Henry Boye is a professional writer/author/cartoonist whose work has appeared in many leading newspapers and magazines. He resides with his wife, Anita, in an adult community in Englishtown, New Jersey.
Ann K. Brandt writes magazine articles and essays. Her first book, Learning to Walk Again, tells of her experience with Guillain-Barré. She is working on Facing Brain Cancer with Hope, a book for anyone affected by cancer. Please e-mail her at [email protected].
Isabel Bearman Bucher, a retired teacher, has been writing, with no training, since 1984. She was raising teenagers, and saying it on paper with words seemed better than committing murder. She’s published dozens of articles in many genres and has completed two books: Nonno’s Monkey: An Italian American Memoir, and Tweet Irene, the story of a little house sparrow that lived with her family loosely for three years. She was a miracle. She and her husband, Robert, continue their honeymoon with life, changing homes throughout the world, walking mountains, finding adventures.
Pam Bumpus and husband, Alan, live near Charleston, Illinois. They have two wonderful daughters, a beautiful granddaughter and a brand new grandson. Pam writes as a hobby and enjoys sharing her stories. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Steve Burt’s inspirational bestsellers include A Christmas Dozen and Unk’s Fiddle. The Ray Bradbury winner Odd Lot won a Benjamin Franklin Award; Even Odder was runner-up to Harry Potter for the 2003 Bram Stoker Award (horror’s top prize); Oddest Yet was a 2004 Stoker Finalist; Wicked Odd is his newest book. www.burtcreations.com.
Tamara J. Chilla was raised and educated in Oregon. She has traveled throughout the country working in sales and training for educational publishers. She has always been a stroyteller and currently is working on a series of children’s books. Please e-mail her at [email protected].
Robin Clephane Steward is a stay-at-home mother of three. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Brian, two sons, a daughter and a lovable mutt named Boots. She enjoys Anne Perry novels, John Wayne movies and performing taxi service between her home and her local middle and high schools.
James Daigh has a bachelor’s in creative writing/poetry. His careers have been in documentary and feature film production and publishing. His loves are: 1. his fantastic wife and inspiration, Marla; 2. poetry; 3. drawing and painting; 4. fine-art photography and this big, wide, beautiful world.
Mary Kerr Danielson began her writing career by joining a local writer’s group at age fifty-something. (Known within a small circle of family and friends as the “Ditty Lady”—original verses for any and all obscure occasions—she’s positive Hallmark isn’t worried!) She and her husband, Kay, are parents of six daughters, one of whom is deceased. (After they all “left the nest,” the nest was recently moved from Loveland, Colorado, to Riverdale, Utah.) Writing mainly about her life experiences, she also does poetry, plays and children’s stories. E-mail her at [email protected].
Barbara “Binkie” Dussalt is a retired grandmother who enjoys her family, which includes her children Trudy, Susie and Jeff, her granddaughters, Aubrey Jessica and Michelle, and her great-grandchildren, Morgan, Troy and Max. She loves crafts, sewing and making her own expression cards.
Ellen Hamilton Fenter is a pastor, writer, counselor, community activist and blogger who currently enjoys life and ministry in El Paso, Texas. She is a mother and grandmother whose heart always longs for the serenity of her native land, New Mexico. Pastor Ellen’s enduring passion is for “the least of these.”
Nancy B. Gibbs is the author of four books, a weekly columnist for two newspapers and an editor. She has contributed to numerous anthologies and magazines. Nancy has had nineteen stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. She is a pastor’s wife, mother and grandmother. Contact Nancy at [email protected] or www.nancybgibbs.com.
Angela Hall has been publisher/editor of a newspaper in Canada for twenty years. She has also edited several books, three of which were on the bestseller list. Angela is now retired and looking forward to devoting more time to writing letters of encouragement to sick and needy children as well as to survivors of cancer. You can reach her at [email protected].
A lover of animals, both wild and tame, Bonnie Compton Hanson has authored or coauthored over twenty books, plus hundreds of poems and articles— including those in twelve Chicken Soup books.
Emily Sue Harvey’s upbeat stories appear in women’s magazines, The Compassionate Friends magazine, the Chocolate series, Chicken Soup, From Eulogy to Joy and Caution: Children Praying. Her two current completed novels are God Only Knows and Sunny Flavors. She writes to make a difference. Contact her at [email protected].
