Acknowledgments

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This book had a lot of help from so many elves. Thanks to:

My husband, the head-honcho elf, for your help with brainstorming, editing, formatting, designing the cover, and keeping the kids and me fat and happy.

My kids, the cookie-eating elves, for always being so willing to share celebratory frozen Cokes with me.

My first-draft elves: Margo Taylor, Mary Ida Kunkle, Kristy McCaffrey, Jacquie Rogers, Marcia Britton, Paul Franklin, Diane Garland, Vicki Huskey, Lucinda Nelson, Marguerite Phipps, Stephanie Kunkle, and Wendy Gildersleeve. Your patience rivals that of a Jedi master some weeks.

My critique-buddy elves, Jacquie Rogers and Kristy McCaffrey, for maintaining your top spots on the Naughty List.

My editor elf, Eilis Flynn, for helping to make the words on the page sparkle and shine brighter (and wearing awesome socks).

My story-keeper elf, Diane Garland, for stuffing my stocking with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

My beta-team elves for celebrating the holiday months ahead of time with me and checking my book for burned-out bulbs.

My artsy elf, C.S. Kunkle, for moving to Arizona so we could work on cover art and illustrations by your pool during the snowy season.

All of you reader elves for your encouraging emails and social media posts AND for your face-to-face smiles and hugs. Without you by my side, this would be a long, lonely sleigh ride through the snow.

Kickbutt-author elf Renee George for your nutcrackin’ cover quote and funny movie reviews!

And as always, a special thanks to Clint-the-clown elf for keeping me company on that crazy bus trip back to Ohio many moons ago. If we had to do it again, I’d let you get the large fries this time.