The Christmas Coat

By Kathleen Shoop

Two days before Christmas, ornery Elliot Ebberts is tasked with school drop-off. Distracted by an important real estate transaction, he’s short on holiday happiness. Snarled by carpool chaos his extravagant, lucky coat goes missing. In a panic, he starts his search, tracing the coat’s path as it passes through the hands of good people in dire situations.

Meanwhile, his plan to wow his wife Libby with an ostentatious gift reveals Elliot’s shallowness to the world and mortifies his entire family. Is it too late for him to rediscover the meaning of Christmas, to remember who he is without all the trappings of the job that defines him? Can Libby and their children ever forgive him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kathleen Shoop
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005979577

Kathleen Shoop

Kathleen Shoop is a Language Arts Coach with a PhD in Reading Education whose work has appeared in The Tribune Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent Magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Book preview

�x��cbook_preview_excerpt.htmluYMz�6� V�j����?e�HN��g9ɗ%H�I�A��nwV9D69�\c����{��V�%� P��ի*������)�����f��q)�椾�yp�xu?�0�������e�3~5��ڔC��v�m� ^���d)��8�*������z�3���� ��f�MT�߄���~�^�����ѽl?j���d�;Gm�e��cP���dn|o�5��Hy�S�k�r臠;uF��!|������
�hRZ� �\l�q�f��o$ukt�˺7a����}k��a�ͥ�}8��֟�Y8��_|}g\��ф���ͷa����ח�@֠~�5OF���\W�ú'�&~���?�����U��S0�Y��x��Ƌ�?�,/8��b&)�8h��(��A}mG,$�S�g��Tة{��O��2L�h�!����Q^��7i�ײ��9%�yL<�n���TÝ�S�c�{�+^m�{=��Q���n��>9݂%����v�cc��b�f�� �8z�C���uo��B��s2]9O��N[u��±qBD�����|��g�� ���=0txԁ}���6wRmX��n�:���Ƕ ����GO���AO̓�E��Z>�d��(�� 0�H�d[��j‰ ��i��L��JeK��F�_���h�%��n�����o��`N��:r2c�9�y��vΆ�^7��@�}X5�D�I�#�L�0�kVG��� ��r���QÜN���r�8�U�H��>��߬4X�;��fp.1�Y��:$�7К��S� Gf��F=m/�
k �p��Qw6�#U�����a2��!�P������.�i�Lw�>�����1q����k�do��>�r��q�>������\���ӊ3�w��O��u�i��� 1$�o�GJX�Zu1LW
R��ْe�u�t�a�b0fOR1\pLx�a5����mp��B)�m)�A?.A�"g�ѱ7W.��Z+��C6_}Cp���2��¶���@طFv������e��v�� r��H����k.$a����QZz���g���A{sk|l��e���F�%������,h�k�@!h^�+�W�Ь��
&��Ѕ8K�'�t�d�q��D���&9F��%��� "�K
c��Y���Do��a(��I-�v�kf��34�F����z��3D��ir�_i=͠9��e�tl�)��~�^��n�����
t2:o��S����:�� p����Hy$�+j�䌆�J�-�����A�o��p6F�K�5(�����P2��%2 Lq�hD��ݓ�}�[�zoʳ5��u�Z;.�#D�-6�!�G��~��+Ϙ����$"B8�y$��'La�������^P�D4���Ġ��;,�ʣ�^if$OL��5��
. �%�n�Q�0K�G�˷\���s_��'7��,�,A�f�.]OY�YU��ql?�9/�pl@�@XrN�H^0ߘ� �"�E�ҩ�S2,
�P2���*�Jd�1��A�@\�E�
�7��ԻZgy��"ڲ VD�S[j Hs�#�0��jf`�G�j��d���S5Jd 6����C��ˉU�qT� � Ǔ�!ge� �0#����x��i,����4�b�¬�l"��%O��hQ�b�)"*�S���Qz��I@Mhx^�0V��P@S��T3�ę���E6P[وv�����C�?j���|ޭ�W9ΐ�_̂��J(=h7G�$�3�� ��&V�eWPe[/�,����;���`:���aS�Fq�3�D�p���]��z�!D ��(!����R$�/у���cY��P�7��^j56�g�<�ȃɒ����Q�K}���$S��ޡ���Y�0а��˖8܂�oM��Zڶ9�*a���5�P�J��9Ch�yu�+�6��О#KVd��n�'�.y$QN��1{ʈ�=���@r2-�q>�/=t ����(������R�!�ev�P�#��j�$� �8"V�Ɇ���+N����!�"�-~.�LZ�W�ΔeϷ��O56Ǣl�K�Ͷ��6�G^<{��������r�Z:�*9Cp�Ol-�z\��أ�I�����!�/��*-��t�hR)�H�T� [p~��dB!D)ѧ��~���\�Q0lO��'����y�?��grNa��4�^����f��i �Qk�ʸh�!B��U�Hԉ� �Xq�
e�� JmFZ�Ag4��t���_��*Y��_�A��$�y!|"�����Ęά��ŧK!�{4V���!"g�KH1�ݏ��rx?_�0��W�E��г�M��,�� �����
��(dod�o���IJ�E |��I濳Sj�n��_��HGz-mU�4B�̰ˑ�ᡚ������o�ݪ�!�ܠn�_z��:8#ԑ��hd{D��2S�6��\�c�`=R��;V̦�0������ĥ��y#L�Ѹ|�r��bP@�pW��ℾ��}AMG_[(N�J*���R��i���4kg�M��`�ܔ�2�bR.o0���> �1(��qn������u����iI&�lP-H�-(��K��T;S� ����0$J_l�z�(�
�N� ���F�+���6��T��{��i�,�B���5EЅ�Os,a\�ndG؛�gQ�}ʂ9.�e���D��VV�~ Kq޺/~o�rSG�rF�9m��A��u�L\�{��&��=�]iऽ��/���ދ�z �r���Gĩ����쯦[n�h4]e�Z.��=��*�����J�J9?�8�!R��Ӵ��@�Y��QrҧҐev���1�DW���I����ڏ�z�-M��]o�\��[4}��1�JH��u�X5i�޺�>�^gш�2��9-��H��M�db�����! ��PRo���P���T8;��P����&����