Christmas on Jane Street: A True Story - Softcover

Romp, Billy; Urbanska, Wanda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061626422 ISBN 13: 9780061626425

Publisher: William Morrow & Company, 2008

Synopsis

Every holiday season for ten years, Billy Romp, his wife, and their three young children have spent nearly a month living in a tiny camper and selling Christmas trees on Jane Street in New York City. They arrive from Vermont the day after Thanksgiving and leave just in time to make it home for Christmas morning -- and for a few weeks they transform a corner of the Big Apple into a small town that might be the setting for a classic Capra film.

About this title

Review:

"This true story tells how a tomboy blossoms, a daddy reconciles to that fact and how friendly New Yorkers really are."--Dallas Morning News

"A heartwarming story"--Newsday

"A touching tale fragrant with the season ... a special treat for those who love Christmas trees."--Tampa Tribune

" [A] sweet tale, a cross between It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol"--USA Today

From the Publisher:

Description and Synopsis
Every holiday season for ten years, Billy Romp, his wife, and their three young children have spent nearly a month living in a tiny camper and selling Christmas trees on Jane Street in New York City. They arrive from Vermont the day after Thanksgiving and leave just in time to make it home for Christmas morning--and for a few weeks they transform a corner of the Big Apple into a small village community.

The French baker across the street keeps them supplied with fresh rolls and bread. The dry cleaner around the corner cleans their quilted vests and down jackets free of charge. A neighbor extends a power line from his basement, winds it through high tree limbs and into the camper to keep their little heater humming. The local meter maid "forgets" to ticket the camper. And, in the ultimate statement of affection and trust, Jane Street neighbors deliver apartment keys to the Romps with open invitations to come by anytime for a hot shower, shave, and nap.

For the Romps, the Christmas tree business is also a serious business. A good sales season can make the year for this frugal family. Under tremendous financial pressure this particular year, Billy is counting on his family to pitch in as they always do, when he faces an unexpected obstacle: His oldest child and best helper, Ellie, sets her sights on attending the extravagant "Nutcracker" ballet and testing her wings outside her close-knit family. How Billy reconciles Ellie's transformation from a tomboyish, female version of himself and into a graceful, independent young lady is at first a struggle and later a revelation. Along the way, he must learn how to let his daughter dream her own dreams--even when they diverge from his own. In setting her free, Billy learns the ultimate lesson of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS ON JANE STREET is about the transformative power of love--of parent and child, of merchant and customer, of stranger and neighbor. The ideal Christmas story, it is about the lasting and profound difference that one person can make to a family and one family can make to a community.

Billy Romp, his wife, and their three children live in rural Shoreham, Vermont--when they're not spreading Christmas cheer in Manhattan.

Wanda Urbanska, the co-author with her husband Frank Levering of SIMPLE LIVING and MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN lives near Mount Airy, North Carolina.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061626422
• ISBN 13: 9780061626425
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160