Guest Post: A Holy City Christmas by Christina Sinisi

There’s something magical about Christmas…but in Charleston, South Carolina, the holiday is extra special. The local chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers has published an anthology of eight short stories that celebrate the festive joy of the holiday with the beauty of the Holy City (called that because of the number of churches and the regulations that no downtown building can be taller than the church spires).

The stories range from contemporary to historical, from sweet romance to a second chance at love, from a mystery to solve to a reconnection with past faith. There’s something for everyone in these stories that point to the glory of the season of Jesus’s birth.

Further, all proceeds from the first six months of sales of the anthology will go to RISE. This worthy charity exists so that men of Orangeburg County who are trapped in poverty, homelessness, or addiction are Restored, Ignited, Supported, and Empowered to flourish in the grace of Jesus Christ.

I’m Christina Sinisi, current president of the Low Country ACFW. My entry in this anthology, A South of Broad Christmas, features the historical area of Charleston known for the wealthiest, upstanding families of Old Charleston. In this story, a member of Charleston’s upper-crust meets a money-grubbing tour guide when he sneaks his tour group into her backyard—without her permission. Then, life keeps throwing them together—at Christmas. It’s almost as if the good Lord knows what He’s doing.

This story came about because I attended a charity event at one of those grand houses and met one of the scions of the founding families. She was a lovely lady with lots of personality, and I thought about the blessings and difficulties of money. I’ve also visited all the places in the story, and I did combine some of the churches for the sake of the story. Coming from a poor family, I am so grateful for all the good things we often take for granted—food, safety, and so much more. I am also so grateful that my faith was given to me as a child.  In the story, the hero has lost his faith because of a childhood where he had none of those things, but he finds it again when asked to be a godfather to his nephew—and the godmother just happens to be the heroine.

A South of Broad Christmas is about two people seemingly from opposite worlds, but we all need love—and Jesus.

Christina Sinisi’s roots are deep in the South and her stories are about the families who live here.