Jill Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor novella, Under the Mistletoe releases tomorrow and she is here today to talk about her favorite holiday moments.

Top Five Holiday Moments:

1. When my youngest turned eight she very solemnly told me she knew that Santa was a hoax. I said no, baby, it’s not a hoax. Santa lives in your heart. As long as you believe, he’s real. She took this in and gave it some thought, and shook her head. “I know it’s daddy. But that’s okay. I love daddy more than Santa.” I gave her a hug and then she pulled back. “But it’s a good thing the Tooth Fairy is real, cuz daddy would not look good in a tutu.”

2. When our then nine month old black lab puppy waited until we’d finished decorating the tree, complete with a really pretty tree skirt and wrapped presents to … pee on it all.

3. When I, in a bout of anxiety, ate all the cookies in the house the day of Christmas Eve. And then when it came time to leave out cookies, we had none. So I hurriedly baked some from frozen dough and burned them and the fire alarm went off and the fire department came …

4. When I shopped months ahead of time FOR ONCE, so proud of myself, and then couldn’t remember where I’d hidden the gifts. Literally, couldn’t remember. Couldn’t find them. I found them the following June.

5. Every single Christmas morning when I have all my kids with me and feel like the luckiest woman on earth. Until the gifts are unwrapped and the fighting and bickering resumes…