Christmastime is past...

Christmastime is past.

Santa had a blast.

Girls and boys all got new toys.

Now sleep is here at last.

Hang a Shining Star

You can hang on shining star on Christmas for this year, because it's ON! Santa has left the Circle.

While watching the elves load up the sleigh, I noticed that a lot of you asked my dad to bring you my critically acclaimed book, North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus. I thank you for that, and I am super flattered.

No matter what Daddy gives you this year, may it bring you happiness and joy. I wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest new year ever.

Remember to be Nice and my dad will bring you more goodies next Christmas!

Can't wait for next Christmas? If you find a device under your tree that lets you read electronic books, or a gift card in your stocking to an online retailer of ebooks, you can visit the North Pole and jingle your bells any time of the year in the virtual pages of North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus.

The Great Scrooge-Off

Poor Ebenezer. He's the guy you loved to hate, until he found his Christmas Spirit. So it seems like an oxymoron to be looking for the "best" Scrooge. But that is the question I pose to you now.

Here are my five favorite Scrooges:

Jim Carrey

Okay, this is one actor with some serious Christmas issues. First he played The Grinch in the 2000 live-action version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. A mere nine years later, the Dumb and Dumber star bah-humbugged his way through Disney's motion-capture-animated version of A Christmas Carol. How many lumps of coal did this guy get from Santa anyway?

Henry Winkler

At the height of his Fonziness, Winkler brought Dickens' character stateside, renaming him Benedict Slade, for the 1979 TV movie An American Christmas Carol. More recently, the former Fonz has celebrated the season with appearances in the TV movies Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year on Hallmark, both from 2008.

Michael Caine

A two-time Academy Award winner and thrice Batman's butler, Sir Michael sang his bah-humbugs to Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and a trio of Muppety ghosts in the 1992 musical comedy The Muppet Christmas Carol. He was still pretty mean.

Scrooge McDuck

Talk about a method actor! Mr. McDuck modeled his whole life on his Dickensian namesake. The miserly duck first appeared in his nephew's comic book in 1947, eventually headlining his own series, Uncle Scrooge, beginning in 1952. But it wasn't until 1983 that he finally got to portray his "hero," Ebenezer Scrooge, on the big screen in the Oscar-nominated short Mickey's Christmas Carol.

Patrick Stewart

Shakespearean actor and former Starfleet commander Jean-Luc "Patrick Stewart" Picard took the conn for TNT's 1999 adaptation of A Christmas Carol after creating a one-man stage show based on the novel that he performed on Broadway and in London. As convincing a portrayal as a holodeck simulation.

So there you have it. The Grinch, the Fonz, Batman's butler, Donald Duck's uncle, and Professor X have all gotten their Scrooge on. Still can't decide which is your favorite? You can stream all these Scroogetacular performances (and more) at Amazon.com.

Waiting for the Man with the Bag

BREAKING NEWS: Christmas is coming, again.

I know, I know. You're all waiting for the man with bag. He's coming. I promise. I should know. He's my dad. Like the song says, old Mr. Kringle is soon gonna jingle all your trebles away.

This swingin' jingle was first made famous by jazz singer Kay Starr in 1950. More recently, Boston University's student a cappella ensemble, The Treblemakers, performed their festive rendition as part of BU's Holiday Harmonies series. Enjoy!

North Pole Swap

Here's a super fun Christmassy way to while away the hours while waiting for Santa to visit you.

North Pole Swap is a match-three game for iOS with Christmas trees, candy canes, Santa hats, and even North Pole High stickers!

Created by 13-year-old elf-in-training Weston B. of Weston's Wacky World, this cool app is available right now in the iTunes app store. Just in time for Christmas! Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

Soon It Will Be Christmas Day

Lords-a-leaping! We're just one week away from the most wonderful day of the year!

In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas.

Even stoplights blink a bright red and green.

Those lyrics are from the song "Silver Bells," written for the 1951 film The Lemon Drop Kid.

