So far, my favorite Christmas gift this year is my auto harp. My father-in-law, a great collector of all things random, scarce, useless, and priceless, had this little treasure tucked away in his warehouse. I spotted the black case which I recognized immediately as some sort of musical instrument. I dusted it off and strummed away. It's an acoustic instrument with buttons that press the strings to play the correct chords, sort of like an accordion, only with strings rather than air to make sound. The auto harp came with Christmas music and a "how to" book for beginners. It's the perfect gift for me. I was mourning having forgot to pack my guitar on our Texas trip, and with no way to make music, I didn't know what I would do so far away from my piano. This was one of my first attempts at a complete song, "Away in the Manger," it only has 3 chord changes. :)

I went to a majestic castle yesterday. There were look out towers, draw bridges, and great stair cases. I ran up and down the entire length of the castle, then I jumped from the walls and landed on the gravel below. I fought villains and monsters. It was dangerous but I felt quite safe with my sword at my side. The kingdom was surrounded by a vast, sparking ocean and we fed the enchanted ducks that swam in it. Next, I flew. Really, I flew. Just look at the picture if you don't believe me. My feet were high up in the air. It was fascinating place and one I would never have found if not for my 4 (almost 5) year old nephew, Jack . I never knew such magical kingdoms existed in the middle of Texas.

My husband has been working on a special Christmas gift for his dad this year, a painting based of an actual photograph from the Hubble space telescope. He painted layer by layer, color by color until he created the swirling, smoky light effect. And the final layer, the stars. He used a layer of clear glass beads, which he then hand-painted each one. When the light is just right, they really do glow like stars.  I think it's a beautiful painting, and more importantly, his dad knows it was created with great care and love.

My husband is a country boy, whose southern draw grows consistently thicker and slower, whenever he is around his family in Texas. This Christmas, we are making the trip to both of our homes, first to Eddie's in Texas, then to mine in Nebraska. After 25 hours in the car, all Eddie wanted to do was go "home," and for him, that is his grandparents farm. His memories are endless and you can feel the warmth, hospitality, and comfort in this old farmhouse the moment you enter. If I could give Eddie any gift in the world, it would be an instant transporter from the show Star Trek, so that he could come here any time he wanted. But we only have a week. I spent time with my chicks (who've gotten so big since the last time I saw them!) And Eddie spent time with his grandparents, soaking in the happy, sweet memories of his home. The Farm House Country fresh eggs, anyone? I collected them myself Eddie and his Gramma

At a piano in TriBeCa Park in downtown Manhattan, I played "Moon River" from my all time favorite movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's . I was a fan of that movie before I was old enough to even realize what it was really about. I also realized that the silver bracelet I'm wearing in this video came from Tiffany and Company in New York City! It was my 3rd anniversary gift from my hubby. Enjoy the video. To see more videos from the Play Me, I'm Yours project, click here .

Somehow, I'm always aware of music playing in the background in department stores, people's cars, or somewhere in the faint distance no matter how high or low the volume. Suddenly with the sense of a wolf, my head raises and my ears turn towards the sound. It usually doesn't matter the genre or radio station, chance are I know the song and begin to sing along. I was mostly unaware of this fact until a friend told me back in college, "Beth, I love how all you need is a radio playing to make you happy." I actually remember my very first radio as a child. It was an am/fm dial clock radio that my mother used to set her alarm in the mornings. She must have got a new one and passed the old one along to me. I was so young, that I had no concept of the radio station call letters or frequency numbers, and I went through with a permanent marker, turning the knob and making dashes on the plastic cover to mark the place of the good radio stations. I remember turning the ...

One day, when my nephew was a baby, he cried and cried. Nothing could calm him. Not a funny face, not a bottle of milk, not a new toy. In my last effort to sooth him, I laid him on his back on the living room floor and found his blue cuddle blanket. In one motion, I held two of the four corners and raised it above my head, then let it slowly fall in one horizontal sheet right over his face. I pulled the blanket gently back towards me and it softly brushed his delicate cheeks. He ceased crying long enough to flutter his eye lashes and glance curiously at me, What was that? I did it again and again. Each time the blanket came towards him in the air, he anticipated the touch with bated breath. And when it stroked his face, he let out a peaceful sigh and deliberately blinked his large eyes when it passed over them. "Shhhhhhh." I whispered. And he was calm. That's how I feel about the first snow fall. I look straight up into the sky and watch the large flakes come slowly tow...