“Every December, the gaps close between us all; individuals, families, groups, communities, cities, states, provinces, nations, cultures, and religions. We are kinder to each other. We listen to those who are not heard, speak to those who are ignored and care about those who are disregarded. We reach out to those who are unreachable, play with those who work too hard, and laugh with those who shed too many tears. We make angels in the snow or buy our true love their favorite perfume or cologne. We give to those who sometimes only know how to take and keep, offer peace where there is unrest, and so on and so forth and so good. These are the personal things and intimate moments from which holiday memories spring — and just a few examples of the December discernments to behold in this book.” Advance Praise for The 12 Best Secrets of Christmas “Herbie J Pilato has prepared for us this delicious feast of Christmas Secrets, which he serves with love. Spend the holidays with this delightful book. It will warm your heart.” —Richard Thomas (Actor, The Waltons, The Christmas Box, Christmas vs. The Walters) “With each nostalgic turn of the page, Herbie J Pilato’s 12 Best Secrets of Christmas is written for everyone and is very relatable as the youthful Christmases we had or the ones we wished for. I found it inspirational, comforting and full of joy.” —Barry Williams (Actor, A Very Brady Christmas, Blending Christmas/Author, Growing Up Brady) “Einstein suggested to ‘make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.’ With The 12 Best Secrets of Christmas, Herbie J Pilato has done just that, artfully transforming his early experiences into heartfelt, warm, and enduring life lessons. In the guise of a seasonal offering and gleaned from his Christmas past, Pilato has distilled his introspections into a portable, poignant and insightful memoir, a wise and timeless gem of a little book. With this, as with his other work, Herbie J Pilato has again proved himself to be an American Original.” —Ed Spielman (Creator, Kung Fu, The Young Riders, among other Emmy-winning TV classics)

For most of us, fond memories of the Christmas season are inseparable from TV’s holiday presentations. The world loves everything from iconic cartoons like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas to the ground-breaking Julia sitcom segment, “I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas,” Christmas in Rockefeller Center, and the 1992 TV-remake of Christmas in Connecticut directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen embraces it all, offering a tinsel-decked traipse down memory lane and chronicling animated classics, variety shows, made-for-TV features, and holiday-specific episodes of series like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. With a Foreword by best-selling Free to Be You and Me author and That Girl star Marlo Thomas, along with commentary from other celebrities, historical quotes, and insights from entertainment journalists and archivists, Christmas TV Memories serves as the go-to companion to the small screen’s most cherished holiday programs.

After centuries of closely guarding ancient secrets, Santa Claus has decided that the time has come to share the magical mysteries behind Christmas. All of the miraculous happenings that contribute towards making Christmas the most remarkable time of the year are finally to be revealed to the world.

One Tough Dame: The Life and Career of Diana Rigg offers a sweeping portrait of the revered performer’s life and career. Deemed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1994, Diana Rigg (1938–2020) initially found fame as super sleuth Mrs. Emma Peel in the 1960s BBC/ABC-TV espionage series The Avengers. A classically trained and multi-award-winning thespian, Rigg is known for her diverse body of work — from her big-screen debut in 1969 as Countess Teresa di Vincenzo, wife of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, to her Tony Award–winning, leading role in Medea on Broadway, culminating with her Emmy-nominated portrayal as Lady Olenna Tyrell on the heralded small-screen gem Game of Thrones. This eclectic volume traces Rigg’s career as a renowned star of television, film, and the stage. The author includes insights from rare, archived interviews, encompassing both video dialogues conducted by the University of Kent and Oxford Union. The meticulously curated archival material is further complemented by equally rare photos and retrospections drawn from diverse media sources and hitherto unpublished accounts from the people who knew Rigg best, affording readers an unprecedented, all-encompassing glimpse into her private world. With exclusive commentary from Rupert Macnee (son of Riggs’s Avengers costar and dear friend Patrick Macnee); the show’s stunt coordinator/director Ray Austin; actors Samuel West, Bernie Kopell, Barbara Barrie, Juliet Mills, John Schuck, and Damon Evans; director Bruce Beresford; and documentarian David Naylor, among others, One Tough Dame delivers an in-depth perspective of a beloved, brave, brilliant, and trailblazing actor.

A delightful holiday romance about a small-town single dad and an animal rescue owner as they try to find forever homes for a dozen lovable pups before Christmas. Pine Hollow has everything Ally Gilmore could wish for in a holiday break: gently falling snow in a charming small town and time with her family. Then she learns some Grinch has pulled the funding for her family's rescue shelter, and now she has only four weeks to find new homes for a dozen dogs! But when she confronts her Scroogey councilman nemesis, Ally finds he's far more reasonable -- and handsome -- than she ever expected. As the guardian of his dog-obsessed ten-year-old niece, Ben West doesn't have time to build a cuddly reputation. But he does feel guilty about the shelter closing. So he proposes a truce with Ally, agreeing to help her adopt out the pups. As the two spend more time together, the town's gossip is spreading faster than Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. And soon Ben is hoping he can convince Ally that Pine Hollow is her home for the holidays. . . and the whole year through.

Find out what really happens behind the scenes at Santa’s workshop in a Christmas countdown book that reveals the secrets of the North Pole! An unauthorized tell-all penned by an ousted South Pole elf with an X-mas ax to grind exposes what really goes on at the North Pole in the 24 days leading up to Christmas. This hilarious, day-by-day accounting pulls back the red velvet curtain to reveal the truth behind Santa’s Christmas “magic” and delivers laugh-out-loud fun for the whole family with activities for 24 days plus added surprises hidden throughout. COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: Packed with activities and ideas for family fun for every day from December 1st to 24th HOLIDAY HUMOR: Filled with funny lines and silly scenes that will keep kids laughing throughout the lead-up to Christmas BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED: Vibrant illustrations bring the ideas—and Santa’s secrets—to life START A NEW TRADITION: The X-mas Files is sure to become a treasured family tradition year after year PERFECT PRESENT: A great gift for kids and families

Jane Austen turns sleuth in this delightful murder mystery set over the twelve days of a Regency-Era Christmas party. Christmas Eve, 1814: Jane Austen has been invited to spend the holiday with family and friends at The Vyne, the gorgeous ancestral home of the wealthy and politically prominent Chute family. As the year fades and friends begin to gather beneath the mistletoe for the twelve days of Christmas festivities, Jane and her circle are in a celebratory mood: Mansfield Park is selling nicely; Napoleon has been banished to Elba; British forces have seized Washington, DC; and on Christmas Eve, John Quincy Adams signs the Treaty of Ghent, which will end a war nobody in England really wanted. Jane, however, discovers holiday cheer is fleeting. One of the Yuletide revelers dies in a tragic accident, which Jane immediately views with suspicion. If the accident was in fact murder, the killer is one of Jane’s fellow snow-bound guests. With clues scattered amidst cleverly crafted charades, dark secrets coming to light during parlor games, and old friendships returning to haunt the Christmas parties, whom can Jane trust to help her discover the truth and stop the killer from striking again?