Hey, friends. Those of you who have been visiting my various sites for a while now know of my little tradition. Every year, I write a new Christmas-themed short story. Sometimes it's a spin-off of an existing project ("Lonely Miracle", for example, included characters from Other People's Heroes), and sometimes the inspiration comes from somewhere else entirely ("Clarence Missed," for example), but somehow I manage to find the proper yuletide inspiration every year. The story you're about to read comes from two sources. First, on the day I arrived in Pittsburgh for my Thanksgiving visit, I was reading Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: Jingle Bell Christmas, and I came across an interesting little tidbit about a post office where they got a very unusual letter to Santa Claus. The second came a week later, back home, when I was rehearsing with my church choir (made up of all family members) and my sister suggested trying to learn a wonderful little song that just made everything click together. Heather also graciously made the logo for me. Anyway, I've gone on enough. I had fun writing this story, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. Oh… and Merry Christmas!

RETURN TO SENDER: CHRISTMAS 2008