The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Kelley, Pamela. Christmas at the Restaurant. Piping Plover Press, Dec. 1, 2020. Kindle.

Romance is in the air in the novel Christmas at the Restaurant by Pamela Kelley. Thanks to the traditional Nantucket Stroll, business was good at Mimi’s Place, the restaurant Mandy Lawson co-owned with her sisters and head chef. Things were also looking up for Mandy, who was going through a divorce the past Christmas. Even though Mandy was dating again, her holidays still did not seem complete. The holidays were hard for Gina who would be away from her parents for Christmas. She was distracted when two great, but completely different, guys asked her out on dates. Meanwhile, a philanthropist in Nantucket had been meeting the needs of those hurting during the holidays. Mandy and her sisters wondered if it was their friend, Connie Boyle, who frequented the restaurant and always knew who was in need of help.

For Mandy, the holidays seemed a little empty even though she had her two children to think about. Her ex-husband, Cory, was dating a significantly younger woman, Hannah. He had just told her that Hannah was expecting a baby. Mandy was satisfied with her place in life and her boyfriend, Matt, who had been willing to take the relationship at her pace. Her life and her house seemed full again when her sister Jill and Jill’s husband came to visit for Christmas. For Christmas, Mandy received a promise ring from Matt, a symbol that he loved her, but he was willing to proceed with the relationship as slowly as she needed to go.

Gina’s holidays also seemed empty because she would not be seeing her parents as she usually did. She was surprised and elated when Alex Scott, a boy on whom she had a crush in the past, showed up at Mimi’s Place during her shift and asked her for a date. The situation was complicated when Jared, who also worked at Mimi’s Place, asked Gina to attend the Nantucket Stroll, a Christmas tradition in Nantucket, with him. Gina enjoyed getting to know the two different men. Ultimately, she decided that Jared's love of the restaurant business made him the best choice.

Mandy and her sisters (Jill and Emma) began to notice that Connie, a regular diner at the restaurant, was very up to date with the needs of the community. Whenever there was a need in the community and Connie knew about it, that need was filled. When a mother and her two small children lost their Christmas gifts because the water pipes burst, a white-haired woman replaced all the gifts. Connie arranged for the turkeys the food pantry was expecting to be stored in the freezer because the food pantry’s freezer stopped working. When Mandy mentioned to Connie that she had heard someone bought the food pantry a new freezer, Connie said someone helped her when she was young and in financial trouble. She made a point to help others when she could. She believed that was the way people should live their lives.