Interview with Nicky Benson, author of ‘The Spirit of Christmas’

With the Christmas season approaching, it’s easy to get wrapped up with the ever growing list of to-dos like buying gifts, baking, attending and throwing parties, that often times the true “spirit of Christmas” gets overlooked.

Anyone who needs a reminder of the true meaning of the Christmas season should pick up Nicky Benson’s children’s book, The Spirit of Christmas, which tells the delightful story about a young boy named Drew who receives a “giving bag” from Santa to fill with toys for less fortunate children who would not otherwise receive gifts this year.

This novelty book includes a giving bag for your child to fill with toy donations and a keepsake bell from Santa. And the best part? A portion of sales proceeds will benefit The Salvation Army as her charity of choice.

We had the chance to chat with Nicky about her book and why she chose The Salvation Army.

Tell us about the inspiration behind this book. Why a Christmas story? We just love the idea of have a “giving bag” under the Christmas tree. How did you come up with that? Is this something your family does at home?

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays! I love spending time with family and friends, decorating my Christmas tree, and eating lots of food. My family has always been extremely generous, so when I had my son Drew, I started to think about ways to instill generosity and kindness in him. Christmas time can be so focused on gift getting, that we sometimes lose sight of the true meaning. I didn’t want Drew to grow up thinking Christmas is only about being good to get presents. One day, I was sitting at my desk, and it just came to me…a ‘Giving Bag’! I wrote it on a post it, stuck it on my computer, and here we are! Now we have a wonderful charitable giving tradition that will continue on. My hope is when Drew gets older and has his own family, that he will read ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ to his children and create his own memories. It brings a warmth to my heart that I can’t even explain.


Read the full interview here.