Plot Summary

Sara is a successful children's author. Shortly before Christmas she is touring and reading her books about a mouse to children, and her new book is about to hit the shelves.But in her home town of Sunny Valley, California, Sara's grandmother Evie falls and is taken to the hospital. Sara's father Tim calls her and asks her to come home, which she is reluctant to do not only because she has her obligations related to her book series, but because she and her critical and perfectionist mother Michelle don't get along.As expected, the minute Sara arrives, the nasty comments from her mother start. But Evie is in good spirits as her daughter and son- in-law take her home to stay with them for Christmas. Evie may have problems other than her injury, and she must stay in bed except for using a walker to get to the bathroom.Michelle believes Evie needs to move out of her condo and in to a better place for someone in her situation, but Evie is so independent she doesn't believe Evie will listen.Amazingly, Evie's young good-looking doctor Brandon makes house calls. Sara meets the man and a romance appears likely.While Brandon is examining Evie, they talk about Evie's future plans. Evie actually agrees she needs to move into a better place. But Michelle only overhears part of the conversation and believes her mother has a week to live. Now she has to do everything Evie wants to make her last days happy. And she can't tell Sara.Sara visits with her grandmother and learns of her 'Perfect Christmas List". While Evie is not actually dying, she doesn't know how much time she has left and she wants to do everything on a very complicated list while she still can.Naturally, Michelle agrees to do whatever her mother wants, and she even seems to be getting along with her daughter, even as she continues to show perfectionist tendencies. Any comment that reminds her that her mother might be dying upsets her and makes it absolutely necessary that she put her mother's needs first. Ironically, it is Sara who disagrees with the idea of eating processed foods and other junk. And Michelle is not the only one Sara has to convince: on a trip to the grocery, she meets the doctor who is buying numerous hot dogs, lots of lemonade, and bacon flavored butter.This is only the first opportunity that Evie's list gives Sara to meet up with the doctor, though that wasn't the intention.Evie's list gives Michelle and Sara several opportunities to make up for past wrongs and to enjoy the holidays even more. And the ending offers an important message about the holiday's true meaning.