Joy of the Season Blog Hop is in full swing with rafflecopter giveaway (below), games, prizes and holiday tales. Please stop by, leave a comment then pop on over to the next participating blog (pssst.. just click on the link at the bottom of the page). As your remember, before the trip to the North Pole, my faith in people was restored by an entertaining sales clerk encounter. We went home and put up the LED lights around the outside tree and planter, hung lights in the windows, and set timers. Who wants to run all over the house and yard turning on lights each night? Not me! Afterwards, we loaded the CD player with favorite Christmas carols by several well-known artists and decorated the tree. More holiday joy surfaced. As darkness fell, we sprinted outside to see our bright holiday lights shining in the otherwise dark neighborhood. Holiday cheer ratcheted up another notch or two. Whistling Christmas carols, we scooted inside, flipped on the TV and turned to the channel that shows heartwarming holiday tales from Thanksgiving through Christmas. A mug of hot cocoa in hand, we cozy up on the sofa as the fire in the hearth crackles. The holiday cheer meter soared. I am looking forward to gathering and reading new holiday tales from favorite and new authors to add to the Christmas Spirit. I believe I will dive into the holiday cookie baking with sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, and gingerbread cookies from recipes I found on Continue Reading →