The Christmas of 1976 was fast approaching the projects of Wheeling, West Virginia, a town ensconced in the wintery mountains. This Christmas, with all of their hearts' desires, would be like none other. One family would be introduced to death, hope, a shortage of black dolls, and a new sound called funk.
In A Funky Christmas, author Lucy L. Lowe shares the anxieties and excitement of her and her six African-American sisters ranging in age from two to fourteen as they become intertwined with an overwhelming desire to get down dancing to a new sound called funk. All hope is lost for fourteen-year-old Reza, who vows to run away to Soul Train if she doesn't get a Loud Mouth eight-track tape player for Christmas. When eight-year-old Destiny hears that the Lord has called a family friend home, she convinces her younger siblings to take the phone off the hook. Meanwhile, as a shortage of black dolls sweeps the mountain community, six-year-old Ashley and four-year-old Cassey make a request that puts Santa's reputation on the line.
A Funky Christmas narrates a Christmas memoir of one family, raised by a loving single mother, who shared a deep love and faith in God.