Bright and early tomorrow morning Wayne and I are driving to Leavenworth, a Bavarian village nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains here in Washington State. Leavenworth was the setting for WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES, a holiday book I wrote a few years back. It's about as close to Santa's village as you can imagine. I'm doing Breakfast with Debbie on Saturday morning (not to be confused with the Breakfast with Santa) and an autographing later. Think cold, snow, sleigh rides, hot toddies and cuddling up with my Bunny Toes.

If you’re in the area and want to join in for the breakfast or signing, contact A Book for All Seasons in Leavenworth at 509-548-1451.

For those of you addicted to the weather channel, you'll notice the Seattle area has been hit by an arctic blast. If I ever wondered what it was like to live in Alaska in November, I now know. My staff and I have been slip/sliding into work all week, and the forecast is for six inches of snow this afternoon. At this point we're huddled together here with dreams of sugar plums and heading home to sit in front of a warming fire. Wherever you are and whatever the weather, I pray you're cozy and warm.

I'm speaking at the Christmas Tea at my church (First Christian) on Saturday, December 9th and feel honored to have been asked. After services this past Sunday I stopped off at the ladies room before heading home. As I closed the stall door there was an advertisement for the tea posted on the back of the door. In essence it said: FOR A GOOD TIME COME SEE DEBBIE MACOMBER. Yup, this is a lifetime ambition of mine. . . to see my name posted in the bathroom!

Renate tells me I should let you know that, if you're in the area and want to join in the Christmas Tea fun, you're welcome, but you need to pre-register by calling 360-876-8172. The deadline for pre-registering is December 1.

My six-hundred dollar turkey is in the refrigerator and I'm pouring over stuffing recipes, convinced I'll never to able to duplicate my mother's incredible dressing. I've been thinking a lot about Mom lately and really missing her. Thanksgiving was our favorite holiday. We cooked and baked and shopped and laughed. What wonderful memories I have of her and how deeply I miss her. But, the tradition continues with my daughters and me. Jody is spending Thanksgiving night so we can get an early start on our shopping on Friday morning. Jenny will link up with us at 5 a.m. From one generation to the next. God and family. Isn't that what life is really all about?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Whether you are with family or not, may you be surrounded by loving hearts.

Last night I went turkey shopping at Costco. Big mistake. I walked out of the store and wondered what happened. Yes, I have a big turkey—a 25-pounder, to be exact—and it cost me literally hundreds of dollars. One turkey.

Okay, I did pick up a few other essentials. They had artichoke tapanade. I don't exactly know what that is, but it sure looked good. Oh, the double stuffed green olives were essential, too, and while I was there I picked up a couple of movies to entertain the grandkids. I don't know about you, but Costco desserts are not to be missed. Before I knew it the cart was full. Yup, that turkey cost me hundreds, upon hundreds of dollars!

Those of you who know me personally know that I have a flair for drama. However, what I'm about to tell you is the absolute truth, with only the merest hint of exaggeration. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED THIS MORNING!

After an (get this!) eleven-hour delay in the Las Vegas airport, Wayne and I were finally heading for home. We hoped to be on the ground in Seattle by 3 a.m. As the plane was descending from thirty thousand feet, the cabin door seal broke, and we lost pressure. What makes this so hair-raising was the fact that I was sitting next to the door with the blast of cold air hitting me. Amazingly, I didn't panic, and I wasn't even really afraid. However, this morning, after a mere four hours sleep, I sat bolt upright and realized what had nearly happened. I could have been sucked out of a plane.

Later today, if you listen carefully, you'll hear a shout of joyful triumph coming from my upstairs office. (In case you didn't know, I write in a turret. Think Rapunzel). Okay, back to the joyful celebration. Today I'm finishing 74 SEASIDE AVENUE, book seven of the Cedar Cove series. Don't breathe a word of this to my publisher, but I love this series so much that I would pay them to let me write these books. After seven books the characters are like family–I know them so well. After the usual editing process, I should be able to mail it off to my editor the Monday after Thanksgiving and then will wait with bated breath for her comments. Still, very little in life beats the thrill of finishing a special book I loved writing.

It's going to be a fun day. Wednesdays are my break in the middle of the week for administrative duties, letter writing and the like. This afternoon I'm meeting with four or five other writers for a plotting session. When one of us has a need to talk out a plot line, then a meeting is called, and we bounce ideas off each other. It's high energy and great fun. I love these sessions. Wayne loves it, too. He stretches out in his recliner, closes his eyes and announces he's not to be bothered—he's plotting.

I don't mean to go on about this stretching and weight issue, but one of my loyal readers, Luann Denning, e-mailed me the following, and it's so good I had to share it. Luann said, "We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. So, I'm not fat. I'm just really intelligent, and my head couldn't hold any more, so it started filling up the rest of me! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!"

All I can add to that is ditto . . . Oh, and I found a fabulous new recipe for apple/raisin rum pie that I'm going to bake for Thanksgiving. It's for those of us with an intelligent appetite.

Each year when the grandchildren's birthdays roll around, instead of adding yet another toy to their stack, Wayne and I have started a new tradition. We let the grandchild choose a gift for some other child through WORLD VISION. I've been so proud of my grandchildren and how thoughtfully they select their gifts. Little James, for instance, looked at a pump for water extraction and announced that fresh, clean water was important. He chose soccer balls and a water pump. Carter chose two dozen chickens and a pig for a village.

Last year, Maddie, the granddaughter born on my birthday, chose a camel. Now a camel was a bit pricey. Over $700, to be exact. There was an option available to pay for half a camel and then link up with someone else. I explained this to my generous granddaughter and said I would be willing to buy the entire camel if she'd help with some of her allowance money. With her eyes gleaming she looked at me and said, "Half a camel will do, Grandma." This year she flipped through the pages of the WORLD VISION catalogue and made her decision. "I'll buy half of that bull."