A Surprise Package

I went out to get our mail yesterday afternoon, irritated because it usually comes around 4, and the mail truck didn't pull up to our curb until after 5:30. Mail in hand, I picked up the evening newspaper from the drive and headed back to the house. I noticed a box sitting right next to the front door and wondered how I'd missed seeing it as I'd gone by. Obviously, I was a woman on a mission--the mail!

Simon and Schuster had been stamped on the side of the box, and I knew immediately what it contained. My ten copies of the brand new Chicken Soup for the Soul:  Christmas Magic book. The book of 101 Christmas stories is to be officially released next week on October 12th.

I hurried inside, dropped mail and paper and went back to retrieve the package. I opened it and smiled. The books were all snuggled together under some wrapping paper filler. I was delighted with the cover. It's eye-catching and appeals to our hearts that hold a special corner all for Christmas.

I leafed through the book and saw titles that sounded great, and then I flipped the pages of the book itself. Each section has a lovely piece of artowork to separate it from the preceding section. There are even small sketch-type illustrations with some of the stories. There's no doubt that Chicken Soup publishers have not used the same old, same old with every book. They keep adding small improvements as they go along which can only be appealing to the readers. 

Next, I searched for my story, "My Special Christmas Doll" and found it on page 40. It's a story about a doll Santa brought me the Christmas I was six. I saved it and passed it on to my daughter, and now she has done the same. My granddaughter, Jordan, has Katherine in her room. The doll is a bit worse for wear, but to me, she's every bit as beautiful as the day I received her. In a publisher's note near the back of the book, it was stated that there were 6,000 submissions for this book. 101 were selected, which made me feel mighty good.

Look for the new Christmas book beginning next week.