When I was growing up, we usually didn’t have a Christmas tree. This picture of me and my family was taken in 1953 and one of rare times we had a tree. I’m on the far left. You see, my parents later joined a church that believed it was wrong.
The other time I remember we had one was the year my brother came home on leave from the army after being stationed in Germany for two years. I was 15 or 16 and it was a big deal.
We were so excited to see him and finally have him back with family. I remember my mom baked for days before his arrival. She made everything she knew he liked and we cleaned house until it sparkled. She wanted everything perfect.
I always hated not having a tree and after I left home and got married, I always made sure we had a tree. There might not’ve been much under it, but my children had a beautiful tree. In the beginning, it was always live and I remember well going to the tree lot and picking one out. That was fun. But as the kids got older and allergies began to be bad, we went with artificial. My kids couldn’t wait to get it set up and always loved to decorate it. That was special to us.
Christmas means a lot to me and it also does to Gillian Everly in Love Comes to Christmas. In fact, she owns a Christmas store and sells everything related to the holidays. But someone is trying to make her think it’s haunted, which she doesn’t believe for a second. She knows it’s someone who breaks in and makes her toys come to life, jarring her awake. She is also a very accomplished pianist and is preparing for a big program on Christmas Eve. But will she get to?
A new customer, a rancher named Brett Love, is trying to make sure she’s able to perform. So he loans her his dog named Zema as protection. Gillian and Zema get along famously, so much that Brett gets a little jealous. Along the way, love grows between Gillian and Brett and she sees his big heart that’s longing for a family.
I really enjoyed writing this and hope you find the warmth seeping into your heart as you read it.
I hope you have a blessed Christmas and the very best 2025.
I’m giving away a copy of Love Comes to Christmas (print or ebook) to one commenter so tell me a favorite Christmas gift of yours. Maybe it was a puppy or a pony. I always wanted a horse but never got one except the stick kind.
Blessings and love to all,
Linda Broday
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
A very special gift that I received was a baby doll cradle handmade by my dad. I still have it. I was five when I received it.
Oh Charlene, what a special gift. I’m so glad you still cherish and keep it. Your dad was one of the special ones. Have a Merry Christmas. Love and hugs.
I am reading this now and enjoying it. My husband is a gift giver and I have had many wonderful Christmas gifts. The one that stands out as the best ever was when he and my six children got us tickets to the PBR Global Cup in 2020. It was in Dallas and we live in New York so it was a trip. My oldest son also added to the gift and got me the “meet and greet” with the bull riders and I got my picture taken with Jess Lockwood. It was so exciting. We still get a real tree and I collect Christmas tree ornaments from our travels, so there are many interesting ones on the tree.
My goodness, Elaine. What a wonderful gift, not only for you, but all your kids. Wow! A picture with Jess Lockwood would be so exciting. That must’ve been fairly recent since he’s only 27 years old. Wow. Your husband must really love you. 🙂 I’m so glad you’re enjoying Love Comes to Christmas. I hope it brings you pleasure. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
my first Breyer Paint horse that I still have was around 1974!
Teresa, those Breyer horses are all so beautiful. I’m sure the paint horse is exceptional. Keep holding on to that . It might be worth something one of these days. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Early on when our kiddos were 1 and 3, I really wanted one of those new fangled bread makers. But I didnt want to ask for it because we were a little strapped for money at the time. So my birthday rolls around (Dec 22) and my husband and two kids gave me a gift. I really expected nothing that year. I opened it up and started to cry. Our son saw this and thought I didnt like the gift so he started to cry. Our daughter not knowing what was going on seeing mom and her brother crying, started to cry. My poor husband not knowing what to do, just went and got Kleenex’s and held both kids. Finally I was able to get myself under control. (yes this happened real fast) and I told them that they were happy tears and I grabbed the bread maker and my husband the two kiddos and we immediately went into the kitchen and made our first loaf of bread.
Lori, I totally understand. I cry as well when I open gifts that I know the giver couldn’t really afford or just special ones that have meaning. Tears come pretty often. I had one of those bread makers and had to give it away after we gained tons of weight. But man, that was the best bread. Sometimes I wish I still had it. Back then I always kept a sourdough starter so the bread turned out really tasty. Much love and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas and it is hard to pick just one gift, as I was lucky to have parents and a grandmother who bought me nice things. But I do remember getting my Barbie dream house way back in the 60’s. I remember coming down to the tree and seeing it there and it gave truth that there was a Santa Clause.
Kathleen, a Barbie dream house would be truly special. Wow! What a great Christmas! Yes, Santa truly does exist!! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and your family.
My mom grew up Plain, and she never had a tree till my parents were married and my dad insisted the new baby (me) needed a tree.
Plain–Anabaptists like Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren–don’t have Christmas trees.
As a child, my favorite gift was receiving the Barbie townhouse. As an adult, my middle was born 12/21.
