HELP THE ELF: I Found Santa's Missing Nice List!

Hi everyone! As you may remember, a few weeks ago PETE the Elf had a touch too much Eggnog at the Holiday Christmas Party and as he stumbled home, he lost Santa's NICE LIST.

The North Wind scattered the papers to all four corners of the world, and as soon as Becca and I found out, we put out a call to our readers to help find them in order to SAVE CHRISTMAS.

Emails have poured in as writers across the globe began to find snippets of the NICE LIST stuck to the windshields of their parked cars, fluttering in hedges and caught among their garden gnome collections. And of course, no one wanted to let Pete down, so they took on the task of gifting these good folks themselves!

All over the Internet today, you'll see how the kindness of others helps to support, offer strength and push us to reach higher and farther than we ever could alone. I hope you'll visit some of the HELP THE ELF blogs found in the list HERE and send some seasonal wishes to the people who make up this great community of ours.

Oh, and I almost forgot! Becca and I both found part of Santa's missing NICE LIST, too! Becca found hers stuck between the slats of a lounge chair down in Florida, and I discovered mine caught in the pine bough decorating my front door in Calgary, Alberta! And shock of all shocks, we recognized the names. Check this out:

Becca's found this one:

NAME: Donna Gephart

LOCATION: Wild About Words

NICE LEVEL: 98%

NAUGHTY LEVEL: 2%

OBSERVATIONS: Donna is a tireless advocate for children, a super-talented writer, and an energetic cheerleader for anyone needing encouragement. She co-leads my face-to-face writing group, always offering solid advice and honest support. Donna's one of those people who make you feel like a better person just for knowing her. I'm so glad to be able to call her a friend.

RECOMMENDATION:     a) Coal                   b) Gift

Because poor Pete is dashing all over the place trying to hunt down the rest of Santa's missing Nice List, I decided to take care of this one myself. Donna, knowing your devotion to promoting literacy (and your general selflessness), I've made a donation in your name to Sheltering Books, Inc, a non-profit organization that donates children's books to homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and residential treatment centers around the country. Because of your kindness, a few more books will make it into the hands of kids in the very near future.

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And I found this one:

NAME:  Carol Riggs

LOCATION: Artzcarol Ramblings

NICE LEVEL: 97%

NAUGHTY LEVEL: 3%

OBSERVATIONS: Carol had many life challenges this year but faced the world with optimism and hope. Her energy and encouragement is appreciated by many and she gave a lot of her time to other writers, critiquing and showing support. There was that one issue where her TBR pile got out of hand, but this appears to be common theme with writers.

RECOMMENDATION:     a) Coal                   b) Gift

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Taking my lead from Becca who got a frantic call from Pete about how worried he was he might not get to all the presents in time, I decided to take care of this one myself. Carol, I have watched how you have kept spirits up all this year through the challenges and how good you make others feel. Enjoy Angela Townsend's YA book, AMAROK, and have a wonderful Christmas!

Photo Credit: assorted gold baubles (christmasstockimages.com) / CC BY 3.0

How about you, Musers? Is there someone you'd like to wish a Merry Christmas to, or tell them how much they mean to you? JOIN US! There's plenty of days left until Christmas, and sometimes kind words can lift people up in a way that they really need. Why not send someone an ecard or note, and spread some kindness and cheer!