I Can't Believe It's Been 10 Years

 Ten years ago today my memoir, NORTH POLE HIGH: A REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS was published. The book tells the TRUE inside story of Santa's 16-year-old daughter (me!). And the most amazing thing is, I'm still sixteen years old!

Now, before you go assuming that not aging is simply a benefit of being a fictional character like Lisa Simpson, I can assure you, I'm real. I'm as real as my father, who has delivered over a jillion toys all over the world in the ten years since I wrote NORTH POLE HIGH: A Rebel Without a Claus.

The thing is, as I explained in my book, NORTH POLE HIGH: A REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS, which is still available at Popular Prices everywhere, all of us living here in the North Pole ages differently than those of you living outside the Circle. It has something to do with magnets and the rate of rotation of the earth up here at the top of the world and the route we take to school that takes us across the International Date Line every day. Plus most of our food is made with Magic. It's all very complicated and scientific. Einstein explained it all once to Chefy, but he didn't bother to write it down because he has flippers for hands.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read NORTH POLE HIGH: A REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS over the last ten years. And to those of you who planned to read it one day but haven't gotten around to it yet: It's been TEN YEARS! What are you waiting for? YOU'RE not getting any younger!

PS: Merry Christmas!

Classic TV Christmas: The Ruggles

The following is an essay I wrote for my Christmas History class at North Pole High. My teacher, Mr. Ghost of Christmas Past, gave me a shining star to hang on my Christmas tree for it.

The Ruggles is one of the first television sitcoms in the United States, making their 1949 “Christmas Eve” episode one of the first very special Christmas episodes of a regular TV series.

The family-themed show opens with my favorite part: the two youngest children, Donna and Donald, reading their father a letter they’ve written to my father asking for a “real train” for Christmas, and “a couple more boyfriends” for their older sister Sharon. They’ve been good more times than they’ve been bad, they say.

The letter closes with a “P.S.,” which they say stands for “Please, Santa.,” reminding Daddy to give any leftover toys to children who aren’t as lucky as the little Ruggles. (PS: Daddy always makes enough toys for everyone who’s been good.)

When the mother and older siblings, inspired by the kids’ postscript, decide to give to those less fortunate, the father, who complains every year about having to put up a Christmas tree, scolds them for their unwarranted generosity. Even though he’s the star of the show, he’s what my Christmas Lit teacher would call the "Scrooge" of the story. Every Christmas story has one.

After their Christmas-Eve-morning ritual of reading their Christmas cards out loud over breakfast, the family decides to help Elaine, a less fortunate friend of Sharon’s whose father recently died. But when they tell poor Elaine of their plan to help someone less fortunate, she assumes they came to her for suggestions. Her father must have had a swell life insurance policy, because she doesn’t consider herself less fortunate at all.

Elaine and the Ruggles then share a splendid Yuletide meal and sing Christmas carols together. It turns out Elaine may be even less unfortunate one day. She has a beautiful voice and Mr. Ruggles offers to help her get a record contract. The show ends with Elaine singing “Silent Night.”

You can find this charming Christmas episode on many Classic Christmas TV compilation DVDs, such as Holiday TV Classics and Rare Christmas TV Classics Volume 1.

#HoHoHo

Is It A Christmas Movie? "While Yule Were Sleeping"

The following is an essay I wrote for my Christmas Lit class at North Pole High in the North Pole. My teacher, Mrs. Polar Bear, gave me an A+.

From 1995, While You Were Sleeping stars Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a lonely woman who falls in love with a man in a coma. This charming romantic comedy is set in Chicago, a great place to spend Christmas because they have lots of snow and they make their cocoa with Frango mints!

Before Lucy meets Coma Boy, she's struggling to get the Christmas tree she just bought into her apartment. It's so big, she has to hoist it up through her window on a rope. But it's so heavy, she drops it and it breaks the window of the apartment below her. Won't Coma Boy be lucky to get a girl who puts that much effort into Christmas!

Lucy's other problem is that besides her hunk being in a coma, she's never actually met him. But while he's asleep, she does meet his family. And since it's Christmastime, she gets to experience the warmth and joy of spending the holidays with a loving family, something she's missed since her parents died.