So you understand, Denise. I still don’t see the reasoning behind the no tree rules. How thrilling to get a Barbie townhouse! I remember my excitement to get a doll that opened and closed her eyes! That was a big thing. Oh a Christmas baby! You can’t beat that as a gift! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
My mom had purses made for my sister and I out of my dad’s boots. I treasure mine even more since my dad passed away in 2017.
What a cool thing to make with the boots!
Kim, wow. Your mom was amazing. I wish I knew how to do this. I would treasure that too. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
My favorite gift, I had asked for a.stove for my Barbie.
Granny, limited funds, found a cast iron stove. It was my favorite toy until mom’s antique mirror, huge over 3 ft tall, broke it’s holder and fell on the stove. The stove kept the antique frame from breaking. Unfortunately the mirror broke my stove.
I was sharing this story with my hubs one day before a Christmas. He found one and bought t from me.
Deb, everyone knows Barbie needs a cast iron stove. She can’t cook without one. How wonderful that your hubby surprised you with another one. That makes Christmas so special. I pray you find happiness and joy this holiday season and make more special memories.
A favorite gift that I still remember is the year (in the 50s) I got a record player and the top hits at the time to play on it. That gift brought me a lot of pleasure for a long time.
Janice, that was a nice gift that kept on giving. I’ll just bet some of your records were Elvis songs. 🙂 I got a record player one year but not for Christmas. I played those records and sang at the top of my voice. Loved listening to Elvis of course, but also the Everly Brothers and all those old favorites. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I think my best gift ever was a pair of slippers that looked like beagles. I kept them on my bed for the longest time because they were like stuffed animals but I eventually wore them. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of your book. I enjoyed Away in Deepwater and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Vickie, I’ve seen those house shoes that look like stuffed animals but I never had any. Not sure I could walk in them. How wonderful to cherish them. They’re too pretty to wear. I, too, loved Away in Deepwater. That was a wonderful story. I hope you continue to find books that bring warmth to your heart. Merry Christmas!
When I was nine years old, I received a sweatshirt with Roy Rogers and Trigger on the front. I was thrilled! It fit right into my tomboy ways. Ha! Merry Christmas Linda. Love you dearly.
My dearest Kathy, a sweatshirt with Roy Rogers and Trigger was surely a special gift. You must’ve been heartbroken when you outgrew it. Much love to you, dear friend. Merry Christmas to you and Ron. And may 2025 bring good health and happiness.
As a budding young artist, i always loved getting a new box of crayons, paper and coloring books. I still do artwork today, but mostly watercolor painting.
But I can still remember smelling that new box of Crayons. yummmm
Miss Joye, I didn’t know you like to draw and paint. That’s wonderful and bless you for using a God-given talent. Yes, those crayons sure smelled good. My sister liked to eat them too! Merry to Christmas to you and yours.
My husband for our first Christmas bought me some clothes. They were wool and I broke out. We had fun buying new ones.
Debra, I can’t wear wool either. So scratchy. I’ll bet you did have a lot of fun replacing those. Thank you for being such a long time supporter of P&P. We love you. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
My favorite gift was the year I got the Donny and Marie Osmond dolls and their van. I loved it and I still have them (57 years old). My mom made Barbie clothes and when they came out with a pattern with them on it she bought it and made the clothes for my dolls. I still have their original outfits and microphones.
Naomi, what a treasure! I’ll bet those are worth a lot now. Your mom must’ve been an angel to make those clothes for them. I never had Barbie dolls. All I had growing up were paper dolls. We had fun cutting them out and putting them on our cardboard dolls. Merry Christmas to you and yours. And thanks for supporting P&P.
Merry Christmas Linda! I loved your book! Loved the little niece too! This isn’t about a special gift, but a sweet memory. My brothers and I went with our father to cut down a tree when we were growing up. There were many cedars in the fence rows. We always enjoyed that. Then to bring it home and decorate it! Mama still decorates with some of the old decorations we grew up with from the ‘60’s and 70’s. Wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing your story!
Merry Christmas to you and your family Linda!
Tracy, thank you so much for liking Love Comes to Christmas! That is a special gift to me. I agree about Meg. She was a darling. Love your memory of selecting a tree and decorating it. I think walking among those trees looking for the right one would be heavenly and I’m sorry I missed out on that. Bless your mother for keeping those old decorations and still using them. Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope it’s merry and bright.
Rabbit coats were a huge thing back in the 70’s I got one for christmas one year.
Kim, wow a rabbit coat. I got one that I bought myself back then and the fur started coming off. But I loved that coat. It was really warm. Merry Christmas to you and yours and thank you for supporting P&P.
My favorite Christmas gift was my husband asking me to marry him. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you. Merry Christmas.
Debra, what a wonderful Christmas gift. That would be a really great title–A Husband for Christmas! May you have many, many more years together. I lost my husband almost twenty years ago and I still miss him. Merry Christmas to you both. Cherish the years.
My favorite gifts were always the things my grandma made for me. She was an excellent seamstress and did embroidery and crochet work. I always looked forward to seeing what she had made.
Jackie, that was really something to look forward to. I’m sure you received some amazing gifts. Getting homemade items is sure special I think. Merry Christmas to you and yours. And thank you for supporting P&P for so long. We appreciate that.
