The Night Before — David Fulmer

Joe Kelly is about to greet Christmas by sharing the best news he's had in years with his wife Mariel and his two children ― along with a gift that Mariel has longed for since the day they were married. But just as he's about to present his stunning surprises, his world is abruptly fractured, and he makes a broken-hearted escape into a bleak winter night.

In another part of town, Nicole Weaver and her daughter Malikah find themselves rudely cast out of their home. And the reverend of a storefront church begins a night of saving souls lost in the cold and dark.

As Joe wanders the snowbound streets, his path entwines with theirs in an evocative tale that moves from charity to violence and back again. When Christmas morning finally dawns, he finds that his life has been transformed in the most fundamental way.

The funky charm of this adult novella is a departure from typical holiday fare that still delivers a simple and yet affirmative message of hope.