So now, instead of just having a crush on a hot dude in a coma, she's in love with the idea of becoming a part of his family. All because of Christmas. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I think the message is that Christmas makes everything bright and wonderful. And for that, I hang five shining stars upon While You Were Sleeping!

Click here to watch While You Were Sleeping online.

Click here to buy While You Were Sleeping on DVD.

Click here to buy While You Were Sleeping on Blu-ray.

Christmas in July: Battle of the Christmas Musicals

I have some FANTASTIC news: North Pole High: The Musical was selected as a semi-finalist in the Battle of the Christmas Musicals at the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts in Brookfield, Connecticut!

I am so proud of the writers -- Rafi Nemes, Kristen Rea, and Danny Hercules -- for this early recognition they have received for their work-in-progress musical based on my memoir, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus. Congratulations! And keep up the great work!

Now for some more news that's also fantastic, but in a different way:

North Pole High didn't advance to the finalist round, but everyone here at the Top of the World is happy anyway because who knew there were so many new Christmas musicals being written? You can never have enough Christmas musicals!

Congratulations to the writers of The Christmas Bride, Christmas Letters, and Come Find Me.

I want to urge all my New England fans to head to Brookfield, Connecticut to celebrate Christmas in July! Yule get to see 45-minute excerpts from each of the three finalists and yule get to meet the writers. AND yule get to vote for your favorite. The winning show will get a full-length staged reading in December.

And it's FREE!

But the best reason to attend this event on Saturday, July 1, from 7:00 PM to 10:15 PM is because yule get to celebrate Christmas six months early!!!!!! Because when you think about it, December is just too far away to hold onto your Christmas cheer.

For tickets, go to brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680

Good luck to all three finalists, and have a Merry July!

Swans-a-Swimming! It's North Pole High: The Musical!

Ho, ho, ho! Wanna hear about something almost more exciting than Christmas? The Academy for New Musical Theatre has selected my memoir, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus, for development as a MUSICAL! A talented team of writers has been hand-picked by me to bring the festive joy to the stage.

Danny Hercules will write the book for the play, with music by Raphael Nemes and lyrics by Kristen Rea. A private reading of the first draft is being planned for November 2016 in Los Angeles.

Can't wait that long to hear some fun new Christmas songs? You don't have to. North Pole High has been invited to preview our opening number, "Yuletide Pride," at Got Musical 2016, an exciting showcase of songs from a wide range of musical works-in-progress.

This will be the very first public performance of any portion of North Pole High: The Musical ever! So hurry over to New Musicals Inc. to reserve tickets for the April 26 World Premiere in Anaheim, California, or the special May 15 Encore Performance in Burbank, California. Tickets for these shows will sell out fast!


MEET THE TEAM

Composer RAPHAEL NEMES plays trumpet and piano and is a Harvard-trained Russian bell ringer. He has previously collaborated with Hercules at ANMT on the fifteen-minute time-travel musical Have a Nice Trip.

Lyricist KRISTEN REA is an accomplished performer specializing in creating productions that bridge live music, theater, and dance. With extensive training on the French horn, she has performed with world-renowned artists such as Grammy winner Gordon Goodwin, Disney Legend Randy Newman, and as a soloist in the Tony-winning production of Blast!, as well as staged productions at the Disneyland Resort and Busch Gardens. An enthusiastic educator, Kristen also serves as a clinician and creative development contributor for Disney Performing Arts, and helped create CITYstage, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring inner-city youth to realize their full potential through the performing arts.

Bookwriter DANNY HERCULES is a professional screenwriter and music journalist who made his stage musical writing debut at ANMT with the book for the well-received time-travel comedy Have a Nice Trip, with music by Nemes, his NPH collaborator. Hercules also helps Santa’s little helpers in publishing North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus outside the Arctic Circle.

ANMT is the academic wing of New Musicals Inc., and has supported and trained musical theatre writers for four decades, beginning as a sister workshop to the BMI Lehman Engel workshop in New York. North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus, a memoir by Candace Jane Kringle, is available at Amazon.com and Google Play.

Yes, Virginia, Santa's Coming Back This Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Santa's annual Christmas deliveries have become an eagerly anticipated annual tradition around the world. But one little girl is worried that Santa won't come back this year due to a mishap during his visit last year.

