Author Interview · Hope Came at Christmas

A Conversation with Shanna M. Heath

Author of A Most Unlikely Christmas Pageant & El Portal · shannamheath.com

I’m honored to introduce Shanna M. Heath, fellow author and brilliant mastermind of Hope Came at Christmas! This collection is Shanna’s vision brought to life, and I can’t thank her enough for the incredible opportunity to collaborate on this book and reach readers with the hope of the Gospel this Christmas.

Shanna has a heart for teens and writes YA contemporary fiction. Her two short stories, A Most Unlikely Christmas Pageant and El Portal, highlight characters facing Christmases that are anything but the ones they expected. Readers will love her blend of humor amidst struggle, and find that even when everything goes off-kilter, the bright hope of Christmas remains.

Shanna graciously shared some of her thoughts about writing for young adults, her stories, and what gives her hope at Christmas.

What draws you to write for young adults?

I’m a mom of three, and I teach middle school, so I spend a lot of time around teenagers! I like to think I’m young at heart, and I’ve always loved to write. I want to create stories that are entertaining and well-written, but also ones I would feel good about my own kids reading and would happily recommend to my students. Most importantly, I want everything I write to glorify God. If I’m going to tell stories, I want them to point readers toward Him!

Who is your favorite side character in your story/stories, and why?

Dogs and toddlers are always fun to write about, so I’m going to have to choose Pax from my story A Most Unlikely Christmas Pageant and Margo, the main character’s niece in El Portal. There’s just something about the way dogs and little ones see the world that makes them such fun additions to a story!

If your readers could learn just one thing from your story/stories, what would it be?

In El Portal, Leigh learns that Christmas is wherever Christ is—which is, well, everywhere! Emmanuel means “God with us,” and that’s at the heart of the Christmas story. God came to earth as a baby, lived among us, died for our sins, and rose again. That’s the gospel in a nutshell! I hope readers are reminded that Christmas isn’t just a season or a collection of traditions. It’s a celebration of the God who came near to us and is still with us today.

Is there a particular Bible story, verse, or hymn that inspired your story, or is there one you’d like to share?

There are a couple of Bible passages that especially inspired my short story, A Most Unlikely Christmas Pageant. One of the central ideas is that God can use our messy, imperfect efforts to bring Himself glory. He doesn’t require a flawless performance! A Christmas pageant is the perfect backdrop for exploring that truth because the very first Christmas was disruptive, chaotic, and far from picture-perfect.

Second Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” My main character, Eloise, is determined to direct and produce a perfect Christmas pageant with an elderly cast. (What could possibly go wrong?) Along the way, she learns that the pageant’s success doesn’t depend on a flawless production. Instead, God’s power and the true meaning of Christmas shine through even the cracks of human imperfection.

Colossians 3:23–24 also played an important role in shaping the story. These verses remind us to work wholeheartedly for the Lord rather than for human approval. Eloise spends so much time worrying about pleasing the audience and the parents that she loses sight of why she’s putting on the pageant in the first place. The imperfect but heartfelt performance helps her realize that her work isn’t about earning applause or achieving perfection. It’s an act of worship and love for God.

I hope readers are encouraged to give their best while remembering that God can work through our imperfections.

The characters in these stories often face difficult decisions or circumstances. What encouragement would you offer a teen—or anyone—walking through a challenging season of life?

Lean on Jesus. Seriously.

The idea for this anthology came about while I was navigating a difficult season following the sudden, unexpected loss of my brother. I’m still walking through that grief as I write this, and I’m not sure how I would manage without the peace I find in Jesus. God has also blessed me with some amazing sisters in Christ who have walked alongside me through the darkest days.

Writing these stories has been a balm to my soul, and I’m so grateful the other authors were willing to join me in this project. We wanted to write stories that would bring readers joy and draw them closer to Christ, and in the process, those stories did the same for me. They brought me joy and drew me closer to Him, too.

Grief and other difficult seasons don’t magically disappear because we have faith, but we don’t have to walk through them alone. We can lean on Jesus, let others carry some of the weight with us, and trust that even in the hardest moments, God is still at work.

Just for fun, would you like to share one of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Every year, my family attends the candlelight service at our church on Christmas Eve. Afterward, we pick up some fast food (usually pizza!) and drive around looking at Christmas lights. It’s a simple tradition, but I love ending the evening that way. There’s something special about celebrating the birth of Jesus at church and then spending time together enjoying the beauty and excitement of the season!

Thank you for your beautiful insight, Shanna, and for sharing your wonderful stories with us!

To learn more about Shanna and her other books, check out her website below.