-Can!!! 😁
I love Valerie Comer’s Cranberry book. In Europe, esp. France, people bake a Camembert cheese and serve it with cranberry sauce.
I’m a linguist but I’ve never heard the term “cranberry bog” and the dictionary definitions were not helpful. What is that?
Ooh, Camembert with cranberry sauce sounds fantastic!
A cranberry bog is a marsh where the cranberries grow :) Here’s more info: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/cranberry-bogs.htm
not yet
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Thank you for sharing. Blessings
Thank you, Lucy! 💕
I have not read any of these Thanksgiving books. I do not think I would try Thanksgiving in a can. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
❤️❤️❤️
welcome . no I have not read any of these books. now my TBR list just grew. LOL Hope you have a fantastic weekend. I would love to read more autumn/thanksgiving stories
Glad I could add to your TBR, Lori! Hope you’re having a great weekend, too!