Gioia, Phil

As a boy, Phil Gioia lived in Italy, Japan, and America before going to college. Wherever his family was at Christmas, it was always a magic time of year. Today, Phil lives in Marin County, California with his wife, two daughters, a tabby cat, and a wire-haired Dachshund. Each year, Phil and his daughters plant magic candy cane seeds in special potting soil delivered by an elf. If carefully tended, by Christmas Eve a bumper crop of candy canes is ripe for harvesting.