When reached for comment at his home in the North Pole, Santa Claus said, "Ho, ho, ho. Of course I'm coming back this year!" A spokeself for Santa's Workshop announced earlier today that Santa has once again selected December 25th, exactly 11 months from today, as the date of his next visit. Experts recommend staying on Santa's Nice List until then, as Mr. Claus is expected to load lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.

William Hardy and Billy Moore wrote Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney in 1950. The song was originally recorded by jazz great Ella Fitzgerald. You can download her version for just 69 cents at Amazon.

Hang a Shining Star

You can hang on shining star on Christmas for this year, because it's ON! Santa has left the Circle.

While watching the elves load up the sleigh, I noticed that a lot of you asked my dad to bring you my critically acclaimed book, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus. I thank you for that, and I am super flattered.

No matter what Daddy gives you this year, may it bring you happiness and joy. I wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest new year ever.

Remember to be Nice and my dad will bring you more goodies next Christmas!

Can't wait for next Christmas? If you find a device under your tree that lets you read electronic books, or a gift card in your stocking to an online retailer of ebooks, you can visit the North Pole and jingle your bells any time of the year in the virtual pages of North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus.

Even Stoplights Blink a Bright Red and Green

Less than a month to go! Soon it will be Santa's big day! It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmastime in the city. When you finish your turkey tomorrow, you'll no longer have an excuse. Put up your tree, string up the lights, and SING!

I love this bouncy, snappy rendition of one of my favorite classic carols, Silver Bells, by Canadian singer Meaghan Smith, from her 2009 release, It Snowed. See how she makes the trees light up just by touching them? She might really be from the North Pole.

NEWS FLASH: Christmas in THREE MONTHS!

Lords-a-leaping! My Christmas Countdown app says we only have THREE MONTHS left to make Christmas happen!

Rest assured, Santa, Rudy, Mr. Polar Bear, Tinsel, Snowflake, Silentnight, and every tiny little elf and reindeer at the Pole are working round the tree to bring you the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

But we need YOUR help! We can't keep up this pace for three months without your Christmas Spirit. PLEASE make a video so we can all see how much you're looking forward to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

And if making thousands of elves happy and having a magical Christmas isn't enough incentive, how about this: We're giving away $300 in prizes to the makers of the bestest Christmas videos we see!

See the Official North Pole High Video Contest page for details!

Merry Septembermas

from everyone at

North Pole High!

#HoHoHo

100 Days

This is it. The most busiest time of the year has begun for us here in the North Pole. Everyone is smiling and singing Christmas carols. The elves have made over ten million toys so far. They'd better get it in gear, or my dad will have to outsource some of their work to the penguins in the South Pole again.

I'm so excited because school has started again. In addition to caroling, gift wrapping, tree decorating, and merriment classes, I've signed up for the Joy to the World Club. And of course we're having a blast playing reindeer games in Phys. Ed.

What's YOUR favorite part of Christmas? Think fast. You only have 100 days left to be JOLLY!

Remember: The next 100 days are all in the Top 100 days of the year, because they're all one day closer to CHRISTMAS!

Candycane Claus, xoxo
#PeaceOnEarth

Christmas in July Giveaway Blog Hop

Wow! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm soooo happy to see so much enthusiasm for CHRISTMAS in July!

So, my giveaway is for one of the few remaining ARCs for my critically acclaimed memoir, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus. It's about this new boy at school and how my dad, Santa Claus, didn't want me seeing him, and how Christmas almost didn't happen because of it!

Christina at Cover2Cover called it "Christmas cheer between its covers." Gina at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers says it's "as jingle bell rockin as you can get!"

Now, one lucky winner will soon be aching for Christmas to hurry fast. So, on with the giveaway...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
My thanks to I Am A Reader and Laurie Here for hosting this hop! Each blog listed below is hosting its own CHRISTMAS BOOK GIVEAWAY. Enter them ALL! You can never have too many Christmas books!


Good luck. And if you don't win anything, you can always get the electronic edition of North Pole High delivered to your Kindle with the wink of an eye and a twist of the head via the magic of Whispernet!

PS: For the duration of this Christmas in July blog hop, we've made the Kindle edition of North Pole High available at the super low price of $2.99 (£1.80)!

Merry HALF-Christmas!

We made it!

It's JUNE 25th.

We're HALFWAY to CHRISTMAS!!!

And have I got a present for YOU!