Bob Hope must pay his gambling debts to gangsters by Christmas Eve, or else. He tries to raise the money by dressing as a streetcorner Santa collecting "donations," then opens an illegal casino to scam more loot from little old ladies. That may not sound very wholesome, but he manages to stay off Santa's Naughty List by introducing us to this classic song:

Released during the extended holiday season in March of 1951, the movie co-stars Marilyn Maxwell, who joins Hope in singing about silver bells, Christmas time in the city, and Santa's big scene.

Yes, Virginia, very soon it will be Christmas Day!

Christmas at the White House

So, a beautiful Christmas tree arrived at the White House this year promptly on the day after Thanksgiving.

I hope Bo and Sunny aren't thinking what I think they're thinking.

A week later, Mrs. Obama welcomed children from Santa's Really Nice List to see the decorations for her "favorite time of year" and have some delicious milk and cookies.

The following night, the president lit up the beautiful National Christmas Tree, then his wife led a spirited reading of one of the best poems ever written, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," by Clement Clarke Moore.

Does all this national merriment mean the War on Christmas is over? Only Grinchy O'Reilly can say for sure.

Santa Gets Some Help

American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel knows how busy Santa is, so he and his sidekick decided to help out and take care of some of that double-checking Santa always has to do with his Naughty and Nice Lists.

Santa truly appreciates Jimmy's assistance. This saved him a lot of time.

And here's a brand new Christmas song that tells the true story of how Santa started the tradition of giving coal to children on the Naughty List and what you can do with the filthy lump if you get one. Jimmy calls "Joel, the Lump of Coal" by The Killers "the greatest holiday song ever recorded by non-chipmunks."

I'm lobbying to get this song added to the caroling curriculum at North Pole High.

Everything's Coming Up Candy Canes

With less than three weeks till the Big Day, things are pretty crazy up here at the North Pole.

I'm happy to see so many people are picking up my book to read on their Kindles or stuff into someone's stocking. I hope you enjoy it.

Guest Blog Post

I don't normally write about writing here, but if you're curious about how I approach my authorial craft, you might enjoy a guest post I contributed to WriteVault.com about my experiences working with a brilliant editor. Write Vault is a great service for independent writers to protect their intellectual property.

Merry Thank Yous

I'm sending big candy cane hugs to all the great websites that have recommend my book while it's on sale. If you're always on the lookout for free or bargain-priced ebooks, check out these fantastic sites and subscribe to their free newsletters, then follow them on Twitter and Facebook!

Weather Report for Denver, Colorado:

Looks like it's going to be raining CANDY CANES!

Hammond's Candies is having a Candy Cane Festival this December 12th and 13th. Is this in my honor? I'm flattered. Here's a video from last year's super sweet mile-high Christmaspalooza:

Both my dad and my mom made an appearance. How cool is that?

Christmas in the 24th Century

I ho-ho-ho'd so hard when I saw this. Even on the final frontier, the crew of the Enterprise has time to enjoy singing a classic winter carol.

How jolly! I wish I could beam them all up to the North Pole.

That's Hot Chocolate

I was beginning to think December would never get here, but now the most wonderful month of the year is finally upon us!

Want something more to fa-la-la about? For the first TWELVE DAYS of December, the newly updated electronic edition of my book is just $1.99. That's less than the cost of a hot chocolate at Starbucks. It's also more entertaining and just as delicious.

So while you're waiting for Santa to slide down your chimney, enjoy the true behind-the-scenes stories of what really goes into making Christmas happen, in North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus. Merry Cyber Monday!

WHERE TO GET IT

For your Kindle:
[U.S.] [Canada] [Mexico] [Brazil] [India] [Australia]
[U.K.] [Germany] [France] [Italy] [Spain] [The Netherlands] [Japan]

For your Nook: [U.S.] [U.K.]
For your EPUB eReader: [Google Play]