I began writing poetry for my girl and boy twins in December 2020, when the world had gone strangely quiet. Playgrounds stood empty, birthday parties were cancelled, and even visits with Santa were uncertain. I wanted to give my kids something joyful to wake up to, something that would turn ordinary December mornings into little adventures.

 

Since 2018 we had a visiting Elf, who we named Jingle Socks, but by 2020 my children had grown skeptical. “He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t do anything,” they complained. “He just sits there.” So I brought him to life. On December 1, 2020 I wrote one poem. Then I challenged myself to write a new one every single day for twenty-four days. I wasn’t a poet, not officially, anyway, and it was far from easy. The rhymes were clumsy at first, the meter imperfect, but love and sheer determination to finish what I started carried me through. And then something wonderful happened - the magic came back.

 

Every morning my kids raced downstairs in their pajamas, with bushy hairs, and eyes wide open, looking out for Jingle Socks. They would find him making a deal with Grinch, or sitting on the fireplace after “borrowing” their favorite stuffed animal for an overnight adventure. Sometimes he left tiny treats. Sometimes he left silly challenges. But, always, he left a poem: playful, rhyming, and bursting with the everyday wonders of childhood. Through Jingle Socks’ voice, ordinary moments became extraordinary: dragon stuck in the mud turned into a saving quest, lost penguin toy was successfully retrieved, and importance of family, friends, kindness and joy was shared through gentle words.

 

What started as a one-year experiment became our most treasured family tradition. For four Decembers I wrote a fresh poem each day, capturing the laughter, mischief, and tender growing-up moments happening right in our house. In the last two years I’ve shared these poems with fourth and fifth graders in classrooms. The response still takes my breath away. Teachers told me the quietest students suddenly lit up. One nine-year-old girl wiped away tears and whispered, “These poems are so wonderful… you inspired me to become a poet.” A boy who rarely spoke in class said the poems helped him “see life in a more positive and beautiful way.” Those children’s words convinced me these poems deserved to leave our kitchen table and find their way into more homes.

 

This book is a collection of some of the very best Jingle Socks poems: whimsical, heartfelt, and delightfully rhyming tales that turn the ordinary into the extraordinary adventures. Perfect for reading one poem a day throughout Advent (or all at once on a cozy winter night), they spark imagination, invite giggles, and create the kind of screen-free memories that children carry into adulthood. Because childhood flies by, and every version of our kids - the curious, the mischievous, the dreamy - is worth treasuring. My deepest hope is that Jingle Socks finds his way to your family too, bringing laughter, wonder, and a little daily magic right when you need it most.

 

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