BLUE CHRISTMAS

Savannah antiques maven Eloise “Weezie” Foley returns to solve a Christmas mystery.

Facing stiff competition from her “nearest and queerest” neighbors (rival shopkeepers Manny and Cookie), Maisie’s Daisy proprietress Weezie pulls out all the stops to win Savannah’s annual Christmas-decoration contest. She faces an early upset, though, when her fruit-festooned store windows are ruined, with all the edibles gone missing. Could it be the work of hungry birds? Or sabotage? Inspiration strikes again after she discovers a blue vintage Christmas-tree pin at an auction and uses it to create a ’50s-themed kitsch extravaganza that wins her first prize—and perhaps some unwanted attention. Strange things start to happen soon after. Her beloved mutt Jethro runs away, only to be returned safely by an anonymous Good Samaritan who leaves the dog in Weezie’s truck. Food (and nothing else) for a holiday party is stolen from her house, and a strange homeless woman is discovered sleeping in her “Blue Christmas” store window. Meanwhile, her grumpy chef boyfriend Daniel refuses to get into the holiday spirit, spending all his time toiling at his successful restaurant, Guale. Weezie suspects it is not work that is keeping him from enjoying himself, but rather bad memories of his childhood abandonment by his mother. Eager to spread some cheer and play peacemaker, she invites Daniel’s remaining family to her house for Christmas Eve, where, not surprisingly, chaos ensues. Jethro gobbles (and vomits back up) a hot bowl of fresh crab dip, Daniel’s vegan sister-in-law brings tofurky and two guests end up in the emergency room. The rest of this fluffy follow-up to Savannah Breeze (2006) is swiftly tied up as professional adversaries make nice, mysterious strangers are revealed to be long-lost loved ones and a way-overdue wedding proposal is enthusiastically accepted.

Appealing character-driven holiday fair, with the slightest of plots.