Have you ever wished there was a magazine that only published stories about CHRISTMAS?

Me, too!

Now there is!

Flip through the pages of KRINGLE, powered by Flipboard, and before you know it, you'll have spent half your half-Christmas Day enjoying the more than 100 carefully curated Christmas articles I've personally flipped into KRINGLE just for you! Go ahead, click on the cover and subscribe for free!

• See who's releasing a new Christmas album this year!
• Find out what new Christmas movies are in the works in Hollywood!
• Read about what YOUR Christmas tree says about YOU!
• Learn which store won this year's race to put out Christmas items earliest!
• Follow tasty recipes for delicious year-round Christmas treats!
• Browse photos of beautiful and unusual Christmas trees!
• Stay informed with all the latest developments in the War on Christmas!
• and MORE!

And, yep, there'll be a few articles about my Dad in there, too.

So check out KRINGLE today. It's free.

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think of it, okay?

MERRY HALF-CHRISTMAS!!!!

Seven More Months

I could scream, too. In just seven months, Christmas will be here!

You know who else is excited? Cosmos producer Seth MacFarlane has just recorded a Christmas album with Nora Jones and Sara Bareilles. Let's hope the Family Guy creator doesn't do to Christmas what he did to the Oscars.

I've got tons of jingle bells to polish and tune between now and December, but before I leave, I'm happy to announce that my critically-acclaimed memoir, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus, is now available for the first time on the Nook! If that's the format you've been waiting for, head on over to Barnes & Noble now. If you wait until Christmastime, there may be a line!

The Meaning of Christmas Trees (excerpt)

“Rudy, a Christmas tree by itself is just a tree.”

I set down my colored pencils and imagined the biggest, brightest tree imaginable.

“Each soul who hangs a bauble from its bough, or threads a string of lights through its needles, or tops it with a shining star, is teaching it to sing its own unique song of joy. A Christmas tree, when it’s finished and all lit up, with lots of presents cuddled underneath, reflects the magic inside each person who trimmed it.”

I waited for a scoff while his unblinking gaze confronted me, urging me to go on, to enlighten him.

“The tree that you and I create together will expose our very hearts to the world. No one else will ever be able to duplicate that.” I leaned forward, tempted to reach for his hand. “Close your eyes, Rudy. Picture it.”

He folded his arms and did as I said.

“You have to really think. See it in your mind’s eye.” I waited again, giving him space for his tree to flourish. “Now tell me, what’s in your heart. What does Christmas mean to you?”

He was quiet. I held my breath, ready for something special, something magical, to bubble out of him. Goosebumps sprouted up and down my arms.

Then he spoke. “I see our grades. They’re threatening to jump off a tall building if they depend on me buying into all this ’Tis-the-season jazz.” He opened his eyes and grinned.

I knew he’d never take this seriously.

“You’re a poo-head! I’m not talking to you anymore.” I swiveled my chair, only pretending to be angry, when my eyes landed on the picture on his dresser. I went over and picked it up for a closer look. I half-waited for him to stop me, but he didn’t. The woman’s eyes were so much like Rudy’s, I had to ask, “Is this your mother?”

“Uh huh,” he answered quietly.

“She’s very pretty.”

“She was.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Cancer. When I was ten.”

Hearing Rudy’s mother was in heaven made me appreciate never having to worry about that, since my parents would live forever. But the sadness overwhelmed me. “What kind of Christmas tree would she want to see?”

“She’s in the ground.” His words took on a terseness that made me shudder. “She’s not watching us from anywhere and there are no such things as Christmas miracles.”

I’d obviously opened a door I shouldn’t have. Not knowing how to go back and close it, I quietly stood his mother’s picture back up on his dresser. “Maybe we should take that milk-and-cookies break now,” I said.

“I was kidding about the milk and cookies.” He got up and tucked his mother’s picture into a drawer. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

“If you say so.” I went back to the desk and carefully slipped my drawings into their portfolio. “Rudy?”

“What?”

“I don’t care what you think of me, or my friends, or my family, or my town. But what exactly do you have against Christmas?”

“It’s getting late. Why don’t we save this for later.”

My heart beat faster. I should have gotten out of there. I should have run. But I couldn’t let it go. “I think you’re here—you and your father—for a reason. One that you’re not even aware of.”

