I sent out a contest to my newsletter subscribers last month. Today I did a drawing of the contestants and Angela Stubbs was the winner of a free pdf of The Spirit of Christmas. Congratulations Angela!

An excerpt from The Spirit of Christmas:

Kathryn walked into the office that morning ready for some coffee. She’d failed to wake up on time this morning—even with her alarm; so, she’d had no time to make her usual pot. Now she was dragging.

Thoughts about her Christmas assignment kept waking her all night. Her introspections were merciless. She couldn’t let it go. It was as if it was taunting her – you’ll never be any better than to write those puff pieces – never – you’ll never be a serious journalist. And when she finally fell asleep at two am, she was so tired she’d slept right through the alarm. Therefore, as she neared her desk, the one thought on her mind was that she was so looking forward to a strong cup of coffee.

After falling into her desk chair, she opened her usually empty left hand bottom drawer. But before placing her purse inside as she always did, she stopped and pulled out a petite package. Her fingers trembled as she touched the shimmering red paper. With her fingertips, she slowly traced over the glossy, green ribbon which was curled up beautifully. Then her eyes darted over her cubical wall and around the newsroom. No one was looking her way.

Who sent this? Someone is playing me, I know it.

The package seemed perfect sitting on her desktop, but her curiosity – which was more than piqued – wouldn’t allow her to wait any longer. She pulled open the paper gently, trying not to bring attention to herself.   Inside, she found a luscious piece of chocolate sitting in its paper cradle. She also found a printed note:

Dear Kathryn,

The Twelve Days of Christmas are supposed to begin on Christmas and continue through the New Year, but how much more fun would it be for you to get a gift everyday until Christmas! That is sure to get you into the holiday spirit. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…one raspberry-filled chocolate truffle. Enjoy.

Until tomorrow.

Your Secret Santa

Kathryn took another guarded look around the room. She stood to gain an unimpeded view over the cubical wall, placing her gift and its wrapping onto her desk as she peered. Since no one seemed to be watching her, she sat down and thought about popping the chocolate into her mouth.

“So, you do believe in Christmas,” said a voice out of nowhere.

Kathryn shot out of her seat once more with her package and contents spreading across the surface of her desk. Her heart pounded as she turned her body violently around to face the speaker.

“Nick Pringle…you scared the living life out of me,” she said as she quickly grabbed the present – wrapping and all – and threw it back into the drawer.

“So, what was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? It looked like a present to me.”

“So, what if it was? I said I didn’t plan on buying any presents. That doesn’t mean that someone else might not want to give one to me.”

“Who was it from?” A curious smile appeared on his inscrutable face.

“Does it really matter? It was just a trifle.”

“A trifle? It looked like a truffle to me.”

She sent him a glare. “Do you have a lead for the orphan story yet?”

“Not yet. I thought we should head down there today and check it out ourselves. You might even get that new angle.”

He handed her a paper cup from her favorite coffee shop. She loved the creamy, chocolate-caramel scent way more than was right and proper. Before taking her first sip, she breathed deeply of the delicious fragrance. Then she let the beverage slip down her throat and warm her body and soul. While giving Nick a look of thankfulness, she thought about saying something nice, “Well come on; I haven’t got all day.”

Walking with Nick to the elevator, her mind descended upon her mystery gift giver. Who had left the present? It had to be someone who knew she wasn’t interested in Christmas, but everyone in the office knew that. And they had to know she loved chocolate, but just about everyone did. She glanced at Nick and his nicely combed, light brown hair. She couldn’t remember a time when he’d had a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his suit.

Could it be Nick? He knows me better than anyone. He met her blue eyes with his hazel ones and then smiled. No, Nick wouldn’t. He couldn’t pull it off if he tried. He’s just too transparent.

This Christmas themed novella is available for purchase at By Grace Publishing in both ebook ($2.49) or paperback formats or as an ebook at Fictionwise.