“One of my favorite days in the company, and Nattie Neidhart said it was her favorite appearance she’s ever done, is when we did our first Be a STAR talk with the [A Most Mizerable Christmas] book in Indianapolis. It all made perfect sense.”

Foley, Neidhart, The Miz and Kofi Kingston were happily booked for that Be a STAR book reading.

“We went from classroom to classroom reading,” Foley said, “and it was like doing a play. It was really a lot of fun. Next year I really want to see if Miz, Punk and I can get together and just do the whole book, almost as a performance piece, for classrooms. It would be really simple to animate this thing, and I think the story is timeless, no matter if the characters change, come, go. I believe it’s a good story kids will enjoy for years to come.

“Because it’s not in a wrestling context, it’s a story that will work every year [during the holiday season], whether someone is a wrestling fan or not. I learned from reading -- especially ‘Tales From Wrescal Lane,” and I probably read that at least a hundred times -- that teachers, who didn’t know the characters were based on WWE superstars, were surprised and fascinated by the books.”

• About the book “A Most Mizerable Christmas”

“For years The Miz has bullied his classmates — including Sheamus, Kelly Kelly, Wade Barrett, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and Natalya — yet managed to stay on Santa’s list of good boys. When a new kid arrives in town, he shakes the foundation of The Miz’s selfish beliefs and sets in motion a chain of events that results in The Miz trying to fool Santa Claus and his new helper, The Cenelf, on Christmas Eve. Will the new kid help everyone on Wrescal Lane enjoy the holidays while teaching The Miz a lesson, or will it be A Most MIZerable Christmas for everyone?”

Foley’s life is anything but ‘Mizerable,’ and his creative flair truly helps make ‘dad’ a one-of-a-kind renaissance man.

“I do get inspired by my kids,” Foley said. “This book is so important to me that it’s dedicated to them.”

The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“The Foley kids are creative,” he said. “My son, Hughie, has wrapped up eight or nine gifts made out of cardboard for me. Whether it’s what I put on my Christmas list or not, apparently dad is going to have a cardboard village on Christmas Day, and I could not be happier.”

The wheels are in motion, and Foley is already pondering his next writing effort.

“This book [A Most Mizerable Christmas] has already done well enough to merit a follow-up, which was my goal all along, and I’m really excited about it. So the next book will be inspired by Daniel Bryan who will be featured as a 7-year-old with a full beard.”

• Best Christmas gift Foley has ever received.

“Talking Football, when I was 7-years-old.”

Mattels Talking Football (with Dick Enberg): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMzYNjcNb0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1T1u3tBRkg&feature=fvwp&NR=1

Foley continued: “I recently found all my old Christmas letters, and I didn’t ask for much, but I was pretty specific -- Talking Football, a Chicago Bears bank, an NFL bathrobe, catcher’s mitt, lineman’s facemask. It was very sports oriented.”