As a little girl my favorite gift was always a new baby doll.
Barbara, those new baby dolls were quite something. For some reason, my mom bought me a doll when I was really too old for it one year. I still have it and keep it in my trunk. It might be worth something if I ever decide to sell it. Take care and Merry Christmas!
Since I am 80 years old my memories of the first Christmas’s are very few and far between. The one gift which is clear to me is a Christmas in which I got a nut cracker set from my parents. You see, I had gotten married on November 23rd, my birthday is on December 7th and then Christmas the 25th. Being the female getting married, my parents had lots of expenses so money was short. Understandably, the nutcracker set.
Judy, I’m right behind you in age and money was always short in my family too so we never got much. The Christmas of the picture I posted must’ve been a good year. I remember some where we only got an orange and a few pieces of hard candy. I don’t know if you watched The Waltons, a show that ran for many years, but that scene where John Boy only got a Big Chief tablet and a pencil always made me cry. I think it was because it meant so much to him and I can relate. Merry Christmas! I’m wishing you a very good 2025.
I got a puppy one year but I was over 21 when I did. I just am not fond of the person I received the dog from for quite some time and sadly the dog has crossed the rainbow bridge.
Joannie, a sweet puppy was a great gift. I’m sure it gave you a lot of joy for many years, even if the giver hadn’t worked out. Merry Christmas and thank you for supporting us at P&P. May 2025 bring you good health and happiness.
So many wonderful gifts through the years, but the best one of all when I was a kid… seeing my grandparents. I was always so excited to see them… made my heart so full!
Colleen, grandparents sure make the holidays special I think. Although I never knew my grandparents very well because we lived so far away. But anytime with family makes my heart so full and grateful. Much love and Merry Christmas to you.
We had trees but no Santa Claus whatsoever. When I had children they had Santa and my mom still disapproved of that.
Rachel, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who grew up in that kind of home. Bless you for adhering to that with your own children. Once I left home, I gave my kids everything I’d missed. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas Linda my favorite memory was spending the holiday with my Parents oh how I miss those days!
Sarah, that’s really special for sure. Sometimes I wish I could go back to my childhood and the innocence. Where everything was much easier and people were kinder. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I, too, always wanted a horse but never got one. (Except for a ceramic little horse statue on my birthday cake.). I was the oldest of 6 and there may not have been much for each of us under the tree, but with 6 of us even a couple each added up. We always went out to the woods behind our house and cut a tree. My mom loved Scotch Pine, so that is what we got. She would make a garland of branches to put up along the moulding around the top of the kitchen walls. The gift I remember the most was a lovely dress. It had a black top, a black watch plaid skirt, red sash, and a sewn in crinoline. I was probably in 4th or 5th grade.
I hope you hand yours have a wonderful Christmas holiday and a great 2025.
Patricia, that sounds like a very special dress and I’m sure you were admired when you wore it. Maybe you even made some other little girls jealous. How special to cut your own tree. We always had to buy ours whenever we got one. I can just image how wonderful your house smelled. Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Barraclough. Much love.
My chatter phone always stands out as a favorite Christmas gift, and the year I received my own set of keys to my parents’ car! I was the only one of my three older sisters and I who ever had her own set of keys to their car! It was the first of a couple of sets, too!! It worked out really well in their favor many years later, too. Daddy was having to use a walker in his last years, and Mom had taken him to a doctor appointment. She’d locked her car door and accidentally shut it when she got out. She went to help Daddy out, and before Mom could tell him not to lock and shut his door, he had. Her keys were locked inside the car and the motor was still running!! She called me at work to see if I had my keys, and I did. I had to drive to the doctor’s building, unlock the car, and then go back to work.
Trudy, that’s something you’ll never forget. Wow. Bet you felt really grown up with your set of keys to the car. Bet your sisters were jealous. I just hate to lock my keys in the car. Makes me feel really stupid. Of course, your dad probably thought he was helping. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I got a Cabbage patch doll.
Bridgette, those dolls were the rage back then. My youngest daughter begged for one. I couldn’t afford to buy from a store but a friend knew how to make them so I had her make my daughter one. That lasted for a good many years. They were so ugly they were cute. Merry Christmas!
Favorite Christmas giftS….rocking horse, barbie doll, camera and a diamond ring from my late hubby
Lynn, that’s quite a list. Bet that diamond ring topped everything. It would me. You were blessed. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Years ago I received a clock radio (with alarm) for Christmas from an aunt. I still have it and it still works. I think that It probably still works because it’s not digital since digital wasn’t around yet back then.
Diana, those older products were so much better than these modern ones and they last a long time. A great memory. Merry Christmas!
coat
BN, thanks for coming to leave a comment. I bet your coat was so pretty. And warm. Merry Christmas!
One year when I was about 10, I told my grandmother I wanted a night stand like hers for Christmas. For my Christmas gift she gave me that nightstand that year. I still have it over 60 years later.
I got a dolly and a buggy to push her around in. I loved it! