Not enough ways to thank Glenn Beck

Glenn has been a friend and supporter of my work for five years now. But yesterday's interview was above and beyond anything we've ever done before. I know not all of you may agree with him all of the time, and that's OK, but when it comes to believing in the magic of the holiday season, his passion is truly infectious.

Thanks, Glenn, for believing in the magic of the jar.

Christmas Jar Story: Getting in the Thanksgiving mood

Received moments ago via email.

(Name withheld)

One cold Saturday in December of 2008, my two nieces, Kaitlin and Tess, and I set out on our Christmas Jar mission.

Inspired by the book and with the help of my sister who worked with the St. Vincent DePaul Society, we identified a local needy family. As we were told, the young mother had suffered a stroke leaving her physically dependent. Her husband was left to care for her and their young children. They were enduring some real financial hardship. They lived in a small but tidy home.

On that Saturday morning, the girls waited in the car as I made my way to the strangers' house with our Mason jar and a copy of the book. The plan was to ring the doorbell & leave the jar anonymously in keeping with the scripted theme of the book. Unbeknownst to me, the father heard my boots clomp along on the wooden wheelchair ramp that lead to a side door entrance to the house. Just as I rang the bell, the door swung open and a large, imposing figure looked down at me.

I quickly & awkwardly handed him the jar and said, "Merry Christmas."

He returned a warm, appreciative smile and returned a similar greeting "...and the same to you ma'am...thank you so very much."

It was such a brief and personal exchange, and I was moved to tears, overwhelmed with the joy of the season and the happiness that I received in this simple act of giving. My nieces agreed that this was "very cool" and a new tradition was born.

As important, this family gave me an intangible gift that would be revealed to me in the ensuing weeks. I lost my own job shortly after Christmas. As I mourned my personal loss, I reflected upon the many gifts that I did have in my own life, and the struggles of this family helped me to keep things in perspective.

I hope to carry the spirit of the season with me year after year thru the the gift of many more Christmas Jars.

First online ad dedicated just to Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle

Amazing work by my publisher.

Changing lives with spare change

A very nice story from the Standard Journal in Rexburg, ID.

Changing lives with spare change
Story and photos by Tony Potter

How a growing holiday tradition is offering hope for needy
families around the world this Christmas

When Jason Wright sat down to discuss “Christmas Jars Reunion,” his latest book quickly became secondary.

What Jason was really excited about, and grateful for, was the movement which had been permeating homes across the country for years now.

In 2005, Wright released “Christmas Jars,” sparking a phenomenon of giving by schools, churches, businesses and many, many people.

“That’s the amazing thing about the book,” Wright says. “It has become a brand, in a way that I never would have possibly imagined. In the first year or two, when people heard Christmas Jars, you thought of a little cheap paperback. Now when people hear Christmas Jars they think of a jar.”

Wright has received many e-mails and people coming up to him at book signings telling him of their experiences giving or receiving a jar, who have never even heard of the book. “The movement has actually become bigger than the book. In fact, the movement has become much bigger than the book,” Wright says.

According to accounts he has received and heard, Christmas Jars have been sighted in all 50 states, as well as many other countries. It is difficult to track, as the jars are intended to be given anonymously, but Wright has been asked to speak at more and more churches, of many denominations, and schools as well, which are incorporating Christmas Jars into their holiday charity. Barnes and Nobles Booksellers have also been supporters of the Christmas Jar brand.

With Christmas drawing near, Wright says now is a great time to kick off your holiday season with a Christmas Jar. But he is wary of the idea that Christmas Jars may have become too corporate or organized. In fact, the motivation behind writing a sequel, besides giving readers the rest of the story, was to remind people that it’s still about one jar, the one that you give.

“When that family opens the door and sees a jar on their front door step they don’t care about the other ten thousand people that may have gotten jars today. They only care about one,” Wright says. He also hopes people aren’t daunted by the task, or worried the change will be a pittance, not worth giving. “It doesn’t matter how much is in it,” Wright says. “The miracle about a Christmas Jar, especially in these tough times, economically, is that to the right family, or to the right college student, to the right widow, $30 worth of change could go a very long way.”

The idea is to put whatever you’ve got, whatever you can accumulate in change. Wright says that it’s not about writing a big check and sticking it inside, or getting $100 from the ATM. Wright says it’s the most you can do through a daily sacrifice, a dollar here and a quarter there.

