Hello! Paula Altenburg here.
It seems so early to be discussing a Christmas book! And yet, here we are.
My latest release, the seventh book set in Grand, MT and number four in The Endeavour Ranch series, involves a retired professional bull rider, a cute baby, and a perky blonde elf.
A lot of The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby talks about forming new Christmas traditions. The perky blonde elf heroine, Tate, has lost her twin brother. The retired rodeo hero, Miles, finds himself starting a new chapter in his life with a brand-new daughter he didn’t anticipate. Miles and Tate both love their family traditions from Christmases past. Both recognize the need to move forward and create new ones—for the people they love.
I’d like to talk about traditions; more importantly, the role women have played in the creation of them. This is going to take a little backtracking on my part, so bear with me.
I have a degree in Social Anthropology, so even though I write contemporary western romance, when I want to understand the mindset of a culture or society, I look at its origins.
Montana’s history is fascinating.
If you’ve read Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour, or watched old western movies on television, you’ve no doubt seen the litter of old pianos and heavy furniture left behind on the trail as wagon trains crossing rivers and deserts are forced to lighten their loads. You’re also familiar with the absurdity of it—why would anyone think these frivolous things are important for survival when traveling into the wild west?
As it turns out, these weren’t frivolous items at all. They played a significant role in survival.
While doing research, I stumbled across a master’s thesis from the University of Montana: “A Little Bit of Paradise”: Women’s Search for Comfort in Late-Nineteenth Century Montana by Allison Badger (May 2003). The study focuses on middle class women, who history often overlooks because they don’t appear to have much at stake. That doesn’t mean triumphs and struggles didn’t exist for them.
The thesis talks about colorful handkerchiefs tied to poles so women on the prairie could tell which way the wind blew as a means of preserving their sanity.
But the author challenges this observation. One quote caught my attention:
“Western domesticity allowed Montana women to continue operating in their feminine sphere and gave women the means to cope with their circumstances.”
Not every woman who came west wanted to dress and act like a man or become another Annie Oakley. Many women saw turning their backs on civility and the rules of society as defeat. Clinging to things that made everyday life more familiar and “normal” came with a sense of pride—things such as social etiquette, home furnishings, and fashion. These women knew how to turn a house into a home.
I like to write my western heroines feminine as well as strong, to take after the women who blazed trails for them. I think Tate Shannahan fits their model quite nicely as she struggles to rekindle the joy in Christmas for others, even though she believes the magic is lost to her forever.
For a chance to win a copy of The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby, drop one of your favorite Christmas traditions in the comments below.
THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS BABY
Rodeo champion and buckle-bunny favorite Miles Decker is the “face” of professional bull riding. So when his famous face is badly scarred in a bull riding accident, he retires from public life and returns to Grand, Montana, to manage the new circuit rodeo on the Endeavour Ranch. He has few regrets—he’s made his money and has had his fill of beautiful women. But his future is upended when a surprise Christmas gift lands on his doorstep: an eight-month-old baby girl with his eyes and smile.
Local girl Tate Shannahan just lost her elf job, so being hired as the caregiver for Miles Decker’s baby is a godsend for an already difficult Christmas. Her twin brother’s death in a bull riding accident fractured Tate’s family, leaving her and her older brother to continue the Shannahan traditions alone—or not, as her brother decides. The baby is a joy, but working for a man who represents everything her family has lost isn’t easy.
Miracles happen at Christmas though, and as Miles and Tate discover new traditions together, can love grow where they least expect it?
You can purchase a copy of The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby here.
Putting the tree up thanksgiving weekend.
Good morning everyone! I’ll be dropping by throughout the day. My favourite tradition is Christmas night, where we all gather at my brother’s house after dinner to watch movies together as a family. 🙂
Mine would be exchanging stocking gifts – small silly gifts.
We put up our Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend so grandchildren are able to decorate it. I also read the Christmas story before opening gifts.
Good morning. We put our Christmas tree up Thanksgiving night
Baking the special family recipe Christmas cookies while watching Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas.
decorating
Good morning, Paula. One of our traditions at Christmas time was, as a family, to attend a Christmas Eve church service and go home to oyster stew followed by opening our Christmas presents. I guess the presents being opened on Christmas Eve coincides with Jesus being give the three gifts by the 3 kings from the orient. Anyway, it was a very warm and happy time.
Family getting together on Christmas, sharing a meal, then opening gifts.
Decorating at the local hospital.
We have a large family …30 altogether, although it is rare to all be all in one place, but those of us who can, get together on Christmas Eve at my son’s house where we eat, and share small gifts with each other, then usually have Christmas dinner at my daughter’s house.
Hello Paula, You are a New to me Author so glad you are here today! My Christmas tradition is making homemade hot chocolate and baking cookies then getting to enjoy decorating the tree with the children! Have a Blessed weekend! Love the cover of your book It sounds like such a wonderful story!
On Christmas Eve, my family and I like to drive around and look at light displays while listening to Christmas music and then return home to drink eggnog or hot cocoa and eat Christmas cookies I baked.
Making M&M cookies together!
I love putting the tree up after Thanksgiving and we always have a big Christmas dinner on Christmas day too.
Food is such an important part of holiday traditions and memories. For many years we had customers who brought us tamales made from the pigs they bought from us to make their traditional Christmas tamales. Now our Christmas Eve meal is tamales even if we have to buy them. Christmas Day dinner might be roast pig, a beef standing rib roast, a crown roast of pork, or just turkey. Whatever the main course there is always applesauce fruit cake, lebkuchen, and an assortment of other Christmas cookies to top off the meal and munch throughout the holidays.
We decorate Gingerbread Houses with our adult kids and our granchildren while drinking Apple Cider.
I’ve been reading everyone’s comments all day! It’s been a bit of a drive-by for me. My first grandson is just home from the hospital and I couldn’t wait to visit him. 🙂
Congratulations!! Enjoy your new grandson. My favorite Christmas tradition is reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 on Christmas Eve. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
We have our girls, sons-in-law, and grandchildren over on Christmas Eve day for a feast of everyone’s favorite dishes, with everyone bringing something, or two or three somethings! Lol We have certain dishes that we must have and certain snacks (homemade candies, pies etc) and after we eat and have fun visiting, we open presents to and from one another. Our youngest granddaughter is usually Santa, but sometimes one of the older grandchildren wants to do the honors and even one of our daughters has played the role! Even I have! We just love to be together and we are so thankful to the Lord for the blessings of family, friends, food, love, and the gift of Jesus, our Salvation!
Making Christmas cookies together.
Making the Christmas turkey and other goodies.
Making sunbucles (a Scandinavian cookie)
We always open up one gift the night of Christmas Eve.
I enjoy spending Thanksgiving weekend as the kick-off to Christmas. We put up the outside decorations and start on the interior decorations. If we are lucky, we may get the tree up if we decide to use an artificial one that year. If not, we wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas to put up and decorate a real tree. Thanksgiving weekend is also the signal to start the Christmas baking.
Hi Paula, Welcome to P&P. Your new book sounds Awesome!!! Our Christmas tradition is taking our friends & family (a lot of cars) to Indianapolis, IN. to the Monument Circle Christmas tree lighting the day after Thanksgiving to start the Christmas season off. The lights are strung up to the top of the monument, it’s really beautiful. They have singing, dancing, hot chocolate, ice skating & etc. We also go & eat out before someplace in Indy. It’s the best of times!!!! Have a Happy Holiday!!!!