Boycotting Christmas: Julie Frank

Every terrible thing that's ever happened to Ella Holly seems to arrive dressed like Christmas morning - wrapped in glitter, topped with a sparkly bow, and delivered with a cruel sense of holiday cheer. She's not a Scrooge, but after years of heartbreak and disappointment tied to the season, Ella is done with Christmas. No twinkling lights. No fake cheer. No holiday magic. And absolutely no eggnog, because some traditions deserve to die.

But when her mother is injured, Ella finds herself back in the small town she thought she'd outgrown - and face-to-face with the holiday she's trying to avoid.

Along with him.

The family friend she grew up with. The crush she never quite got over. The boy who was always somehow there - woven into every Christmas memory she's vowed to forget.