Some Christmas Miracles Come From the Most Unexpected Places...

Dylan Sanchez used to love Christmas. But for the last three years, the holidays have been anything but festive. Like clockwork, Greg - his mother's partner - gets intoxicated and spirals from awkward jokes to tense, needling arguments that drain the joy from the season. Every year, his mother says it'll be different. Every year it isn't. When Greg slips back into old habits just days before yet another Christmas, Dylan can't take it anymore. He grabs his coat and walks out, leaving behind the wreckage of promises too thin to stand on.

But when he witnesses a brutal attack on a helpless stranger out in the dark streets, his split-second choice to intervene sets off a chain of events unlike anything he could have imagined - something that's nothing short of a Christmas miracle.

Sometimes, a thirteen-year-old boy's fierce heart is exactly what the world needs to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Also features an excerpt of the award-winning YA horror novella, "The Scavenger (Second Edition)". "A great short Christmas story...The characters are well written and are engaging. And Aidan Lucid's world building is full of Christmas magic. I definitely recommend reading this book!" - RaeGrams (Book reviewer) "A Mother's Promise is a beautiful example of how a short story can leave a lasting impression. This is a story that will stay with you long after the final chapter." - Catrina P (Amazon Book Reviewer).

"A Mother's Promise" received the Silver Literary Titan Book Award in December 2025.