‘Elm Trees’ Novel Embraces Christmas Wonder

I still remember the joy and anticipation leading up to Christmas when I was young.

Think about being unable to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, staring at the colored bulbs of our Christmas lights out my bedroom window and wondering when Santa would come.

Or watching Tim Allen’s “The Santa Clause” and being captivated by what Elf Judy said to an incredulous Scott Calvin as he stood in the North Pole, unable to accept what was before his eyes: “Seeing isn’t believing; believing is seeing.”

That sense of wonder we feel as children is too often one of the unfortunate casualties of adulthood. We go through school and have everything explained to us, from the beginning of the universe and how humans came to be through a long series of millionth-millionth chances, to how God and religion were made-up concepts to give our ancestors comfort in a seemingly uncontrollable world of unknowns.

We trade a world of wonder and mystery for a diploma.

Ten years ago, I published “The Tale of the Elm Trees” as a rebuke to this wonderless world modernity has created and watched the story bring tears of hope to people across the political and ideological spectra—from agnostics to Jews and conservatives to liberals.

This year, to celebrate my completion of the screenplay for this book, I’m publishing a Ten-Year Anniversary edition of “The Tale of the Elm Trees.” The purpose? To once again help readers rediscover the world of wonder that is so inherent in the Christmas season.

It’s a time when we celebrate a virgin giving birth to the Messiah, an event heralded and recognized by everyone from a choir of angels to a few random wise men from the East who traveled quite far just to see this new King.

Read mine. Ten-year anniversary edition drops on 11/20. https://t.co/nNdAJmfvvf

— S. Wyatt Young (@swyattyoung) November 12, 2025

For a Christian love story, “The Tale of the Elm Trees” isn’t one of those happy-go-lucky stories that inform the stereotype for Christian novels. The story follows a young man named Charlie Shaw whose life is marred by a level of tragedy and loss most of us could not bear.

Charlie uses well-developed tactics as a “lady’s man” in the small college town of Charlottesville to avoid the risks of love and vulnerability—and the possible pain of loss that love and vulnerability bring.

All that changes when Charlie meets a young woman, Katie Monroe, who skillfully scales the walls Charlie erected to protect his heart from pain and helps him rediscover a world of wonder he long ago lost. Yet when Charlie faces the imminent loss of his newfound love, he has a choice—he can retreat once again and rebuild the walls Katie tore down, or he can finally lay his heart bare at the feet of the God of Wonder, the only One who can really redeem Charlie’s pain.

This Christmas, I hope you’ll join me and the many others who read this story ten years ago and embark on a journey of rediscovering the wonder modernity has made so scarce. This special Ten-Year Anniversary edition releases on November 20, but you can preorder your copy today on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.

And if you’re part of a small group, Bible study, or book club and you purchase at least seven copies for your group, I’ll make a special virtual appearance to your group to discuss the story with you and what it means for our culture.

This book is not political, but it is very much a Christian story—just like the Christmas story we’ll soon be celebrating. So wherever you’re at on this journey in life, I hope you’ll join me in rediscovering wonder this Christmas season.

S. Wyatt Young is a writer, attorney and conservative political commentator. Follow and subscribe to his social media and Substack accounts for more faith-filled content.