Karen Niehaus

Christmas Tales for a Cold Winter's Night Karen Niehaus

Welcome to Christmas Tales for a Cold Winter's Night, an anthology of ten wonderful new stories of the season, that include: "Have you ever considered becoming a professional Santa Claus?" my barber asked as he trimmed the last of the hair around my ears. "If you grow a white beard to go with that white hair, you could convince anyone that you are Santa Claus himself." (The Santa Claus Beard by Linda Chism)"A doll like Mom made for Julie last year," was her answer. After tucking her into bed, I approached my mother with the sad news that Mrs. Santa was one gift short of her next-to-the-youngest child's expectations. (The Christmas Doll by Gemie Martin) At first travelers only looked at us curiously and passed by. Then, recognizing us as Americans, a few stopped to listen. Soon more and more people crowded around until there were somewhere between one and two hundred people listening to us. And, thanks to Elder Bushman's leadership and voice, we miraculously sounded rather good. (A German Christmas by James Dahl)