(This episode was delayed because of COVID, and was supposed to air before Thanksgiving. That's why you'll hear me talk about Thanksgiving as if it were still coming.)

No, not presents... PRESENCE.

In today's episode I interview singer songwriter Rehya Stevens. We talk about her album Celebrate and we have a lot of laughs sharing Christmas memories. We talk about the importance of giving our presence - that's with a "c" not "t"! - and being there for our family and each other this during this difficult time. This is one of the most enjoyable interviews I've had so far, and I can't wait for you all to hear it.

My listener memory comes from my sister, and she talks about the joy of baking Christmas cookies with our Grandma.

I know it's past Thanksgiving, but I have another Thanksgiving story to share: I read A Mystery in the Kitchen by Olive Thorne Miller. It's a tender story of a sister named Jessie who's brother has run away from home. And why is Jessie sneaking around in the kitchen?

If you'd like to support the show: https://ko-fi.com/cozychristmas

The song that follows the story is called Song for a Winter's Night by The Nancies. It's a beautiful song, and you should check them out.

Music:

Deck the Halls by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100263

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Song for a Winters Night

URL: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nancies/Yuletide_Entertainments_2012/The_Nancies_-_Yuletide_Entertainments_2012_-_02_Song_for_a_Winters_Night

Comments: http://freemusicarchive.org/

Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Christmas Eve

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Christmas_Time/03_Christmas_Eve

Comments: http://freemusicarchive.org/

Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/