Night Before Christmas (Gibbs Smith)

Create ever-popular character and holiday-shaped treats for all your Christmas parties and events. Easy directions show how to bake packaged cake mixes in rectangular, square, and round pans, then cut them up and piece them back together as iconic characters or holiday shapes. Clear and simple instructions for frosting the cakes and decorating with additions of coconut, candy, marshmallows, etc., make these centerpieces both quick and easy. Simple and fun patterns, with no expensive pans or molds needed, will make this cut-up cake book a family favorite. Among the 24 holiday-and-winter-themed designs in this book: Penguin Snowman Polar Bear Wreath Angel Toy Train Christmas Tree Star Rudolph ...and Santa himself!

Santa's pre-Christmas jitters start just before Thanksgiving, and Mrs. Claus knows just what he needs to boost his holiday spirit-a trip to fabulous NYC for a little R&R (and a little shopping for her). They're checking out chic stores when what should happen but the Macy's parade official spots this Santa on the street and convinces him to "substitute" for the "substitute" Santa in the parade. Santa laughed to himself-how surprised they would be If they knew the Real Santa was the one they would see! The cheering of the children boosts Santa's confidence for another year, and later that night, Mr. C borrows the parade sleigh to take a flight over all the boroughs of the city. Betty Lou Phillips is coauthor of The Night Before Christmas in Paris and author of Emily Goes Wild!, an illustrated children's book, as well as numerous home design books on French style. She lives in Dallas. Roblyn Herndon is coauthor of The Night Before Christmas in Paris. She lives in Houston. Sheryl Dickert, illustrator and graphic designer, lives in Salt Lake City.

In clever rhyme, this fully illustrated mash-up of Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Moore's The Night Before Christmas typifies the subtle wittiness of British humor. The poem begins, "Twas the day before Christmas and Marley was dead-As dead as a door nail, so the old simile read." Once we know the backstory of Scrooge's nasty temper, we meet in succession the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, along with the nephew Fred, Cratchits and the Fezziwigs. We know that Scrooge has reformed when hear him bellow Santa's traditional refrain, "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night."

Clement Clarke Moore's Christmas classic meets Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Darcy gets his own visit from St. Nicholas. In this parody of the beloved original poem, Santa teaches Darcy the true meaning of the holiday and helps him get what he's always wanted-a wife! JULIE PETERSEN has fond memories of hiding under her covers at night with a flashlight just so she could finish whatever chapter she was on and a few more after that. When not reading Jane Austen, she can be found singing and spoiling her nieces and nephews. Julie currently lives in Utah.

It's just a week before Christmas and the Clauses have been working nonstop since September. Santa decides to treat his Mrs. to a quick trip below the Mason-Dixon Line, where the livin' is easy and the weather is fine! Join them on their merry adventures to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, where they experience Southern grandeur at its best. In the "land of gray moss and sweet tea" they discover all the beautiful landscapes, celebrated cities, historical landmarks, tasty fare, and fine music the South has to offer. BARBARA G. S. HAGERTY is a poet and writer who resides in her native Charleston, South Carolina. She is the author of several works of poetry and nonfiction. SHERYL DICKERT has illustrated other books in the Night Before Christmas series. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.