I feel like this suggestion may be a little off , but The Sportswriter by Richard Ford might fit what you ' re looking for in terms of feel . It starts 2 years after the death of the narrator ' s young son , and while he doesn ' t move anywhere since he lives in the same house he has for years , his wife and him have divorced so it feels like he ' s moved in a sense . I guess he ' s moved in a more metaphorical , emotional sense , like his mind has moved if that doesn ' t sound stupid . Anyway , it ' s a great book and based off your post it might fill what you ' re looking for , so I ' d suggest it . And while it doesn ' t take place over Christmas , it ' s set Easter weekend . <| sep |> Over at the Libertarian sub , they do if too .