Deck the Halls with Books and Bark Slabs

Every year, there's some random happening or encounter that inevitably ignites the holiday spirit within me.

Last year, it was my friend's gleeful preparation for her and her husband's first Christmas with their son, whose adoption was soon to be finalized. The year before, it was the purchase of a "My First Christmas" pajama set for my son. And the year before that? Hearing the line, "Great with child," in the telling of the Christmas Story, as with a month to go in my first pregnancy, the phrase had new meaning for me.

This year, it's the display of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa children's books that my little ones and I came upon at a delightfully chance visit to Little Shop of Stories in downtown Decatur, GA (hey Dave and Diane, get a website), and this e-mailed image of peppermint bark from Williams-Sonoma that was waiting for me in my inbox this morning.

To Terra, the LSoS store manager who engaged my son and informed me of all the upcoming holiday storytime parties in which he could participate; and the wickedly good food stylist and photographer responsible for the W-S bark enticement:

You are my Holiday 2006 Muses. You've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.