BryonySeries at the 2025 North Pole Christmas Market

We are thrilled to participate for the secpond year in a row at the North Pole Christmas Market at Joliet's annual "Light Up the Holidays" event, which is held every year in several downtown locations the day after Thanksgiving.

The Joliet City Center Partnership hosts a wonderful event with live entertainment, ice skating, horse-drawn carriages, visits with Santa, ice sculpture demos, children's Ferris wheel, slide, tree lighting, and a large parade towards evening.

Bertrand and Uncle Barty are super excited to attend the Christmas Market portion of the event, especially we are helping to spread the joys of reading to children of all ages while also finding home for some of their mouse friends.

Here is an overview of BryonySeries books we'll have for sale.

And for every two BryonySeries children's books you donate for Santa Services and the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, you may adopt one of Bertrand's friends (while mice area available for adoption).

Available mice may not resemble these former adoptable mice.

Many mice will also come with a homemade stocking, courtesy of Cindy and her Ribbit-Ribbits.

If all the mice are adopted, we will have other "thank you gifts" available for people who purchase and donate two or more BryonySeries children's books.

Of course, you may purchase any book for yourself or gift giving.

We will also have WriteOn Joliet anthologies for sale, too, plus information about WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party on December 4.

The 2025 North Pole Christmas Market runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November 28 at the Renaissance Center, 214 No. Ottawa Street in Joliet.

For a full list of "Light Up the Holidays" activities, visit jolietccp.com/holidays.

Win a Bertrand The Mouse Christmas Book

Good morning!

I will be giving away TEN "Bertrand the Christmas Surprise" books on Friday in the North Pole Christmas Market at Joliet's annual "Light Up the Holidays" event, which is held every year in several downtown locations the day after Thanksgiving.

For the first time, the North Pole Christmas Market will feature a story time event, and I was asked to select and read the Christmas stories.

I chose two, which I will read at 11 a.m., before the drawing.

Both books are beloved Christmas books from my childhood.

And both books reference mice, so Bertrand (of course) is thrilled. 

Yes, Bertrand will join me for story time since he exists in order to bring the joys of reading to children.

The books are softcover and will easily slide into a standard Christmas stocking, if you can hold off reading them for that long.

So I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a positive part of a holiday kickoff event.

What fills you with thankfulness today?

BryonySeries at the North Pole Christmas Market

So my "wish list" event for many years was participating in the North Pole Christmas Market at Joliet's annual "Light Up the Holidays" event, which is held every year in several downtown locations the day after Thanksgiving.

The Joliet City Center Partnership hosts a wonderful event with live entertainment, ice skating, horse-drawn carriages, visits with Santa, ice sculpture demos, children's Ferris wheel, slide, tree lighting (canceled this year due to construction downtown), and a large parade towards evening.

Usually by the time I had my family holiday schedule (who was doing what, when, and where), I'd run out of time to apply.

This year I was smart (it happens sometimes), and I applied early. And I was accepted!

So needless to say...

Bertrand and Uncle Barty are super excited to attend, especially since I was asked to also be part of the entertainment and read some Christmas stories to the children (with a special giveaway, details on Monday).

And we also have some special "extras" planned at my booth.

The main one is a BryonySeries miniature backpack, which is doubling as a swag bag for the event. I'll be giving twenty of these bags away from my booth during the event. I'll share the details of that bag on Tuesday.

But we also have two more giveaways.

For any book purchase in the $15 dollar-ish range, you may take home one of these purple music roses (while supplies last), created by Joliet Public Library Youth Services Clerk Jan Stack.

And we also have crocheted mice for adoption for adoption for those who purchase three Bertrand books for $15, which is discounted from $7 for each book, one mouse per three books (while mice are available).

Bertrand knows each and every one of them, and he can assure you they will make lovely companions, all of which will be very thankful to have a new home for the holidays.

Happy Thursday!