This is a story about a ten-year-old girl named Lucy. She is a precocious child who has a vivid imagination, lots of energy, many friends, and loves Christmas. Her life is nearly perfect except for the three kids who live next door to her. There are two boys and one girl, Marie, who is a grumpy ten-year-old that is always picking a fight with Lucy. Since she acts so mean, Lucy hates Marie. The story is set in 1948, and Lucy lives with her parents who have all the modern conveniences for that period of time. Lucy loves to go to her grandparent's home in the country, especially for the yearly Christmas Eve family get-together, but her grandparents have no electricity; therefore, they have no modern conveniences. This does not deter Lucy's grandmother, Grammy, from starting a festive meal for everyone to enjoy. However, Grammy experiences a personal, but small tragedy that upsets the Christmas Eve festivities. How the family reacts to the tragedy shows Lucy what is really important in life. There is no way to be truly happy without loving others and being loved in return. Lucy gets it! But does this mean she has to love Marie and her two brothers?