It's the most wonderful time of the year, especially in Alabama. Celebrate the spirit of the season with these tales of Christmases past from the heart of Dixie. There is the story of Helen Keller's first Christmas memories in Tuscumbia, the tale of how Birmingham native Hugh Martin penned the classic tune "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," visions of all the impressive Christmas light displays throughout the state and much more. In a collection of tales that range from the heartwarming to the heartbreaking, Alabama author Kelly Kazek culls from over two hundred years of Christmas celebrations in the state and offers up a gift that no one will want to be without come Christmas morning.

Kelly Kazek is managing editor of the News Courier in Athens, Alabama. In her more than two decades as a journalist, she has won more than 120 national and state press awards. She is the author of two other books, Fairly Odd Mother: Musings of a Slightly Off Southern Mom, a collection of her syndicated humor columns, and Images of America: Athens and Limestone County. She lives in Madison, Alabama, with her daughter Shannon, their beagle Lucy and cats Mad Max and Luvey.