The Secret's Out

Christmas secrets can be lots of fun. Some are hard to keep. Some are fun to share.
As parents, we had Christmas secrets, but it seems our children had secrets of their own.

When our children were young, they had late night Christmas Eve Parties downstairs. We stocked the party room with videos and goodies. We watched a movie or two with them and then went upstairs to wait for Santa.

When we left the party we wrapped the connecting doorway with noisy wrapping paper, so that no one could sneak upstairs to spy on Santa, unnanounced. The doorway would be unwrapped at 6:00 a.m. and the Christmas Mayhem would commence. After all, we needed our rest.

It seemed foolproof enough.

When the children were grown, they told us one unsuspecting afternoon how they cracked our security system, year after year.

One brave child would leave the cozy nest and climb the roof of our house, gaining access to the overhang that bordered our front windows. He would enter through the windows, take inventory, and return with a full report of the goods.

Particularly noteworthy was the year that Santa brought new roller skates for everyone. The courageous one returned to the mostly unfinished basement with the skates in hand, where everyone happily skated most of the night.

The skates were returned to their proper places in plenty of time so that neither Santa or his helpers ever suspected. Because of our strick ban on starting Christmas Morning before 6:00 a.m., they had only to watch the time.

The little darlings managed to look appropriately surprised and delighted on Christmas Morning. If Hollywood had known of their great acting ability, they would probably be big stars today.

The secret's out.

Do you have a Christmas secret you would like to share? It could be fun.

Linda Garner

Merry Christmas!

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month." ~Harlan Miller


 I wanted to first thank you all for just being awesome and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season!!! This dance is for you!





Merry Christmas Everyone!

December Morning

December morning robed in white.
Snowflakes gathered through the night,
Gentle reminders of the love
that gathers daily from above.

My heart has saved a sacred place
To think of His redeeming grace,
And on this morning crisp and clear
I seem to feel his presence near.

I’m grateful for the wondrous Man
Who magnified our Father’s plan.
I celebrate His life, His birth,
His perfect love which gives me worth.

On every morn throughout the year
I hope to feel His presence near.
And may I someday grow to be
The woman that He sees in me.


Linda Garner

My Christmas Gift to You

Its true. I have a gift for you. Before I tell you about it, though, I have a favor to ask. Friend-husband and I are shopping for Storybook Night. If you recall, this is the night when we give our grandchildren their Christmas gifts. Each grandchild receives a book, especially chosen for them. They open their gifts one at a time so that everyone can admire each book. The rest of the evening is a filled with the reading and sharing of books. The favor? What is your favorite children’s book? That’s all. Just give me a suggestion or two. We need picture books, chapter books, and maybe even a little YA fiction.

Now, the gift. What do you do on Christmas Eve? In our family we stay up late playing games and watching movies, but first we gather for a Christmas Sing In. It’s an informal way to bring a special spirit to our Holiday celebration and reminds us of the reason for the season.

What’s a sing-in, you ask. Well, (thinking)…I guess it’s sort of an informal program. No preparation, no costumes, no fuss. One person reads, everyone sings. Choose your favorite carols, select a good reader, find a comfy chair, and the fun begins.

In our family, we use a script for our sing-in, which I wrote some years ago. I wrote it originally as narration for a musical Christmas fireside. It was well received and a few people requested copies. We liked it so much, that we adopted it as narration for our yearly sing-in. I think you’ll like it too.

I would like to thank you for your friendship and support. Thank you for your comments to the blog and your emails. I love hearing from you. Thank you for helping me celebrate the release of Some Secrets Hurt. Thank you for making a difference.

The script is too long for this post, but if you would like a copy of my sing-in script, just email me, garners@xmission.com and I will send the script as an attachment. Feel free to adapt it to suit your needs. I will send it in time for Christmas Eve.

That’s my Christmas Gift to You.

Merry Christmas.

Linda Garner

Cover to Cover

Cover to Cover, that’s the name of a book club I belong to. We meet once each month over lunch and talk about books. Of course we are great friends and we talk about lots of other stuff beside books, but sharing books gives us a wonderful excuse to get together. Reading with my friends has broadened the scope of my reading.