“I don’t even care at this point if people read the book,” Wright says. If you just want to put a jar on your counter and fill it up and give it away, that works for me.”
Even this late in the year, you’ll be surprised how quickly a jar can be filled, and how much that jar can help someone who has little or nothing for this holiday season. “Start a jar,” Wright says. “Don’t procrastinate the day of your jar giving. There’s no reason to wait.”

Jason's Cheesy Web Videos - Episode #17

Barnes & Noble Blogging Booksellers - Thanks, Laurie!

Greetings Barnes & Noble customers!

More details about postcard contest

Contest page at JFW is now live:

http://www.jasonfwright.com/contest_visitfromjason.html

Good luck!

Christmas Jar Story: Usher in November with a beautiful Christmas Jar story

(Name withheld)

I had just come out of my second marriage, which only lasted three months, but left me pregnant with my fifth child. I didn't have a job because my husband had insisted that I not work. So here I was, pregnant, no job, no husband and four children to feed and clothe. It's funny, although I was scared, we somehow managed to get by. Before my marriage, I had been working to help build my home through a government program called Self-Help housing.

I moved into my new home in May of 1982 and was so proud of my accomplishment.. I did have food stamps, which didn't go that far with that many mouths to feed. Not many businesses at that time wanted to hire a very pregnant woman, but I finally found a job as a waitress.

My daughter was born on November 2, 1982 which was joyous. I now began receiving $15 a week in child support which helped, but didn't really go very far. Christmas was fast approaching and I didn't know how, but I knew I was going to finally have to tell my young children the truth about Santa Claus. I just didn't have the means to provide Christmas presents; I was just barely making ends meet with the small amount of welfare that I was receiving. I had tried, in vain, to find a job but the local economy didn't offer much. A few days before Christmas, the door bell rang. There stood a lady from my church, Kristen Bell. She had a mason jar full of money. She said that every year she and her children save all of their change and at Christmas time vote on what needy family they want that money to go to. They had chosen ME. I couldn't believe my ears! I had never asked for help and tried not to let anyone know how desperate my situation was...but somehow she knew. Tears streamed down my face as I thanked her.

Win a visit from me to YOUR hometown!

Are you ready for me to visit your hometown? Take you and a friend to dinner? Come by and visit your work, church, school or book club?

Entering is easy:

1. Write on a postcard just ONE thing you're thankful for (family, country, fried Twinkies, etc.) and mail it to:

Jason Wright
PO BOX 669
Woodstock, VA 22664

2. Enter up to TEN times per household with something DIFFERENT written on each stamped postcard. (postcards must be received by Wednesday. November 25th)

3. Watch us online as we pick a random winner on the evening of Thanksgiving, November 26th.



How easy is that?

The winner and I will schedule (at our mutual convenience) a visit to their hometown (continental US only).

I'll also take the winner and a guest out to dinner at the restaurant of their choice and pay a visit to their work, church, school or book club.

Good luck! I'll be watching for your postcards in the mail.

Christmas Jars Book Giveaway

So here I sit in my office trying to ignore the flu-like symptoms I brought home from Seattle. Across the room I see my private stash of Christmas Jars (sans dust jackets) and I get to thinking: What better medicine than giving away a book?!?

I'll send a signed/personalized copy to the first person who correctly guesses how many agents originally refused to take on Christmas Jars.

What's your guess? Winner named on Wednesday night.

Unfortunate update about Christmas Jars Movie contest

Bad news: Smarty pants attorneys have suggested I shouldn't run the "Win a Walk-on Role Contest" until we have a location and approximate shooting schedule. So in the meantime, please stay tuned for a supergroovyawesome replacement contest...The wheels are already spinning!

Oh, and if you see an attorney on the street, kick him or her in the shins for me!

Operation 1,001 - Empty Jars to Christmas Jars

(Well, she did it! My dear friend Laurie Paisley, without poking, prodding or help from me, met her goal of placing 1,001 empty Christmas Jars on counters all across the country. With the support of friends and family, Laurie spearheaded the effort to not just find homes for 1,001 jars, but to place at least one in every state! Below is her account of the journey. I know you'll enjoy.)

OPERATION 1,001 - EMPTY JARS TO CHRISTMAS JARS

October 14, 2009

I stand here in my kitchen as I did five months ago, wondering what just happened!! Five months ago I had this incredible feeling to share the Christmas jar tradition with a 1,001 people. Today I mailed jar #1,001!! 

If I’m honest....I never thought I could find 1,001 people to fill an empty jar by Christmas! I don’t know 1,001 people!! I have an amazing family, incredible friends and very patient co-workers at Barnes and Noble. 

