Holiday fiction is a growing genre in literature and film. The category is niche, as the broader public offers its focus only once a year for a few weeks, but stories that revolve around the holidays are beloved, from Hallmark’s Christmas movies to classic literature. Christmas fiction is a particularly successful subset of holiday fiction, and Comfort & Joy falls neatly into this genre. The story includes personal tragedy, growth, adventure, and an element of magic, following in the tradition of other popular stories. For example, Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s novella A Christmas Carol undergoes a journey facing ghosts of his past, present, and future. Scrooge experiences a personal transformation, realizing that by helping others he can help himself. Similarly, in Comfort & Joy, Joy realizes that by helping Bobby connect with his dad and process his mother’s death, she can face her past and reconnect with her sister. Joy returns to Bakersfield ready to forgive and take responsibility for her life. 

In the classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, the main character George Bailey experiences suicidal ideation until an angel shows him what the lives of others would look like without him, demonstrating his value in the community.