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Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, chances are I've already got the lights and tree out at my house—and if they're not up, they will be soon. I have a hard time waiting until after Thanksgiving before I start Christmas preparations. I'm worse than a little kid! That's what makes writing these Christmas books so much fun for me. Every minute I spend in my characters' Christmas world gives me another dose of the holiday, complete with the decorations, the food and the warm memories.

Someone asked me once in an interview to name my favorite element of Christmas. For me, it's the music of the holiday. I start playing those songs as soon as they come on the radio, and don't turn them off until the day after Christmas. Every time I listen to a song like "Frosty the Snowman" I remember watching the Claymation movie with my kids (truth be told, they still haven't outgrown that movie classic). Singing along with "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" or "Silent Night" reminds me what the holiday is truly about and keeps me grounded in all the shopping madness.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and a memorable Christmas this year. Please visit my Web site at www.shirleyjump.com, my blog at www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com or write to me at P.O. Box 5126, Fort Wayne, IN 46895. Merry Christmas—and may your stocking be filled with lots of books!

Best wishes,

Shirley