Oh, how I love Christmas. Give me an excuse to prepare a spread for my family or invite friends to the house, and I immediately head for the kitchen and reach for my cookbooks. (I've lost count of the number I've collected through the years. Cookbooks dating back to my years as a young wife and mother, even a recipe file from my teen years. I have notes from my grandmother, as well as my mother's recipes.) What the holidays are really about is being with others. They're about celebrating and sustaining our personal community of family and friends, giving and receiving affection, reciprocating good times--and that so often takes the form of a shared meal. Every year, for almost as long as I've been published, I've written a book that features some aspect of Christmas. It was my love of Christmas that brought those wacky and irrepressible angels, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, to life. That goes for Mrs. Miracle, too, along with dozens of holiday-themed stories. My goal was--and is--to give you, my readers, something to take you away from the frantic activity of the Christmas season and yet ultimately reflect what it really means. To give you the gift of laughter and a few moments of respite and relaxation. What I love most about the Christmas holidays is the traditions with family and friends. When Wayne and I were first married, we lived in western Washington State and our families lived on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. Traversing the mountain passes in the dead of winter wasn't always possible, so we had to start our own traditions. I'll be passing on several of those Macomber family traditions in this cookbook. Take what you like and add your own unique twist. I offer them to you with a grateful heart for all you've done to support me through my publishing career. I can say without hesitation that you're going to enjoy this cookbook. The recipes will leave you eager to get into the kitchen; the pictures are a feast for the eyes and will inspire you. Please join me now and flip through the pages. As you read these recipes and Christmas craft suggestions, remember you'll be creating memories in your own kitchen, sharing a heritage of good eating with your family and friends. Merry Christmas from my family to yours! Excerpted from Debbie Macomber's Christmas Cookbook: Favorite Recipes and Holiday Traditions from My Home to Yours by Debbie Macomber All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.