The captain would sell the trees for 50 cents or $1.00 and even gave many away to needy families. The ship had been affectionately nicknamed the "Christmas Tree Ship." These trees would be sold, as many had been throughout the years, at the docks in Chicago.Author Carol Crane recalls her grandfather telling of the storm that took the shipmen's lives, their festive cargo, and the schooner down to its final watery resting place. True to the newspaper accounts of the day, Carol eloquently includes in her story how Captain Schuenemann's wife, ever dedicated to her husband's memory, carried on his tradition of delivering Christmas trees.Using oils and acrylics, Chris Ellison captures the humanity and emotion of this timeless tale.

    “Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward,” she writes, “and speak the word aloud. Peace.”Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, Maya Angelou’s celebration of the “Glad Season” is a radiant affirmation of the goodness of life and a beautiful holiday gift for people of all faiths.

    Nothing shocks him more than running into his high-school sweetheart, Lucille “Bebe” Gordon.Bebe Gordon returned to Peachwood Bay three years ago with a divorce certificate and her daughter, Hope. When Jahleel returns, all the memories of the past come rushing back. She can’t decide if he’s changed or if her heart is holding onto past hurts.Will Jahleel and Bebe take a chance on love or let life sidelined them at Christmas?

    Inside, you’ll find all of the biggest-selling, most-played hits for the past six decades. Each alphabetized artist entry includes biographical info, the date their single reached the Top 40, the song’s highest position, and the number of weeks on the charts, as well as the original record label and catalog number. Other sections—such as “Record Holders,” “Top Artists by Decade,” and “#1 Singles 1955-2009”—make The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits the handiest and most indispensable music reference for record collectors, trivia enthusiasts, industry professionals and pop music fans alike. Did you know?    • Beyoncé’s 2003 hit “Crazy in Love” spent 24 weeks in the Top 40 and eight of them in the #1 spot.   • Billy Idol has had a total of nine Top 40 hits over his career, the last being “Cradle of Love” in 1990.    • Of Madonna’s twelve #1 hits, her 1994 single “Take a Bow” held the spot the longest, for seven weeks—one week longer than her 1984 smash “Like a Virgin.”   • Marvin Gaye’s song “Sexual Healing” spent 15 weeks at #3 in 1982, while the same song was #1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks.   • Male vocal group Boyz II Men had three of the biggest chart hits of all time during the 1990s.   • The Grateful Dead finally enjoyed a Top 10 single in 1987 after 20 years of touring.    • Janet Jackson has scored an impressive 39 Top 40 hits—one more than her megastar brother Michael!

    In the late 1960s, New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews thought he was having a very good Christmas… until he got socks from his Aunt Ruth--unarguably a very lousy gift. How could he know that those lousy socks would change Christmas and him forever!Socks for Christmas is great for all ages and will give your family an instant Christmas tradition. This timeless holiday book:Teaches lessons on gratitude, giving, and understanding others during the seasonInspires hearts and brings families togetherStirs nostalgia, tradition, and joy in any heart at Christmas timeSocks for Christmas is a:Safe gift for a boss, co-worker, or employeeThoughtful gift for a family member or loved oneA great option for gift exchangesWhether you read it yourself or listen to Andy on the CD (included with your purchase), Socks for Christmas is a great way to kick off the season.

    As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world. Donna VanLiere’s retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

    With exclusive access to the RCA vaults, producer Ernst Jorgensen brings to intimate life every moment that Elvis spent in the studio--from the spontaneous joy of his early sessions to the intensely creative periods of his later career. At once the definitive recording session guide and a compellingly readable narrative, this is the ultimate companion to the singer and his songs.

    Norma Hayes has always tried to make Christmas special for her family, but 1944 will make that more difficult with money being tight and wartime rationing making everything hard to come by. Aware of his mother's hardships and the worry from having her eldest son at war, second son, Dennis, is determined to buy his mother a special gift this Christmas, a lavender blue dress he hopes will bring her comfort as a symbol of special times gone by and the hope of a brighter future with the family reunited at war's end. Meantime, on the long campaign to free Europe, her soldier son carrys on as best he can, the horrors of war taking its heavy toll on armies and civilians alike. On a battlefield far from home in Holland with his 101st Airborne battalion, he catches a familiar scent of lavender which briefly transports him back to the home front to the perfume scent his mother wore, giving him a short respite and reuniting the family once again if only in his imagination. This historical fiction novel is a nostalgic and tender story about the power of love, the reality of war, and the hope we all have that things will turn out all right.

    The day Christians celebrate that God's purpose wasfinally revealed in the coming of the savior, Jesus Christ. Eachdevotion traces the heritage of Jesus through the stories and propheciesof the Old Testament. This book enables individuals and families toengage in a more meaningful celebration of the Christmas season. Thesedaily Advent devotions are written in two versions (one for children andone for adults) including a scripture, a story and commentary, questions to ask, a prayer, and a song. Each devotional story is paired with a representative symbol thattraces the heritage of Jesus... Such as a lamb, a dove, a rainbow, aheart, a star, etc. Children and their parents can utilize the symbolicline art printed with each daily devotion to craft meaningful ornaments.These symbols coincide with the prayers, memory verses, questions forchildren, and songs found in the devotions for that day.Finally, on Christmas day, your tree will be filled with reminders of 25 Bible stories that led up to Christ's birth.

