Mallory's Christmas Wish by Ann M. Martin

Christmas in a big family can be great, but Mallory is starting to find it a bit overwhelming. She has seven brothers and sisters, and Christmas feels like it's getting out of hand. That's why she suggested that this year they have an Old Fashioned Christmas. There's just one problem - after winning a contest, the Pike family is being filmed by a local TV station. How can they have a traditional Christmas if they're doing everything in front of a camera? This might be the worst Christmas ever!

When I first read this book, the idea of Mallory fantasizing about worldwide stardom after a local TV news feature seemed laughable; now, it seems totally possible. A large family on TV? How normal! There's a small subplot, about a retirement home that's throwing a holiday craft/rummage/bake sale and the Baby-Sitters Club totally takes over. One chapter mentions how Stacey is resentful that she is expected to give up spending holiday time with her boyfriend in order to babysit for free. I wish that there was more of that examined in the series, particularly after Stacey rejoins the BSC after quitting. But then no one really reads as age appropriate in this series. Mallory, in the first chapter, laments as to how hard it is to buy for kids these days because they grow out of things so fast. Except she's 11, and she's around her brothers and sisters every day. The outcome of the story, that the family ends up rejecting the camera crew and giving up on their dreams of fame, isn't even worth giving a spoiler alert for, because it's just so predictable. But I think in terms of Christmas-themed BSC books, this is better than the even-more-of-a-cliche story where Mary Anne spends too much on presents and then has to secretly earn money before her family finds out.

Find it (used) on Amazon. 

Read it with:
Holiday Time by Ann M. Martin
Karen's Wish by Ann M. Martin
The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier by Ann M. Martin