Dear Loyal Readers

Nikki Turner

I’m always trying to come up with unique gifts to give to you, my dear readers, and in my heart of hearts, I wish I could be like Oprah and give you all cars but that’s not my reality. Then one day the idea came to me: a Christmas book. But not just any Christmas book—this gem would feature five of my favorite authors and be presented as volume three of my Street Chronicles series.

But first, I had to examine the direction I wanted this project to go, which wasn’t easy because I have mixed feelings when it comes to Christmas. After all, I don’t feel like I should have to wait for Christmas in order for people to bring me gifts! How can we show so much appreciation for one another on one day and be so cutthroat the other 364 days? The commercialism has gotten out of control like a fat man in a pie shop. The vast majority of our confused population will be in debt for six months after Christmas just to fulfill a fantasy that has been indoctrinated in us generation after generation by some capitalistic mastermind.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is the biggest and busiest shopping day of the season. Don’t let me get started on how uncivilized we can get at those so-called sales. I’ve seen brawls in some of the department stores that make the De La Hoya and Mayweather fight look like child’s play. Tell me, are the four a.m. arrivals, the long lines, and the brutal fights even worth it to get the blue-light and early-bird specials? We’ve become convinced that we are saving money even though the day after Christmas we are as busted as a broke-dick dog, and all the stuff that we bought (that was supposed to be on sale) is now fifty percent off. How crazy is that?

Each year, at the beginning of the holiday season, I vow that I am not going to get caught up in that madness, but I just can’t bring myself to disappoint my children. My parents never let me down; they made sure I had everything on my Christmas list that I asked for and then some. So how could I cheat my kids out of something that I enjoyed so much? I mean that’s why we struggle so hard—so our kids can have what we didn’t have, right? And for me, that’s where the Christmas madness begins: the tree, the cookies, the mistletoe, the fellowshipping, the presents, etc. So, I suppose for me Christmas is ultimately about love and sacrifice.

I hope that in the spirit of the season, you read this book, share this book, but at the end of the day, remember what the holiday is all about.

Happy Holidays and love always,
Nikki Turner

PS. I want to thank the writers of these stories who shared my vision. K. Elliott: I love you so much. You have been such a blessing to me and this project. Even though your plate was full as you were becoming the superstar you are, you still made time for me and this project. Seth: one phone call and you had the rough draft to me the next week or so. You held this project down from behind bars. Mo Shines: thank you for seeing my vision and for wanting to make me happy. Dee: the only girl in this collection, thanks for your patience. J. M. Benjamin: you are indeed one of the hardest workers in this business. Thanks for coming in at the bottom of the ninth and getting things done in a matter of days.