They’ve all had to put up with me since I discovered the book, Christmas Jars, by Jason F. Wright, four years ago. I say “put up with” because they have endured thousands of conversations I’ve had with friends and customers and every year they’ve helped me achieve numerous sales goals for the book. Of course I’ve dealt with a lot of jokes, eye rolling and “whatevers” from them too! However, everyone of them has a jar! Each year I promise them I’m going to move on to another book, but somehow it always comes back to “the jar”.  

May 4th, 2009 - Journal Entry
Wow! I just finished reading the advance reader copy of Christmas Jars Reunion. After finishing, I got this ridiculous idea that I could collect and distribute 1,001 empty jars by December. I’ve really tried hard to dismiss the idea but for some reason it continues to linger in the back of my mind. It’s like a very loud voice or an overall incredibly warm feeling. This is something that has never happened to me before. 

I finally sat down at the computer and fired off an email to my family requesting their help in gathering 1,001 jars.  As usual, they are willing to help, however, like me, they have their doubts about the lofty goal. My sister said it best, “Laur, You’re always getting me involved in these crazy ideas of yours, but I’ll help!"

May 5th, 2009 - Journal Entry
This crazy idea is keeping me awake at night!  I’m not sure where to begin. To make myself feel better I went to Walmart and purchased 48 mason jars!! Then off to Office Max to purchase labels that will go on the bottom of each jar - www.christmasjars.com . Now if I can only find someone to give a jar to I’d be on my way!

May 12th, 2009 - Journal Entry
Jars #11-15 found homes today. Jar #15 went to the 10 year old boy next door.  We sat on his steps while I explained the Christmas jar to him.  He asked a lot of questions and we agreed to donate his jar together.  He immediately ran upstairs and brought down his piggy bank and emptied it into the jar and it was 3/4 full!  He was so excited he asked his mom how much money he had in his bank account.  I told him he could only put change in the jar and he responded, “I’ll take the dollars and turn them into change so I can put it in the jar”! What a kid!

May 22nd, 2009 - Journal Entry
I had my first argument with a very good friend over my Christmas jars project.  I got a very nasty email from her. She assumed that because I was tracking the jars by putting a number on the sticker on the bottom of the jar that I was going to get some kind of credit if the person receiving the jar sent a note to Jason.  She gave me a lecture that giving was supposed to be anonymous - to which I responded that the Christmas jars were given that way.  Anyway, 60 jars up....one friend down! Oh, I’m no longer putting numbers on the bottoms of the jars....just tracking them in a little black book!

And so it went over the next few months. As more and more people asked for jars and books I started to realize how far reaching this project could be. How much fun would it be to get a jar filled in all 50 states?

Once again, I don’t know people in all 50 states so I again requested the help from friends and family!  The response was amazing and we soon had all 50 states with a jar along with Italy, Ukraine, Thailand, Canada, England, Taiwan, Ireland, Holland, France and China. Most went to American families living in those countries.

This project has more than exceeded my expectations. I have met some amazing people, I have reconnected with many of my high school friends who I haven’t seen or talked to in 27 years, and I have heard so many “thank yous” from so many people.  I can sit back on Christmas Eve and smile knowing that so many people will be receiving a jar! I won’t need any Christmas present this year...mine came early. It came on October 14th when I mailed out jar #1,001!

I’ve learned that you can do anything you set your mind to.  No matter how mind boggling it may seem at the beginning, if you can dream it you can achieve it.  It just takes a little bit of heart, some passion for the cause and a lot of determination!!

Now......I’m not focusing on the 1,001...but "the one"...the one jar I plan to give away this Christmas that will change someone's life!

First TV piece of the fall

It's exciting to see the movement beginning to find its way back onto TV this fall. Check out this story from my recent visit to Idaho.

How's your jar coming along?

Win a copy of Christmas Jars Reunion on CD

My good friend, Al, is producing a commercial for my two new books and needs your brief opinion.

Call 801-876-0180 and follow the recorded directions. You simply state your first name, city, state and how Christmas Jars has impacted you.

It only takes a few seconds and if he uses your comments you'll receive a copy of Christmas Jars Reunion on CD.

Good luck! And thank you...

Wright Words: Life at 37,000 feet

My latest syndicated column. Hope you enjoy!

###

Wright Words: Life at 37,000 feet

There are two questions I field more than any other. The first is predictable: “Can you help me get my book published?”

The easy answer is “Maybe, but I probably won’t. I don’t need any more competition than I already have." I kid, I’d be happy to help. As long as your book is gut wrenching memoir of a karaoke singing llama.

