Mallory loves Christmas, but not the commercialism. She wishes her family could celebrate an old-fashioned holiday. The Pikes love the idea. Then her family wins a contest! They will receive ten thousand dollars to have their old-fashioned Christmas captured on film.
Soon the camera crew moves in and begins filming the Pikes' cookie-baking, stocking-hanging, and tree-trimming. At first, everything goes fine. But then the filming gets out of control. The Pikes' old-fashioned Christmas is becoming a disaster. What happened to Mallory's wish?
Main Plot[]
Mallory wants to have an old-fashioned Christmas. Her parents agree. The family wins a contest that Vanessa entered; the family gets ten thousand dollars if a film crew can film their old-fashioned holiday. Unfortunately, things quickly get chaotic.
Subplot[]
The BSC helps raise money for Stoneybrook Manor and donating their time baby-sitting.
On page 32 Mallory brought up her dad losing his job, which happened in Poor Mallory!. She said the family used up all of their savings before John found a new job.
On page 103 it's brought up that Stacey was either fired or quit the BSC from Stacey vs. the BSC
Inconsistencies
Mallory's hair is described as red when it's supposed to be red-brown.
On page 40, Jessi is on the phone but Claudia is the one that hangs up.
Mallory has trouble telling the Arnold twins apart in chapter 5, but they’ve had different hairstyles and they’ve dressed differently since Mallory and the Trouble with Twins.
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]
Dear Reader:
As a kid, Christmas was always my favorite holiday, and now as an adult it still is. In fact, I usually take the entire month of December off just to prepare for the holiday. I buy presents for my friends and relatives, I sew Christmas and Hanukkah outfits for my godchildren, and I always give a big party. All my friends and their children come to it. Every year the kid work on special art projects. Ti can get pretty messy. Maybe I should hire a baby-sitter to help out!
Nothing like what happened in Mallory’s Christmas Wish has ever happened to me, but an old-fashioned Christmas is something I always wish for. I guess I’m old-fashioned at heart.
Happy reading!
Ann M Martin
P.S. Hodges Soileau, the artist for all the covers of the Baby-sitters Club books, finally posed for one of his own paintings. Look on the front — he’s the man in the green jacket.
Trivia[]
This book originally came with a punch-out holiday ornament.
Cover artist Hodges Soileau posed for his painting for this book's cover as the man in the green jacket.
Kristy says that she is gentle and lovable with old people.
Mallory is taller then Kristy.
Mallory has said mean things to Vanessa before.
Rosie Wilder gets residual checks from each of her job.
Claire is suspicious of Santa being real.
Margo knows Santa isn't real.
Adam is called the Terror of Slate Street
The Pike family does Secret Santa with each other.
Mallory thinks Kristy is jealous of Abby.
Gallery[]
original painting of the cover art
Holiday ornament tear-out found in the first printing of this book