We don’t all have the same interests, but we include a little something for everyone. We like variety. Each year we like to include a classic, a children’s book, something current, an old favorite…you get the idea. We decide together what books we will read and set up a schedule, a different book each month. We meet in a friend’s home. The lunch is potluck and the conversation flows freely.

In December, when everyone is extra busy, instead of having a book to read, we each bring a Christmas Story to share. Anything goes. It can be a novel, a picture book, a short story. This is a fun tradition. It warms our hearts without overwhelming us.

I’ve been wondering which story I would like to share when we meet later this week. There are a lot to choose from. I am reading The Sprit of Christmas, a brand new book by Jennie Hansen, Betsy Brannon Green, and Michele Ashman Bell. It has 3 short stories, one by each author. I happened to have a delightful visit with Michele at a book signing on Saturday in Seagull Book. After visiting with Michele, I bought this charming book as an early Christmas gift for myself. Perhaps I will share one of these new stories, or Michele’s picture book, A Candle in the Window. This story is a tender one, based on an experience from her Grandmother’s life. You’ll love the story and the pictures are gorgeous.

Do something nice for yourself today. Buy yourself an early Christmas gift, and read it…Cover to Cover.

Linda Garner

The Spirit of Christmas

If you have been watching marathons of Christmas movies, eating stacks of holiday cookies, and caroling like there is no tomorrow…Well, good for you! You have welcomed in the Christmas spirit.

I, unfortunately, have not found it yet. I have had my fill of transmission problems, hospital visits, dentist appointments, broken furnaces and dishwashers, oh the list still goes on. Where did the spirit go?

Well never fear, there is hope! Being inspired by the last post by Linda Garner, I cracked open my Internet (like it was an old book), and looked up Christmas stories. Look what I found!

A Wish to be a Christmas Tree, by Colleen Monroe

Christmas Jars, by Jason F. Wright

The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck (love him!)

The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss (Let’s face it, I read this all year.)

The Night Before Christmas, by Clement C. Moore (Classic!)

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

The Christmas Story, by Watson & Wilkin

Anything by Richard Paul Evans

A Christmas Thief, by Carol Lynn Pearson

The Joy of Believing, by Ardeth G. Kapp

The Christmas Story in Luke

Christmas is a time for sharing, caring, and remembering the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior.

Sometimes it is true, I need a little push into the season. What better way then to slow down, grab a good book and read. Savor the moments with a cup of hot cocoa (or a pint of peppermint ice cream).

By next week, I hope you will see me with my red bag over my shoulder passing out oranges to all my wee neighbors (Have you read Christmas Oranges, by Bethers & Sowards – grab your tissues people, tear jerker). Besides, it’s been so long since I’ve actually read A Christmas Carol, by Dickens. Ghosts and Christmas, what more can a girl ask for?

The Gift of Reading

A few years ago when we became greatly outnumbered by our grandchildren, we started to wonder how we could afford to give something special to each of those kids at Christmas. We have 19 grandchildren with one on the way, and we have 2 kids that haven’t even started having children yet.

Giving books was a great answer for us. There are wonderful books for every age and interest and the price tag is quite affordable. We have such fun choosing books for the children and we can start the process early in the year and have things ready early. We love fostering an interest in reading. The gift of reading will last a lifetime.

To make this even more fun, we delay the opening of the books until after Christmas. We have a special gathering a few days after Christmas. We share some fun food, and then pass out the presents, one at a time, youngest to oldest. Everyone watches with anticipation as each child unwraps their book. We all ooh and ah. Then follows a magic night of reading. Kids read to grandparents. Parents read to children. Children read to each other. Everyone shares in the magic. Instead of getting lost among the piles of presents on Christmas morning, the books are the center of attention, and so are the people we love most.

Share some magic with those you love this Christmas. Give the gift of books. Give the gift of reading. Give the gift of time. It’s magic.