The second question: "Is it hard being away from home so often?” I wish there were an equally satisfying answer.

I’m the definition of a frequent flier. And by ‘flier’ I mean as a passenger on airplanes, not in the cockpit. And by ‘frequent’ I mean I can reenact the Delta safety video verbatim. You’ve seen it; it’s the one that features a redheaded super-model flight attendant with a no-smoking finger-wag that should merit a PG-13 rating.

Traveling can be brutal. The good news is my wife has me trained to pack and live from a carry-on, even on longer trips. The bad news is they still make me check the bags under my eyes at $15 a pop.

Maybe some of you are airport rats, too. You know that traveling as much as we do has ups and downs. For me the downs are easy to name: Kodi, Oakli, Jadi, Kason, Koleson.

Unfortunately it is my beautiful bride of sixteen-years, Kodi, who tucks my four children into bed more often than I do. She's the one who gets the last hug of the day from my two girls who no longer need assistance with jammies or tooth brushing, but still crave a moment or two every night to be reminded how much they are loved.

Kodi is also the one who enjoys the sweet and innocent cheek kisses from my five-year-old son who’s smack in his ‘dad-is-my-hero’ phase. If you’ve ever had a five-year-old boy who behaves as though his biological father might be Evil Knievel, you know just what I mean. My kid once demanded a DNA test.

Then there's my two-year-old. While I'm fussing with the thermostat in a concrete hotel room somewhere, my wife is snuggling next to our youngest as he drifts into sleep. I imagine him gripping one of her fingers with his left hand, his own little security system to ensure she doesn't escape too soon. Only when he's breathing deeply and lost in the land of baby boy dreams will she gently pry her finger from his and shut the door behind her. Those are sacred moments.

How about the pros of living at 37,000 feet? Those are just as easy to enumerate and one of them might be reading this very piece: You. I love meeting readers across the country, and I fully appreciate that being a writer means I need to connect with readers as much as possible. For me there isn’t anything more exciting than walking onto a stage with 800 people waiting to hear you tell a story. Or sitting at a rickety table in a mom & pop bookstore and having a reader tell you their book moved them to do or feel something entirely new. It’s magic.

I once drove with my good friend Mr. Please Kill Me Now Sore Throat over seven hours to a January signing in a North Carolina town so small the entire population showed up. All seventeen of them. They gave me a key to the city and put me on the ballot for mayor. It was certainly a trip I’ll never forget. Not necessarily for the day itself, though it was perfectly charming, but for the genuine thank you note I received from the bookstore owner. I’ve never been thanked with such sincerity. It would have made missing the nighttime routine at the Wright house a bit easier to swallow. If I could have.

Then there was the recent trip with a first time flier in her mid-fifties. She talked from takeoff to touch down to ease her anxiety. I'm embarrassed to admit that I passed most of those three hours trying not to be annoyed: Doesn’t she know I have episodes of ‘24’ to catch up on? Yes, that was a con. But when we landed and she took my hand in both of hers and thanked me for making her flight so comfortable, well - that as a pro.

A few days ago I got my first glance at my fall tour schedule. It was hard not to notice how many nights I'd be spending alone in a hotel with scratchy sheets and $3 bottled water. But it's easy to see that in places like Salt Lake City, Boise, Indianapolis, Sacramento and Portland, I'm going to meet the kindest, most amazing people who've also made a sacrifice to be there that night.

As I shake their grateful hands, stand in their photos and sign their books, I will sometimes picture my wife at home snuggling with my sleepy two-year-old. I'll miss them all, but I'll thank heaven above she's home to do it so well.

Then I'll look back at someone who took precious time from his or her own busy life to share a moment with me and offer thanks for taking time from my family to be there in their hometown.

Yes there pros and cons to living at 37,000 feet. But I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s life. That’s my life.

Wright Words: The Cameron Birch Christmas Jar Story

My latest syndicated column. Enjoy!

###

Wright Words: The Cameron Birch Christmas Jar Story

I am often asked, “who received the very first Christmas Jar?” While that’s impossible to know with complete certainty, I have always believed the first jar was received by perhaps the most worthy recipient ever. His name is Cameron Birch, and to commemorate this month’s release of Christmas Jars Reunion, the sequel to Christmas Jars, I thought a gentle reminder of where it began and why it matters four years later would be the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of colored leaves, crisp nights, and mysterious jars of change.

Cameron is a unique young man with a mission as inspiring as any you will ever hear. This is his story.