“Go home, Candy.”

I almost melted when I heard him say my name, so softly, so at odds with the way he said almost everything else. “At least tell me you’re not one of those people who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus.”

“I had dinner with him. Remember?”

We both smiled. He wasn’t a heretic.

Relieved, I started packing the rest of my stuff into my backpack.

“I just happen to think your father’s ideas are ridiculous,” he added.

Our game went into pause mode.

“What ideas? Spreading joy to the world?”

“What do you know about the world?” he snapped. “You live up here in a fantasy land, and once a year, your old man flies around the globe handing out toys—‘One for you, and one for you, and one for you.’—as if an electric train set could make up for all the wars and death and misery people suffer in the real world.” He hovered over me, his words so forceful. His hot breath hit me like a right hook with every disgruntled thought he threw at me. “I have news for you, princess. The world doesn’t work that way.”

He made me scared and confused and curious all at once. “What do electric trains have to do with suffering and death?”

He didn’t answer. Whatever he’d been ranting about, clearly he hadn’t meant to direct his anger at me. For in another five seconds, he was almost certain to make a pass.

If you want to find out what happened next, you'll have to read my book, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus.

Merry Christmas!

Related content: See the tree Jenna Edwards made for me, inspired by this chapter!

#SantaChat Jingles Earlier

No city does Christmas like London!

So we've decided to move up the starting time of our weekly #SantaChat Twitter Christmas parties by two hours so that more of our fans in the UK can participate.

Starting Wednesday, November 27, #SantaChat begins at 11:00 PM in London. (That's 6pm in New York, 5pm in Naperville, and 3pm in Hollywood!)

Hope to see you there!

How Mrs. Claus Met Santa (excerpt)

Merry 25th of November! 

Christmas is exactly ONE MONTH AWAY!!!

Celebrate this milestone with an excerpt from my mother's short story, How I Met Your Father, when my dad, then known as Kris Kringle, gave Mom and her friends a ride home from a party.

His carriage was drawn not by horse, but by two strong caribou. Kris handled the reins with skill and gentleness, as if politely asking the animals for a favor, and the bucks merrily complied.

I was the last to be dropped off. Still struggling to overcome my fear of speaking to this alluring man, I directed him to my home in mumbles.

“Why don’t you sit up here, with me, m’lady, so that I may better hear your instructions?”

“I do not believe that would be proper, Mr. Kringle,” my mouth said, as my mind continued to mull over the prospect.

“Very well, then.”

He steered the reindeer up the hilly road. The moon shone brightly as we continued on in silence. A stiff wind blew through my auburn hair and, as if struck by a sharpened moonbeam, I suddenly found myself hopping into the front seat like some uncontrollable monkey.

“Well,” said Kris, with a chuckle.

I looked into his eyes, assaulted by his very beauty, and managed to choke out, “I have changed my mind, Mr. Kringle. I am told it is my privilege as a lady. Drive.”

He flicked his wrist ever so slightly, clucking his tongue twice, and the deer sped off. The carriage wheels seemed to seek out immense bumps that jostled me on the seat until the distance between me and Kris could be measured by a caterpillar. My shriek turned into a laugh and I made no attempt to remove myself from his warm side until we neared my home.

When we stopped, the dead silence of the still night air enveloped us in awkwardness. He flashed a smile upon me and I felt as though I had witnessed a shooting star dance across the sky. “I would very much like to sculpt you, as I did your friend, Carol.”

My heart skipped a beat, then raced to catch up. “Why do I not see you in school? You are but a year older than I. Do you already know everything at seventeen?”

“Ho, ho, ho! Hardly, my dear. Alas, my family cannot afford to send me to high school, on account of the crippling taxes collected by the rascal Arthur Goody. So I am homeschooled.”

My mouth went dry. My father? A rascal? Depriving this kind and generous man—who happened to possess a form not unlike your average Norse god—of a basic education? Forsakes, what if Kris were to be made aware the rascal was of my blood? Should I tell him now and spoil the moment for whatever it was or might be in the future?

Before I could utter a word, Kris handed me a bundle of some sort. “Please, take this,” he said, his voice warm like a pleasant cup of tea.

