It has begun. Christmas at the Longueira/Hurley house is in full swing. My husband has created a wonderland of Christmas lights outside (you do NOT want to know our lighting budget…). Inside, the tree is up, the regular dishes and some of our usual decorative items have been swapped out for Christmas ones, the stockings are hung, and the train is set up.
But most importantly, the advent calendars have begun and my daughter’s Elves on the Shelf have returned.
And my daughter can’t stop saying how much she loves Christmas.
She’s at an age that I wasn’t sure if the magic would hold up. But it is. It’s evolving, though. I can see that realism is starting to filter in. Part of her knows that the elves probably don’t have magic and the North Pole Communicator probably isn’t actually connecting her with Santa. She told a friend that her mom is probably the one who puts the gifts under the tree because Santa would be too busy to hit all those houses. I mean, Mom already does a ton of community service, so helping Santa isn’t a stretch.
She’s highly intelligent, my kid, so logic will out. But I’ve worked very hard to infuse a sense of magical spirit in everything we do this time of year. I hope it lasts for her. It certainly has for me.
Frankly, I find a world where Christmas magic exists a better world to live in.
Especially during times like these.
We all need as much holiday spirit as we can get.
To that end, Dean Wesley Smith curated a new holiday StoryBundle that just sparkles with holiday spirit.
It’s called the Holiday Collections Bundle, and here’s what Dean has to say about it:
Wow, is this bundle going to be fun. Fantastic writers and 72 different holiday short stories.
That’s right. 72. And you can get all of them for one low price that works out to about 20 cents per story. Wow!
And all are holiday stories. What a great way to help enjoy this wonderful season.
Every book in this bundle is a collection of holiday stories of different types and focus, as would be expected from such different and talented writers. And I tried to get a lot of different kinds, something for everyone.
You can read more about the 11 books in the bundle, which includes three WMG titles—Holiday Insanity by Dean, Silent Night by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Mysterious Christmas: A Holiday Anthology—here.
This one lasts till the end of the month, and as usual, you can get all 11 books (72 stories) for just $15. You can also add in a little holiday giving by donating to portion of the bundle proceeds to AbleGamers.
A fun way to give AND receive this holiday season? All from the comfort of your own home and no fear of shipping delays or supply chain issues? That’s some real holiday magic.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.