Armené Humber is a career coach who helps low-income clients recognize their potential and find their places in today’s challenging workplace. She lives in Southern California, has a master’s degree in Christian leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary and enjoys writing inspirational stories. Contact her at [email protected].
Margaret Kirk has a master’s from Gaddard College with graduate work in heart–centered counseling from the University of Santa Monica. She is currently a fiber artist, doll maker and the executive director of the Four Corners Child Advocacy Center in Colorado. Please e-mail her at [email protected].
Vickie Ryan Koehler received her bachelor of arts from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, in 1979, and then studied for her master’s degree in Spanish at the University of Kentucky. She presently resides in Liverpool, Texas, with her family and teaches in the Alvin Independent School District.
Margaret Lang received her bachelor of arts from Brown University in 1963. She teaches women and children’s groups in California. Margaret has three published stories, two in Chicken Soup for the Father and Daughter Soul. Her daughter is a physician/missionary, her son a youth pastor, and she has two granddaughters.
Charlotte A. Lanham is a retired teacher and columnist. She is a frequent contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Charlotte and her husband, Ray, cofounded a nonprofit organization called Abbi’s Room Foundation, providing beds and bedding for children of Habitat for Humanity families. E-mail her at [email protected].
Sharon Whitley Larsen, a former special-education teacher, has contributed previously to Chicken Soup books (4th, 5th, Teenage and Golden editions). Her work has also appeared in Reader’s Digest, Los Angeles Times Magazine and other publications. She currently writes travel stories for Copley News Service and can be reached at [email protected].
Margaret R. Middleton has experienced miracles and unhappiness in her seventy-five years of life. God has been her foundation. She has written fifteen episodes of her childhood and, as an adult, a biography that readers will perceive as an adventurous experience of her life.
Sheila Myers’s work has appeared in Grit, the St. Anthony Messenger and Staying Sane When Your Family Comes to Visit (due Fall, 2005). She ghosted Carmen’s memoir, Daughter of the Spirit: A Soul’s Journey Home, for which she seeks a publisher. Ms. Myers can be reached at [email protected].
Edmund W. Ostrander holds a bachelor’s of music from Oberlin Conservatory, a master’s of education in music from C. W. Post College, a master’s of education in counseling psychology from Cambridge College and a Ph.D. in humanities from the Union Institute. He has taught on every level and currently teaches storytelling for Cambridge College and Lesley University. E-mail him at [email protected].
Annette Seaver’s greatest passion is mothering. She currently has eleven children: seven biological, four adopted and two “on hold.” She’s been to China and Saoma, and anticipates traveling to Mongolia soon. She mentors unwed mothers, organizes a variety of teen activities, volunteers at school and church, and enjoys writing.
Stephanie Welcher Thompson married her sweetheart, Michael, on February 14, 2002. These days, they enjoy family life in an Oklahoma City suburb with their darling two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Micah. Reach them at P.O. Box 1502, Edmond, OK 73083, or stephanie@stateofchang
e.net.
Jim West is one of the most sought after cruise professionals in the travel industry. He is the author of four travel books and a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul. He was a professional cruise director for ten years; has sailed on over 850 cruises, including a cruise to Antarctica with Sir Edmund Hillary; visited over 72 countries around the world and is a popular international speaker. He has received his certification in Youth Ministry from the University in Stubenville, Ohio, and continues to minister to teens through a travel ministry. You can reach Jim at www.TravelWest.com or by calling (815) 878-3600.
Woody Woodburn is a sports columnist for the Daily Breeze in Torrance, California. He has been honored for column writing by the Associated Press Sports Editors, appeared in The Best American Sports Writing anthology, is a frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup series and authored two books. He can be reached at [email protected].
Jane Zaffino recently retired from Bell Canada after thirty years of dedicated service. She is now pursuing her lifelong dream of writing by taking courses at George Brown College. She currently lives in Toronto with her husband of thirty years and their two children. You can reach Jane at [email protected].
Permissions
We would like to acknowledge the following publishers and individuals for permission to reprint the following material. (Note: The stories that are in the public domain, or that were written by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen or Carol McAdoo Rehme are not included in this listing.)
Homestead Holiday. Reprinted by permission of Margaret Noyes Lang. ©2005 Margaret Noyes Lang.
With Gladness and Glue. Reprinted by permission of Nancy B. Gibbs. ©2000 Nancy B. Gibbs.
Decking the Halls with Balls of Jolly. Reprinted by permission of Gregory S. Woodburn. ©2005 Gregory S. Woodburn.
