A Christmas Book Club Night Out: One Last Gift

Our next book club meeting was perfectly timed for the season: a Christmas-themed read, cozy plans, and a festive night together right in the middle of the holiday rush.

We chose One Last Gift by Emily Stone, which felt like it had all the ingredients for a sentimental December book club pick.

A Little Background on the Book

One Last Gift is a holiday romance that follows a woman navigating grief and change during the Christmas season, when an unexpected gift sets her on a path of reflection, healing, and the possibility of new beginnings. Emily Stone is known for writing emotional, wintry stories filled with love, nostalgia, and that bittersweet holiday feeling.

It’s definitely meant to be a warm and cozy seasonal read.

That said…

More Fluffy Than Festive

If we’re being totally honest, this one just didn’t land for most of us.

It was a light, easy book, but overall it felt a little too fluffy and not very substantial — not quite the memorable Christmas read we were hoping for. Still, even a less-than-favourite book always gives us something to talk about, and honestly… book club is never really just about the book.

A Holiday Book Club Solution

No one wanted to host so close to the holidays (very fair!), so we decided to switch things up and make it a night out instead: dinner followed by a Christmas market adventure.

We started with dinner, sharing appetizers and catching up, even though the restaurant was incredibly loud — the kind of loud where discussing the book was almost impossible.

But then came the sweetest surprise of the night.

The Most Thoughtful Ornament Gift

Our host surprised us with custom Christmas ornaments representing every book our club had read so far.

It was honestly such a special gesture. I love mine so much and hang it on my tree every year — the perfect little keepsake of all the memories we’ve made together through books.

A Magical Christmas Market Ending

After dinner, we headed outside to explore a nearby Christmas market, and it completely made the night.

There were:

• local vendors everywhere

• huge glowing Christmas trees

• twinkling lights

• the best festive atmosphere

• picture-perfect photo spots

We stayed warm with hot chocolate, did a little shopping, took so many cute photos together, and finally had the chance to properly talk about the book.

Even though it wasn’t a favourite read, it brought us together during one of the busiest times of the year — and that’s what I’m always most grateful for.

A festive night, a sweet tradition, and a reminder that sometimes the best book club meetings are the ones wrapped in real life.