Penguin Group, the current publisher of Nora Roberts' books, features a Christmas video of Roberts, Vicki Lewis Thompson and Charlaine Harris on the Screening Room section of their website. The video, entitled "Holiday Greetings from Project Paranormal." contains these writers' recommendations for holiday gifts. 

Nora Roberts, Vicki Lewis Thompson and Charlaine Harris offer
Santa their recommendations for Christmas gifts in a Penguin Group
video.   (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

As might be expected, books rank high on the list of their approved gifts. Charlaine Harris, who thinks that books reveal more about the giver than the receiver, says, "I give everybody I know a book for Christmas, just about." She concludes, "For Christmas, books are the best gift to give."

Vicki Lewis Thompson, appearing in a sweater with the words, "Santa, I can explain," on it and a Minnie Mouse Christmas hat, sees Christmas as magic. She describes as a gift of magic the annual visit she and her daughter make to Tucson, Arizona's Winterhaven Festival of Lights.

Nora Roberts, like Harris, cites books as the best Christmas gifts of all.  "What can be better than a book?" she asks. "It's a little package. You can buy several books ... of mine, too." Roberts mentions Robert Parker's The Professional (2009) as among the books she would give to others. "You can't miss with Parker," she adds. She also lists Stephen King's Under the Dome (2009) as a book she would like to receive. "I'm a big fan of Stephen King," she adds.

Stephen King himself can be seen in another Christmas video from King's publisher, Simon & Schuster. In that video, King and other Simon & Schuster authors discuss their favorite Christmas films. King, though, has difficulty finding one he likes. That Christmas video can be found on the Mystery Series Examiner site.

The YouTube video of Roberts, Thompson and Harris making their Christmas gift recommendations appears below.