The Debut. Reprinted by permission of Mary K. Danielson. © 2003 Mary K. Danielson.
Music to My Ears. Reprinted by permission of Margaret R. Middelton. © 2004 Margaret R. Middelton.
I Wonder. Reprinted by permission of Mary K. Danielson. © 1998 Mary K. Danielson.
Tending the Home Fires. Reprinted by permission of James L. West, Jr. © 2004 James L. West, Jr.
Bringing Christmas. Reprinted by permission of Toby Ann Abraham-Rhine. © 2005 Toby Ann Abraham-Rhine.
In the Rush. Reprinted by permission of Ann Katherine Brandt. © 1994 Ann Katherine Brandt.
Bottomed Out. Reprinted by permission of Margaret M. Kirk. © 2004MargaretM. Kirk.
Secret Ingredients. Reprinted by permission of Jane Zaffino. © 2005 Jane Zaffino.
Sweets for the Sweet. Reprinted by permission of Emily Sue Harvey. © 2004 Emily Sue Harvey.
Nickled and Dimed. Reprinted by permission of Barbara Dussalt. © 1985 Barbara Dussalt.
Fair Game. Reprinted by permission of James Daigh. © 2000 James Daigh.
Nothin’ Says Lovin’ Like . . . Reprinted by permission of Isabel Bearman Bucher. © 2003 Isabel Bearman Bucher.
Chords of Love. Reprinted by permission of Margaret Noyes Lang. © 2005 Margaret Noyes Lang.
Charlie’s Coat. Reprinted by permission of Robin Clephane Steward. © 2004 Robin Clephane Steward.
Flashing Back. Reprinted by permission of Kathryn A. Beisner. © 2005 Kathryn A. Beisner.
Drawn to the Warmth. Reprinted by permission of Marion Smith. © 2001 Marion Smith.
School for “Hire” Learning. Reprinted by permission of Edmund W. Ostrander. © 2002 Edmund W. Ostrander.
Surprise Santa. Reprinted by permission of Henry Boye. © 2005 Henry Boye.
In the Bag. Reprinted by permission of Sheila Myers. © 2005 Sheila Myers.
Stroke By Stroke. Reprinted by permission of Margaret Noyes Lang. © 2005 Margaret Noyes Lang.
St. Nick’s Note. Reprinted by permission of Pamela L. Bumpus. © 2002 Pamela L. Bumpus.
Mother to Mother. Reprinted by permission of Annette Seaver. © 2005 Annette Seaver.
Chilly Today, Hot Tamale. Reprinted by permission of Ellen Fenter. © 1998 Ellen Fenter.
Angels and Angst. Reprinted by permission of Sharon Whitley Larsen. © 1987 Sharon Whitley Larsen.
Everybody Loves Santa. Reprinted by permission of Robert H. Bickmeyer. © 1997 Robert H. Bickmeyer.
Presence and Accounted For. Reprinted by permission of Vickie Ryan Koehler. © 2004 Vickie Ryan Koehler.
Let’s Get Real. Reprinted by permission of Charlotte Ann Lanham. © 1999 Charlotte Ann Lanham.
Ho, Ho, Hope. Reprinted by permission of Angela Hall. © 2004 Angela Hall.
Away from the Manger. Reprinted by permission of Stephanie Denise Thompson. © 2002 Stephanie Denise Thompson.
The Family Tree. Reprinted by permission of Tamara J. Chilla. © 2000 Tamara J. Chilla.
A Place of Honor. Reprinted by permission of Mary K. Danielson. © 2002 Mary K. Danielson.
The Lone Caroler. Reprinted by permission of Bonnie Blanche Hanson. © 2001 Bonnie Blanche Hanson.
The Right Touch. Reprinted by permission of Steven Earl Burt. © 1978 Steven Earl Burt.
Christmas Derailed. Reprinted by permission of Charlotte Armené Humber. © 2005 Charlotte Armené Humber.
Troubled. Reprinted by permission of Gregory S. Woodburn. © 2003 Gregory S. Woodburn.
’Twas the Night. Reprinted by permission of Charlotte Ann Lanham. © 1999 Charlotte Ann Lanham.
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copyright © 2012 Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-4532-7493-4 (ePub Apple)
Cover design by Andrea C. Uva
Interior formatting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield
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Chicken Soup for the Soul the Book of Christmas Virtues Page 12
