Aston Barnack has a secret. As the disillusioned former Guardian of Christmas, he has long abandoned the festive season and now sells assorted cakes and continental coffees in a small English seaside town. But when an old man discovers his identity and seeks the help of our disenchanted Spirit to right a great wrong, Aston is forced to return to a role he swore never to revive.

Set against the backdrop of a busy, modern coffee shop in a north Norfolk coastal town, Keeping Christmas is the story of two men – both very different, but each with a secret – who undertake a supernatural Christmas adventure that leads them on a journey through the streets of Victorian London to the trenches of the Western Front in 1914. Thanks to a well-read book, a mysterious wooden box, a much-loved Christmas card and a straggly piece of tinsel, Keeping Christmas is an exquisitely- executed novella-length tale of enduring friendship, reconciliation, redemption and coffee.

A masterclass in modern story-telling…