What's the secret sauce to a happy holiday season?

Shout out! - Bestselling picture book authors on holiday traditions

If you're looking to start or continue a tradition of reading classic Christmas children's books during the holidays, a great place to turn is to the award-winning author and illustrator Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner. Perhaps, best known for their New York Times Bestseller, Snowman at Night, this husband and wife team have created several wonderful Christmas books to kick off your holiday reading tradition. In fact, you'll want to make sure to check out their recently published Snowmen''s Twelve Nights of Christmas.

When I asked Caralyn about some of hers and Mark's holiday traditions, this is what she had to say, "Mark and I were both fortunate to grow up in homes that were emotionally warm, with yearly holiday traditions that we have carried on in our own family. When we got married we discovered that we both owned the same 35¢ grocery-store edition of T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which we both loved. When we had children of our own, we began collecting a few Christmas books to share during the season, and still pull them out each year even though our children are grown. Most important than the stories is the opportunity to sit close to a child and share a moment of joy together. With our own books we have tried to recreate that feeling of warmth and nostalgia, and hope that each time they are read those feelings return."