Christmas is a special time for kids of all ages and in "Christmas with Patchy and Calico," the lovable dog and cat discover the true spirit of the holiday season. Through their many adventures, the two friends learn that giving, sharing, and caring are just as much fun as receiving presents. In one story, making a snowman should be a fairly simple job, but not for these two. Patchy decides to show off and accidentally becomes the world's first walking snowdog. Then when all the Christmas presents mysteriously disappear, Patchy and Calico become detectives. They track down the gift snatcher and come face to face with the bully who stole all the gifts from underneath their Christmas tree. In other adventures, the two friends find a wealth of chestnuts and are given lots of treats. What Patchy and Calico do with all the nuts and treats will teach children how simple gifts can make both the giver and receiver happy. Preschoolers up to elementary-aged children (and adults too) love the adventures and misadventures of the two title characters. The humorous stories, illustrations, and simple questions at the end of each story will entertain kids while teaching them valuable lessons on sharing, caring and giving while spreading Christmas cheer. Other books in this series include "Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat" and "Patchy and Calico's Summer Vacation." Excerpt The next day, the two friends went for their usual walk, but this time the dog carried a bag with him. "What are you going to do with the bag, Patchy?" asked Calico. "I'm going to do some Christmas shopping. Daddy likes chestnuts, right?" "Oh yes, he really likes chestnuts," answered the cat. "Daddy likes to roast them in the fireplace." "I know where there's a chestnut tree and I'm going to get some nuts for his Christmas present." "That's a very smart idea, Patchy," said the smiling cat. When they got to the tree, the dog found a lot of chestnuts and filled his bag, full up to the top. On their way back home, Calico heard a strange noise coming from high up in a tree. She stopped and listened. "Patchy, it sounds like someone is crying. Can you hear it?" "Yeah, I wonder what's wrong." The dog looked up and saw a squirrel, a very sad squirrel. "Why are you crying?" he asked her. The squirrel looked down at the two friends and said between sobs, "All of the nuts I stored in this tree have disappeared. Somebody took them. Now I don't have anything to feed my family this winter." Patchy looked at his bag and then looked at the sad squirrel. "I'll share some of my chestnuts with you. I don't want your family to go hungry this winter." "Oh, thank you " squealed the squirrel, running down the trunk of the tree. She gathered a bunch of nuts out of Patchy's bag and took them back up to her hiding place. She poked her head out of the hole and said, "My name is Sandy and I have a big family. May I have a few more chestnuts?" "Of course, Sandy," Patchy replied. The hungry squirrel gathered up what she thought would be enough to last the rest of the winter. It did not leave many nuts in the dog's bag. "Thank you for sharing with me," said the squirrel who was now very happy. "Merry Christmas," Patchy said as he waved goodbye to Sandy. The cat had been quietly watching her friend. "Patchy, I'm very proud of you for sharing your chestnuts." "Calico, you were right when you said that giving presents is as much fun as receiving them. That's what Christmas is all about: sharing, giving and helping others," replied Patchy. "I'm going to go back and pick up some more chestnuts. There are still a lot of them on the ground. Maybe we can find some other animals to share them with." So that is what Patchy and Calico did for the rest of the day. They gave Christmas presents to all of the squirrels, raccoons, possums and deer they could find. It took a lot of trips back to the chestnut tree to refill Patchy's bag, but the two friends did not mind. They were pleased. Sharing and giving m