Christmas Day is the only undefined legal holiday.

For Edward Brash, a middle-aged manager drifting through routine and regret, Christmas has become little more than an obligation he quietly endures. But when an unexpected encounter on Christmas Eve pulls him into a chain of small but profound events, his carefully contained world begins to shift in ways he never anticipated. As the day unfolds, Edward is forced to confront the fragments of his past, the choices that shaped his solitary life, and the quiet human connections he has long avoided. What begins as a simple act of decency grows into something far more transformative, revealing that meaning can emerge in the most unlikely moments. Set against the stark contrast of modern life and fading tradition, The Man Who Obviated Christmas is a thoughtful and deeply human story about loneliness, memory, and the possibility of renewal.

Richard Siciliano lives in northern California. His other novels include Portrait In Broken Glass, Extraneous, and Rambling With Milton. He graduated from Washington & Lee University and served as a VISTA worker, and has been a social and political activist throughout his life. He was employed by the San Francisco Human Services Agency for 37 years.