The Book
For Those Who Dare To Believe That “All Things Are Possible”
THE CHRISTMAS TREE WISH BOOK
Selected by the NACG for their 2024 Annual Symposium.
Inspiration for THE CHRISTMAS TREE WISH:
I’m often asked, “What inspired you to write this book?” Well, the beginning of that answer goes something like this.
While decorating our Christmas trees in 2018, weeks before the day of Christmas, my husband asks me, ‘Wouldn’t it be something if all the trees that get cut down for Christmas are honored and live on in a special forest in heaven?’ My response back to him was a quick ‘Yes,’ but I had nothing more to say at the time, thinking it merely to be a peaceful statement about our time together that afternoon. Until one morning, upon waking, the whole story just came to me. It poured out of heaven like a gentle song, soft as the spring rain hits the ground and washes away the old to make way for the new. The process was entirely seamless and was not
something that I could keep to myself, so I had to share it with others by writing it down. And that’s the Spirit of Christmas for me. Sharing the real message of love and celebration of its joy,”
The Miracle Behind The Book
“There have been so many miracles connected to this book.
The story arrived in under three hours — complete, effortless, like a gift.
Then, when we went to print, a crown appeared over Liam’s treetop that neither the illustrator nor the publisher inserted. It manifested on its own — and it became a symbol of his divine awakening.
During my 2021 tour, a local businessman in La Crosse, Wisconsin, read The Christmas Tree Wish and wanted to ensure there were enough copies for the Boys & Girls Club. The response was so meaningful that he ordered additional books the following year to reach even more children.
And when tragedy struck the Milwaukee parade, I found myself exactly where I needed to be — signing books for people who were grieving and needed comfort. People lined up like they were receiving bread during the Depression.
I’ve learned that this book meets people in their deepest moments and offers them hope. And that, to me, is the greatest miracle of all.”
I know with all of my being… these miracles are not random.
They are markers — reminders that your work is guided, held, and part of a much larger arc of healing.
Daphne
Production:
The Christmas Tree Wish was written in the fall of 2018. It wasn’t until two and a half years later that the book came together with illustrations, design of the book layout, and the planning of our initial book launch.
Illustration:
The idea of hiring an illustrator is a lot like finding the right mate, as you will be married to them for life with the book. I see words as notes and imagery as being the music in them. Without an exemplary illustration, those musical notes will never be heard. Neither the words nor the art should tell the story alone, but rather symbiotically rely on the other to tell the whole story. The same is faithful with words expressed from the heart; they are shaped by hope to create the desired outcome. And that is how I found my illustrator, Brock Nicol.
Value Added Bonus:
The Christmas Tree Wish offers both fun and educational activities that are free online as a
value-added bonus to our readership. As an additional bonus, we’ve recently added ecards with
beautiful illustrations taken from the book.
“The greatest love that gives the gift of family is waiting for us to all see that the gift of hope must come from us who desire to be, the kind of love that our world needs to set hearts free, heal the lands, waters and the air we breathe.”
Daphne