- Double Carol Award-winner (Best Debut Novel, Best Historical Fiction) - Patrick Collins has three items on his Christmas list. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And he wants--very badly--the wooden soldier tucked away in his grandfather's attic. Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift is an engaging family story that reminds us of the surprising things that can affect powerful change in our hearts--like a young boy's desperate prayers, a shoebox full of love letters, even a dusty, long-forgotten wooden soldier.