These ten short chapters are packed with ways to bless family and friends during the holidays.

Beloved author-illustrator Patricia Polacco’s holiday story is a wonderful ode to the magic of family, Christmas, and giving the right kind of gifts—gifts filled with love. Richie and Trisha want to buy Christmas gifts for their family, but they don't have enough money. Enter Kay Lamity, a new housekeeper . . . but is that all she is? She comes into their lives like a whirlwind, brimming with positive energy and a can-do attitude. Kay not only straightens them out when it comes to whether or not Santa Claus is real, she teaches them something about gifts: the just-good-enough kind that come from the pocketbook and the unforgettable kind that come from the heart. Because of Kay, Trisha and Richie—and the family—have a Christmas morning they will never forget. Celebrating the joy of homemade gifts, Patricia Polacco introduces readers to a new character who is truly a force of nature in this story reminiscent of Christmas Tapestry and An Orange for Frankie. This is a magical Christmas story the author swears is true, right down to the sleigh tracks on the farmhouse roof!

Simple ways to make your family's Christmas more meaningful.

Stocking Stuffers- Magical Christmas Gifts from the Heart is a collection of five stories created just for the holidays. The author T.J. Hannon says, "I wrote these stories to bring holiday cheer to adults and kids. It's been a tough couple of years, and we all need a way to warm our hearts." Hannon styled the size of the paperback to fit into any Christmas stocking. "I'm hoping family members will gather in front of the tree and read these timeless and magical Christmas tales. Maybe make it a new family tradition." All relating to the holidays, please read the humorous, The Amber Light of Christmas. Young at Heart and Sarah Saves Christmas are nostalgic tales full of faith and hope. Not to mention the human kindness displayed in Little Girl Lost and Secret Santa. Hannon adds, "Laughter, faith, hope, and kindness are what the world needs more of these days."

Mothering is messy. Our joy and hope in raising children doesn’t change the reality that being a mom can be frustrating, stressful, and tiring. But just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us. In The Better Mom, author Ruth Schwenk, herself a mother of four children, encourages us with the good news that there is more to being a mom than the extremes of striving for perfection or simply embracing the mess. We don’t need to settle for surviving our kids’ childhood. We can grow through it. With refreshing and heartfelt honesty Ruth emboldens moms to: Find freedom and walk confidently in purpose Create a God-honoring home environment Overcome unhealthy and destructive emotions such as anger, anxiety, and more Avoid glorifying the mess of mom-ing or idolizing perfection Cultivate life-giving friendships At the heart of The Better Mom is the message that Jesus calls us to live not a weary life, but a worthy life. We don’t have to settle for either being apathetic or struggling to be perfect. Both visions of motherhood go too far. Ruth offers a better option. She says, “It’s okay to come as we are, but what we’re called to do and be is far too important to stay there! The way to becoming a better mom starts not with what we are doing, but with who God is inviting us to become."

Beloved pastor Dr. Charles Stanley takes us back to our truest and best reason for celebration—the birth of Christ. By revisiting the people and events of that first Christmas, Dr. Stanley reveals the unique lessons that long-ago starry night offers to each of us today. Such timeless truths as . . . true peace and joy are found only in Christ, not in the things of this world; Christmas itself is undeniable evidence that God always keeps His promises; the Lord God not only lives and reigns, but He is intimately involved in every circumstance of our lives; and the perfect gift for us to give Jesus is the gift of our own heart. Christmas is a gift to everyone on earth. That gift has different meaning to God—Christ’s birth was His perfect plan that unfolded in His perfect time. This message is followed by a celebration of who Jesus is—God came down, reigning King, suffering Servant, Savior of the world—and the lessons learned through His birth from the perspectives of: Mary, the virgin mother Joseph, faithful and obedient servant of God the innkeeper who had no vacancy the townspeople who were indifferent to what was happening around them the wise men who, by faith, followed the star and brought gifts of genuine worship and adoration and Isaiah, looking for the wonderful counselor Christmas: A Gift for Every Heart is a highly designed Christmas gift book with beautiful callouts, Dr. Stanley’s own personal thoughts and memories, Scripture, and four-color photography. This will be a treasured gift for Advent and Christmas that will be read again and again.

Every day can be Christmas. After the unexpected death of her husband, Joanne Huist Smith had no idea how she would keep herself together and be strong for her three children - especially with the holidays approaching. The cheerfulness of the season made her feel more alone than ever, no matter how much she wanted to reach out to her children and find some way to comfort them. But thirteen days before Christmas, a poinsettia appeared on the Smiths' doorstep. The next day, another gift arrived … then another, and another. Each present was accompanied by a note with lyrics to the carol ''The Twelve Days of Christmas'' rewritten to fit the gift and and signed, ''Your true friends.'' Although Jo resisted the intrusion at first, the gifts began to work a kind of magic on her and the kids. As they puzzled over the mystery together - who were the true friends? when would the next delivery arrive? could anyone catch the gift givers in the act? - their grieving hearts began to heal. The 13th Gift is a true story about the everyday miracles that can occur during the holiday season. It is a heartwarming reminder that with love, community, and family, even the most broken of hearts can be mended.

Confident Parents, Confident Kids lays out an approach for helping parents—and the kids they love—hone their emotional intelligence so that they can make wise choices, connect and communicate well with others (even when patience is thin), and become socially conscious and confident human beings. How do we raise a happy, confident kid? And how can we be confident that our parenting is preparing our child for success? Our confidence develops from understanding and having a mastery over our emotions (aka emotional intelligence)—and helping our children do the same. Like learning to play a musical instrument, we can fine-tune our ability to skillfully react to those crazy, wonderful, big feelings that naturally arise from our child’s constant growth and changes, moving from chaos to harmony. We want our children to trust that they can conquer any challenge with hard work and persistence; that they can love boundlessly; that they will find their unique sense of purpose; and they will act wisely in a complex world. This book shows you how. With author and educator Jennifer Miller as your supportive guide, you'll learn: the lies we’ve been told about emotions, how they shape our choices, and how we can reshape our parenting decisions in better alignment with our deepest values. how to identify the temperaments your child was born with so you can support those tendencies rather than fight them. how to align your biggest hopes and dreams for your kids with specific skills that can be practiced, along with new research to support those powerful connections. about each age and stage your child goes through and the range of learning opportunities available. how to identify and manage those big emotions (that only the parenting process can bring out in us!) and how to model emotional intelligence for your children. how to deal with the emotions and influences of your choir—the many outside individuals and communities who directly impact your child’s life, including school, the digital world, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Raising confident, centered, happy kids—while feeling the same way about yourself—is possible with Confident Parents, Confident Kids.

This book is a lifelong collection of some of my personal favorite poetry. It details my faith in God and love for family, friends, and country.

'It's not the things that can be bought that are life's richest treasure It's just the little "heart gifts" that money cannot measure' Helen Steiner Rice pays tribute to the ordinary -- to day-to-day joys and disappointments, to a baby's first steps, a grandchild's crayon picture, or the death of a beloved friend.