I unwrapped the paper to reveal a nutcracker unlike any I had ever seen. Instead of the usual king or palace guard, I held in my hands a beautiful fairy angel. She wore a white, silken dress, and even without paint, her wooden face had the appearance of fine porcelain. “She’s gorgeous,” I sputtered. “I don’t understand.”

“My address is on the card.” He smiled at me again, and I felt a strange warmth cover me everywhere. “Call upon me, if you wish.”

I removed the tag from the fairy’s wand, stuffing it into my pocket without so much as a glance. Then I ran inside, a bundle of nerves, forgetting to thank him for the ride, the wrappings drifting to the curb in my wake, the magical nutcracker clutched tightly to my bosom.

Breathing normally again from the safety of the other side of my front door, I found my father waiting up for me. Not angrily, for I had not stayed out past the agreed upon curfew, but for the sake of simple fatherly concern over the safety of his young daughter. He put down the book he’d been reading, came over to hug me, asked if I’d had a good time at the party, then quizzed me on my peculiar new toy.

“Where in heavens did you obtain this thing?” he asked.

“At the party. From a friend of Carol’s.”

Poppa moved the lever up and down, carefully examining the mouth as it opened wide, then shut tight. “That Kringle fellow?”

“Yes, Poppa.”

“He’s an odd one. Drives around with reindeer pulling his carriage.”

“I don’t think his family can afford a horse,” I said, before remembering who Kris had blamed for that.

“And just how much did Mr. Kringle charge you for this handiwork?”

“’Twas a gift, Poppa.”

“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin and stared harder at the nutcracker.

“Is something wrong, Poppa?”

“Funny how a boy of such destitution can afford to buy gifts for young ladies he hardly knows.” He carried the angel across the room.

“Oh, but Poppa, you are mistaken. Kris made this doll of his own hand.” I pictured Kris’s nimble fingers shaving small curls of wood off the inanimate object, bringing it magically to life.

“That makes him all the more odd then, in my book. Why give things away when one can easily command a decent price for his wares? For then his father would no longer be delinquent in his payments to the state. His Majesty, my boss, would say the Kringles deliberately avoid an income to shirk their duty to the crown. I am afraid that assessment may not lie far from the mark.”

I flashed back to the day I'd seen Kris at the toy shoppe. Poppa’s queries began to make some sense. Why did Kris hand his toys to those children when he could just as easily have sold them to the shopkeeper for a nominal fee, who could in turn have sold them to the boys and girls for a small profit?

“At any rate, we don’t accept gifts from strangers now, do we?”

I became so lost in the memory of a kind of glow that I’d noticed surrounding Kris as each child’s face lit up, that I scarcely noticed Poppa toss my present onto the fire. I could almost hear the lifelike figure cry out in agony as he pushed her deep into the flame with a poker. I nearly burst into tears myself, but somehow stopped when my tips of my fingers found the card with Kris’s address nestled at the bottom of my pocket.

“Yes, sir,” I said. “I’m sorry, Poppa. It was wrong of me to accept the gift.”

“There, there.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “No harm done. Just remember to keep your distance from the lad.”

Well, I bet they hooked up eventually, or I would never have been born! To find out what happened next, read the complete short story and more in North Pole High: Beginnings.

You can still get the ebook for free through the end of November using the coupon code posted earlier this month, or for just 99 cents at Amazon and now at Barnes & Noble too!

It's a Very Twitter Christmas Party

* REVISED * REVISED * REVISED * REVISED *

YOU ARE INVITED!

I'm as merry as a candy cane because I'll be hosting A Very Twitter Christmas party (#SantaChat) every week from now till Christmas Day!

* NEW TIMES *

(beginning November 27)

2:00 PM Wednesday in Alaska, where all the coolest snowmen live.

3:00 PM Wednesday in Hollywood, where they make all those funny movies about Santa Claus.

6:00 PM Wednesday in the Big Apple, where they have that super tall Christmas tree.

11:00 PM Wednesday in London, where Charlie Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol.

10:00 AM Thursday in Sydney, where it's always sunny at Christmastime.

And simultaneously everywhere in the world where people wait for Santa Claus to come to town!

(click the Santa bird for details)

See you there. I'll be standing under the mistletoe!

