Calling Mrs Christmas by Carole Matthews

Usually, when one talks about a book that has impacted our lives, you would expect the likes of Secret, The Alchemist, etc. to come up. But I would like to talk about and recommend a book titled “Calling Mrs Christmas” by Carole Matthews.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when you are lost a bit and there seems to be nowhere ahead. I had reached a point in my career when I couldn’t work full time because of personal commitments but was not prepared to compromise on my career either. I thought of starting on my own but was sceptical to go that way. That’s when I came across this book. A book that had a huge impact on my life then and that I keep going back to.

This book has a character Cassie Smith who loses her job and ant find another one. Over a period of time, she finds herself losing her identity and all of her friends start distancing themselves from her too. She finds herself drowning in self-pity with no motivation whatsoever. She spend most of her days watching pointless commercials and sleeping around the house not knowing that the very thing that seemed pointless would end up giving her the most amazing idea for her venture. The lesson is that ideas are present everywhere. You just need to grab the right one.

Then one day, she comes across a brilliant idea. Its Christmas season out there and she figures out she can offer services around the same since so many people need help with the same and there was no such service available. She decides to take a plunge into this niche market and starts a business offering Christmas Services in neighbourhood. She meticulously begins learning from scratch and starting modestly with whatever is available at hand. And that should essentially be the foundation of every start up. She then begins marketing her business in the neighbourhood and doesn’t give up when she doesn’t get any orders for weeks after. So the book covers up every aspect for a new entrepreneur.

Once her business takes off, she sources the best raw materials (no compromise there) and offers a personal touch to every detail- no matter how small. That’s another lesson to a new entrepreneur. Do not compromise on the quality of your service’s/ products to save money. In the long run, it will affect the business. Every new venture needs its own time and efforts to grow and one needs to adhere to a timeline keeping the goal in mind.

Then is a second part of the book which teaches an important aspect in personal life. The character Cassie meets her biggest client- Carter Randall. He enlists her to make Christmas special for his kids and his lavish requests start taking up all her time. She has a wonderful partner Jim and her elder sister who help handle and take are of other clients. Then Carter asks Cassie to join his family on a trip to Lapland that has been organized by her as a part of the offered services. She knows she shouldn’t go on the trip but faces a heart breaking choice. She goes ahead with the trip and momentarily is attracted to Randall who is going through a rough phase with his wife.

Meanwhile it also shows them helping two boys from the Young Offenders Unit at
Bovingdale where Jim works. The boys have nowhere to go after their term is over and Cassie takes them in to help with her assignments where they learn new things and do a wonderful job at it. They begin helping Jim with the same when Cassie is away for the vacation. Over a turn of events, Cassie realizes what she actually feels and returns back to Jim for a happily ever after.

The second part teaches you about how at most points in your life; you will come across two paths, a right and a wrong one. The wrong part usually is a shortcut to success in the short term but will lead nowhere. The other part may bring about several difficulties in the beginning but eventually lead you to success.

And the end talks about Cassie’s plans and ideas of converting her Seasonal business venture into one that can be offered all around the year. A must read Book.