(As told by his father, Matt Birch, in December of 2005.)

_____


A little more than two years ago I was just a husband and father, enjoying my three amazing sons and beautiful wife. Cameron was four and like his older brothers, Braden and Tyson, had endless energy and personality and couldn't wait for the next big adventure. No one could have predicted the next adventure life had planned for him.

We embarked on that adventure January 9th, 2005 when we took Cameron to the emergency room after an unusually long bout with what we thought was a virus, or another average childhood ailment. Over the course of a month, spanning the Christmas holidays, his appetite left him and he began to lose weight. Every morning brought a severe headache and vomiting. He was actually excited to go to the hospital so the doctors could give him "good medicine to make my headaches go away," he said.

We all felt that way until a serious-looking doctor told us they found the reason Cameron was having headaches. "It's bad, very bad," he quietly whispered to us.

Six hours later we stood watching helplessly as Cameron was wheeled into surgery to have a malignant tumor the size of a golf ball removed from his brain. What was supposed to be nothing more than a quick trip to the hospital turned into a two week stay. It was the first of many more to come.

My wife and I struggled to understand what was happening. It seemed surreal, as if life were simultaneously going in slow motion and at the speed of light. We worried about how to make a four-year-old understand something we hadn't yet grasped. We didn't have to. He never asked any questions like, "Why me?" He never complained. The closest he ever came to complaining was during a particularly difficult day when he said, "Dad, this cancer stuff stinks."

He suffered through six weeks of radiation and months and months of chemotherapy. The radiation was the hardest part for him. He was fed through a tube and continued to throw up 20 to 30 times a day. He couldn't eat, play with his friends, or do many of the things most of us take for granted. What he did do was smile, laugh, and inspire everyone who met him.

One day, during a discussion with his aunt, he declared, "My mission in life is to beat cancer." He fulfilled that mission with everything he had. His little body may have suffered in the battle, but cancer never stood a chance against his faith, smile, laugh, attitude, and spirit. He totally and completely forgot about himself and worried about other cancer patients.

He would say, "It hurts my heart" to see other cancer patients because he knew they didn't feel well. When he was first diagnosed, he began praying for the other children with cancer. In every prayer, without fail, he would ask, "Please help all the other kids kill their cancer." He rarely prayed for himself. He was more concerned for the other kids.

His efforts went beyond prayer, too. He acted on his mission to beat cancer. In July of 2005 he asked for help setting up a fundraiser for the "other kids." He set up "Cam's Stand For Kids With Cancer," a stand along the parade route of the largest parade in Utah. He sold drinks, ice cream, and candy, raising hundreds of dollars. He took every penny of it and with his brothers personally made "Build-a-Bears" for each of the brain tumor patients at Primary Children's Hospital. Here was a four-year-old boy with hundreds of dollars and not once did he ask if he could have some of it for himself. The only question he asked was, "When can we go give the kids their bears"?

For 11 months everything was going perfectly with his treatments. There was no sign of cancer anywhere. His health was good and he was even able to get out and enjoy his friends. We were starting to plan a neighborhood party to celebrate the end of his treatments, and were looking forward to our family's trip to Disney World through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. We believed he was one of the lucky few.

We never made it to Disney World. November of 2005 brought another discovery that turned our world upside down, again. During a routine MRI, they discovered the cancer had returned. It had come back with a vengeance and now coated his spine with a layer of cancerous cells and spread up into his brain. In a cruel irony, the original tumor location was still completely cancer free. Options for his treatments were very limited at this point. The doctors thought he would make it until Christmas, but they couldn't guarantee anything.

The day after his re-diagnosis, I was home alone with Cameron. Cameron didn't know his cancer had returned yet. I was curious to know how he would take the news. Throughout the treatments we had always talked to him about how it was possible for the cancer to come back, but never dwelt on that possibility. I asked him, "So buddy what would you do if your cancer came back?" Without hesitation he answered, "That would be OK, we would just start over and do it all again." So we started over.

Shortly before Christmas the new treatments began, and Cameron had another idea that he wouldn't let go of. He wanted to give something else to the kids suffering with cancer. He thought about it and talked about it with us. He wanted very much to buy some toys for the cancer patient's playroom in the hospital. He loved to play with the toys and puzzles when he went in for his treatments. The playroom was one of the only places the children could go to escape the pain and worries associated with the rest of the hospital. He talked to the nurses and social workers to find out which toys were needed the most. He was very excited to go and buy them for the kids.

