The Gift of Giving by Holly Jacobs

I was born in August…despite my holiday name. My mom was thrilled that she’d found a name that wouldn’t have a nickname. Which explains why I’ve spent most of my life as Hall.  Maybe it’s my name, or maybe my love of glee…but I’ve always loved the holidays.

A few years ago, I started a tradition with the kids in my life—affectionately known as The Minions online. As part of their Christmas present, I give them all the gift of giving. Yes, I think giving is a gift. Their gift is sponsoring an animal at a local rescue. Each year, they choose their animal and then send their choice a card along with my sponsorship check. This last year, three of them got to go visit the rescue. Oh, the excitement as they were introduced to “their” animals. They brought an extra gift and got to find the joy in giving something more tangible than a check.

It’s been a beautiful way to teach them about the gift of giving. I have felt such pride as I see the lesson sink in. In the summer we play Holly’s Ice Cream. They ride their bikes up to me and ask for wild ice cream concoctions. And then most of the time as they “pay” me, they say, “And I’ll pay for that guy behind me.” I know it’s just a game, but oh, my heart.

When I started writing, I gravitated toward romance. Why? It was the people. I loved figuring out how two very different people found a way to build a relationship—a life—together. I loved throwing family and friends in the midst and adding a bit of havoc to that couple’s journey. I have a big family and I understand that they impact every part of my life.

I’ve also worked to add the gift of giving into my stories. I didn’t think of it that way at the beginning of my career, but now I do. It shows up time and time again in my books. Books like Signs of the Times where a single mom gives her “spare” time to her downtown business association. My three PTA Moms each had a holiday…Once Upon a Thanksgiving, Once Upon a Christmas and Once Upon a Valentine’s. They were three moms who spent their books giving what little spare time they have at their kids’ school. In A Hometown Christmas…a woman who reopens her small town’s library and keeps it running by sheer force of will. And…well, you get the point.

Whether it’s my name, or my love of glee, I write a lot of holiday (HOLLYday?) romances. I try to live up to my name in my real life as well. Whatever holiday you celebrate, I wish you all one that’s filled with the gift of giving.

Happy HOLLYdays!

Holly…aka Hall

PS Something Perfect is my story in Surprises in All Sizes: Secret Babies. The heroine lives a life that celebrates the gift of giving in so many ways! I'm so excited to have a story in a collection with so many friends...who happen to be amazing writers! I hope you'll check it out!

Award-winning author Holly Jacobs has over three million books in print worldwide. The first novel in her Everything But. . . series, Everything But a Groom, was named one of 2008's Best Romances by Booklist, and her books have been honored with many other accolades. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her family. You can visit her at www.HollyJacobs.com.