One of my favorite parts about Christmastime is gift shopping. So it’s no surprise one of my favorite parts of preparing for this weekend’s book launch party was assembling the gift basket I’ll be raffling off.

The basket’s theme is “Curling Up With a Sarah & Katy Book.” It includes:

• A signed copy of “Sarah & Katy and the Imagination Blankets,” plus an Imagination Blankets bookmark
• A signed copy of “Sarah & Katy and the Book of Blank,” plus a Book of Blank bookmark
• An exclusive imagination blanket
• “Jumbo” the frog*
• “Boomslang” the snake*
• A mug
• Hot chocolate packets
• Popcorn

With the first snow of the season forecasted for Saturday, a warm and cozy reading basket might be the perfect afternoon activity for the raffle winner.

This seems like an opportune moment to share a reminder: The “Sarah & Katy and the Book of Blank” launch party is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Prairie Creek Public Library in Dwight. The event is open to the public, so if you’re in the North-Central Illinois area, stop on by!

*Who are Jumbo and Boomslang? You’ll have to read “Sarah & Katy and the Book of Blank” to find out!