Unfortunately, the cancer got ahead of Cameron's plans. He often spoke of going to the store to buy the toys but his little body had begun to shut down. He struggled to walk, his appetite was gone, and he was suffering from double vision making it difficult for him to watch his favorite movies or play video games. Cancer was slowly robbing him of all of his favorite things and robbing us of our little boy.

Late one night just before Christmas, a knock at the door changed our family forever. The kids rushed from the family room and threw open the door to find nothing but the cold December night. In place of a visitor, there were two large jars sitting on our porch. Each was labeled in bright letters, "Christmas Jar." Attached to one of them was a copy of the book Christmas Jars and a note. The note explained how the anonymous giver had read this book and how it had changed his life. My oldest two sons each brought a jar inside and excitedly unscrewed the lids. One jar was filled with pennies. The other was filled with other change and some paper money.

I had just read the book and so I retold the story as well as I could. We talked about what it means to give unselfishly to others. We tried to figure out what generous person might have left the jars. Cameron was very excited that someone would do that for him and his family. He understood we got the jars because he had cancer. A light that had been dimmed by illness burned a little brighter in Cameron's eyes that night. This simple act of giving stopped - for just one night - the steady march of a terrible disease.

The next morning, Cameron commenced with the counting. He got down on the floor and counted each penny one by one. When all the money had been carefully counted, the total was more than $300. Then Cameron said something that captured his true spirit, "Why do people want to help me so much?" he asked.

"Well, because people love you and they feel badly that you are sick so they want to help," I replied.

"But dad, I can do this all by myself," he calmly answered.

Cameron decided at that moment to take the money from the Christmas Jars and use it to buy the toys for the hospital's playroom.

Cameron was never well enough to go to the store and buy the toys himself. Three weeks after Christmas he suffered a severe seizure that sent him to the hospital for another stay in the ICU, much of it on life support. After two weeks, we were finally able to take him home where he spent his final ten days on this earth surrounded by family and friends. Even as his body lay in his bed losing its battle to cancer, physically unable to speak, he continued his life's mission of beating cancer.

Everyone who visited Cameron left with a new resolve to live life as the gift that it is. Resolved to never take things for granted. Resolved to face each challenge with a smile. Resolved to always remember, no matter what setbacks come in life to say, "That's OK, we can just start over and do it all again."

A month after his death we were finally able to take the money from the Christmas Jars and buy the toys for the hospital. Right now there are children playing with new toys at the hospital because of the spirit of one little five-year-old boy, and an anonymous giver who understands the true meaning of Christmas and giving.

Recently, I was reminded of this when I spoke with the father of a little girl Cameron befriended while they were undergoing chemotherapy. On a recent trip to the hospital she went to the playroom because she wanted to play with a tool bench Cameron donated.

She was very disappointed when it wasn't there. "Where is the tool bench," she inquired of a nurse. The nurse told her how a little boy who was too sick to leave his room had asked for the tool bench to be brought to his room so he could play with it because it was his favorite toy. I knew that Cameron had a smile on his face as, even in death, he continues to "beat cancer."

This little boy is the reason Cameron did what he did. That is the reason someone gave my family a Christmas Jar. That is the magic of the human spirit and the magic of what one jar can do. My family thinks of Cameron every time we put a coin in this year's Christmas Jar. We can't wait to give it to someone special for Christmas and watch as the miracle spreads even further.

_____


(Cameron passed away six weeks after spreading the spirit of the Christmas Jar by using the funds from his own jar to bless the lives of other children. His family continues to fill and give away jars each year in his honor.)

And the winner is?

The total in the office Christmas Jar is $82.16. Unless my math is wrong, which is very likely, it looks like Glen A. Jones is the winner. Congrats Glen! Drop me a note with your address and I'll get your free copy of Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle in the mail.

Win a free copy of Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle

The new book is in! And thanks to the brilliant work of illustrator Ben Sowards, it's GORGEOUS.

Want to win literally one of the very first copies off the press and shipped?

Here is a picture of the Christmas Jar that sits on a bookshelf in my office. It's not the family jar, it's for me and my occasional office guests to drop our change in.

Guess how much is in the jar in the comments below. Closest to the actual total (yes, I counted!) will win a signed copy of Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle weeks before you can buy it! You can count on one hand the number of people outside my publisher's building that have seen this brand spankin' new book.

HINT: There are no bills. The jar contains only Quarters, Dimes, Nickels and Pennies.

Closest to the actual total by Saturday evening wins the book.

You may change your guess at any point, but you must delete your previous guesses.

Good luck!

Do you have a star on this map?