Sparkly Christmas Balls (Excerpt)

(get wallpaper)

The eight-and-a-half-foot-tall shaggy white bear had to stoop to attach our homework to the naked, cardboard-cutout Christmas tree that stood on a tiny easel next to his desk. Some of my classmates turned red with embarrassment as they watched their ornament join the collection, perhaps feeling their work wasn’t as good as the others. But one by one, our sparkly treasures beautified that silly facsimile until it suddenly shone as Christmassy as a real tree!

Mr. Polar Bear stepped aside and smiled with pride at his new charges as we applauded ourselves. But, as only two of us knew, one ornament was still missing.

“Class, this year there is one team I am giving an A-super-plus,” Mr. PB said.

Johnny Toboggan, Silentnight, and Sugarcookie scanned their twenty classmates, trying to figure out whose ornament had yet to be presented. By then, the rest of the class had already guessed and turned directly toward me and my gloating boyfriend, Tinsel. I sent them back a grin that I hoped conveyed modest surprise and appreciation even though I had become accustomed to standing out in class ever since kindergarten, when I could recite the names of all eight of Daddy’s reindeer backward and forward.

Tinsel, on the other hand, slapped high-fives with Elation and Cookiejar even before Mr. Polar Bear unveiled our shimmering dazzler.

I had come up with the idea to take two candy canes, natch, and join them into the shape of a heart. Then Tinsel and I added a few creative ingredients to make our shiny heart beat like a living, breathing instrument of love.

“This is the most magnificent Christmas tree ornament I have ever seen. Candycane, Tinsel, would you like to share your thoughts about your… I’m sorry, I can’t seem to think of another word for it… magnificent work with the rest of the class?”

I’d never seen a polar bear cry before that moment. I bet no one ever had. Polar bears don’t cry. But this one did. Just one little watery drop that formed in his dark brown eye. He wiped it away with the side of his paw before it could fall.

I’m not trying to brag when I say I’ve always had an easy time in school. But this whole eleventh-grade thing was beginning to look a lot like cake.

“We weren’t even thinking about a grade, Mr. Polar Bear,” I said. “Tinsel and I just thought about our love of Christmas. And then we wished upon a star. That was the most important part. And the heart just kind of shaped itself!”

The class let out a collective “Awwwww,” and I blushed while Tinsel took a few exaggerated bows. But the praise from our peers screeched to a halt as a boy who could not have been more the opposite of my talented boyfriend appeared in the doorway of our happy little classroom.

And that, my friends, was the moment Rudy Tutti first walked into my life. I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from my critically-acclaimed book, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus.

Here's a fun video I found showing you how to make your own sparkly pink Christmas ornament, just like the ones we make in Mr. Polar Bear's class at North Pole High!

Ho-ho-ho!

Merry Month-Before-Christmas!

Halloween is OVER.

It's finally NOVEMBER!


Swans-a-swimming, that means...

CHRISTMAS IS NEXT MONTH!!!

To get your Christmas Spirit going, I'm giving you an

early Christmas Present!

North Pole High: Beginnings is a collection of short stories that explore the wondrous origins of some of the most beloved characters from my critically-acclaimed book, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus.

And this month only, you can get fun, Christmassy prequel absolutely FREE.

Click on the book cover above and use the COUPON CODE: WZ95X

But pleeeeeeeeze don't TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW or the Kindle elves won't be able to keep up with the demand.

BONUS: If you have Amazon Prime, you can borrow North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus for free too!

Have a Merry November from everyone at North Pole High!

Ho, ho, ho!

Christmas Quote of the Day

Not to get too political, but it was beginning to look a lot like this grinch was trying to steal Christmas!

Perhaps his heart grew three sizes today. Or maybe just a half size. At any rate, he showed he has some Christmas Spirit. :)

In other Christmas news, Neiman Marcus has unveiled their 2013 Christmas catalog. It contains beautiful gifts for over one million dollars, like a $1.5 million waterproof, outdoor home theatre system, perfect for watching Christmas movies in the SNOW! (Christmas movies and snow not included.)

Looks like the super wealthy have found a way around Daddy's prerequisite to be Nice all year.

The rest of us know that Santa's on his way. He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. But if you don't want to wait, the publishing industry has launched the Christmas season today with Super Thursday, releasing a bunch of cool books.

No actual Christmas books per se on that list. But here's a jolly one that's sure get your Christmas in gear...

Have a merry weekend! :D
xoxo