    The Intellectual Devotional is a secular version of the same—a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music.Impress your friends by explaining Plato's Cave Allegory, pepper your cocktail party conversation with opera terms, and unlock the mystery of how batteries work. Daily readings range from important passages in literature to basic principles of physics, from pivotal events in history to images of famous paintings with accompanying analysis. The book's goal is to refresh knowledge we've forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us. Offering an escape from the daily grind to contemplate higher things, The Intellectual Devotional is a great way to awaken in the morning or to revitalize one's mind before retiring in the evening.

    But the Muslim world seemed far away, remote, and irrelevant to our daily lives. Then came the terrorist attacks of 9/11, followed by attacks at Fort Hood, the Boston Marathon, San Bernardino, and more. Now terrorists seem to be emerging everywhere, unleashing senseless death and destruction on our nation. They are here, and their goal is nothing less than global conquest. Motivated by ancient prophecies, they are flooding into Western countries determined to conquer our countries and establish a global Muslim caliphate. In The Barbarians Are Here, Dr. Michael Youssef provides clear insight into the motives and mission of the Islamic extremists. He offers practical steps we can take right now to begin a New Reformation that will restore the hope of Western civilization. It's not too late. We are not doomed to destruction, even though the barbarians are already here. But we haven't a moment to lose. "Let this book shape how you think, pray, and take the Gospel to the ends of the earth." -- R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "I want every American, every citizen, and every member of my family to read this book. It is foolhardy not to." -- Pat Boone, Entertainer, Pat Boone Enterprises

    And dating. And hope that she’ll meet a man who isn’t better left on the shelf.That is, until her socialite nemesis swears Maggie couldn’t get a date to the Christmas Ball if her life depended on it…Scrambling to find a plus one, Maggie calls in a favor from her childhood friend, Penny. The one who works for a male escort service…UP TO SNOW GOODThe only thing worse than a streaking Santa dashing naked through my Christmas tree farm?Answer: Lawrence Beverly, the insufferable Brit who opened a competing farm down the lane, finding out about it.I loathe Lawrence like cocktail sauce in my cocoa, and there’s no way I’m letting him use Mr. Jingle Balls against me. Luckily, I have a foolproof plan to take care of my Santa problem. Or so I think, until it goes hideously awry and Lawrence sweeps in to save the day.Now we’re making out in front of my fireplace and he’s saying all the right things, but can I trust this man with my heart?Or is he still up to snow good?THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMASIt’s the time of year for miracles…Once upon a time, Lula and Carter were inseparable. But when their romance faltered, the holiday lights went out in Lula’s heart.She gave up on love and embraced a hermit’s existence, until Carter pops back up in Lonesome Point, begging for a second chance…She gives him twelve days—and twelve dates—to make his case before she sends him packing.Soon, however, not even Lula Scrooge can deny she and Carter go together like cocoa and cookies. But when her old fears are reawakened, it may take a holiday miracle to keep them together.

    They carve pumpkins and play pranks, and the braver ones watch scary movies and go on ghost tours. There are parades, fireworks displays, cornfield mazes, and haunted houses—and, most important, copious amounts of bite-sized candy. The popularity of Halloween has spread around the globe to places as diverse as Russia, China, and Japan, but its association with death and the supernatural and its inevitable commercialization has made it one of our most misunderstood holidays. How did it become what it is today? In Trick or Treat, Halloween aficionado Lisa Morton provides a thorough history of this spooky day. She begins by looking at how holidays like the Celtic Samhain, a Gaelic harvest festival, have blended with the British Guy Fawkes Day and the Catholic All Souls’ Day to produce the modern Halloween, and she explains how the holiday was reborn in America, where costumes and trick-or-treat rituals have become new customs. Morton takes into account the influence of related but independent holidays, especially the Mexican Day of the Dead, as well as the explosion in popularity of haunted attractions and the impact of such events as 9/11 and the economic recession on the celebration today. Trick or Treat also examines the effect Halloween has had on popular culture through the literary works of Washington Irving and Ray Bradbury, films like Halloween and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Simpsons. Considering the holiday in the context of its worldwide popularity for the first time, this book will be a treat for any Halloween lover.

    There are some amazing homemade gift ideas that can be made by real-life moms on a real-life budget!In this book you'll find step-by-step instructions for sixty gifts that you can make using easy to find items and you don't have to be an expert crafter to do it!

      Who played the first game of baseball? What’s a bicameral congress? Where did Mount Rushmore come from? Who is Geronimo and who do we yell his name when we jump?   Stuff Every American Should Know answers these questions plus great information on the Declaration of Independence, fireworks, the first Thanksgiving, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” assassination attempts on U.S. presidents, buffalo nickels, the Statue of Liberty, how to bake the perfect apple pie, and much, much more.