Christmas in the Hood — Nikki Turner

Christmas in the Hood presents fresh talent alongside shining stars such as K. Elliott and Seth "Soul Man" Ferranti -- all writing gritty tales that reveal what the holidays bring for the naughty and the nice who live by the code of the street. In "Secret Santa," after her children's Christmas presents are stolen, a woman has to decide what she's willing to sacrifice to give them the holiday they deserve; in "Me and Grandma," a senior sleighs more crack than candy canes to bring Christmas cheer to her needy grandkids; and in "Holiday Hell," Noelle must raise $23,000 to repay a loan shark or her sister will become a ghost of Christmas past. True to the streets and true to the season, these stories will raise the holiday spirit in the heart of even the most ghetto-hardened gangsta.