The Blessings of Christmas After a Challenging Year

A New Chicken Soup for the Soul collection will jump start your holiday spirit

COS COB, Conn. – Christmas should be different this year, with more families getting together in person. Christmas 2020 wasn’t a complete bust, though, as shown in a new Chicken Soup for the Soul book that will get you in the mood for the holidays, from Thanksgiving, to Hanukkah, to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Some contributors shared stories about the new ways they found joy in the holidays last year and how they expect to continue those traditions. Debra Rughoo’s company, for example, conducted their office party over Zoom, complete with their traditional Secret Santa gifts. Instead of giving physical gifts, however, they chose charities they knew the recipients would like and made donations on their behalf.

The excitement and joy of the season runs throughout the 101 true, personal stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Blessings of Christmas (October 12, 2021, 978-1-611590777, $14.95). You’ll read about communities coming together to make Christmas special for families going through hard times, the joy of giving, and some very creative ways to make your own holidays even more fun. As always, the stories in this collection are what Chicken Soup for the Soul calls “Santa safe,” meaning they keep the magic alive even for precocious readers.

Tara Flowers found that magic the year she peeked at a letter before her son mailed it to the North Pole. He asked for a discontinued Godzilla toy, which Tara knew Santa couldn’t provide. After a search, she found the toy on eBay, where there were only two for sale. Imagine her surprise when a big box appeared at their home on Christmas Eve, containing numerous gifts for her son including that same Godzilla toy. The letter to Santa had gone to a charitable organization and a benefactor must have purchased the other Godzilla that was available on eBay. Tara donated the toy and the other items in the basket to their local children’s hospital and came away with a newfound faith in Santa and the kindness of strangers.

This book is one of four that Chicken Soup for the Soul earmarked in 2021 as fundraisers for specific nonprofit organizations. Royalties from this book will go to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, which creates miracles for millions of families every year by providing holiday gifts to children in need in the U.S. The other Chicken Soup for the Soul books published in 2021 that have supported a specific nonprofit are Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog and Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Clever, Curious, Caring Cat, both of which support American Humane, as well as Chicken Soup for the Soul: Read, Laugh, Repeat, which supports several nonprofits that provide entertainment to patients and frontline workers in healthcare facilities.

“We always use royalties from our books to support nonprofit organizations,” said Amy Newmark, editor-in-chief and publisher of Chicken Soup for the Soul. “This year, the need is even greater, and we’re honored to share royalties from these books to make the holidays and the rest of the year a little more magical for American families that are struggling as a result of the pandemic.”

ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. With well over 100 million books sold to date in the U.S. and Canada, more than 300 titles, and translations into more than 40 languages, the phrase “chicken soup for the soul” is known worldwide and is regularly referenced in pop culture. Today, 28 years after it first began sharing happiness, inspiration and hope through its books, this socially conscious company continues to publish a new title a month. It has also evolved beyond the bookstore, with a podcast, education programs, dog and cat food, licensed products, and video, television and movies through its subsidiary, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.

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For a review copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Blessings of Christmas or an interview with Amy Newmark or one of the contributors:

Contact

Shelby Janner
(512) 638-6379
[email protected]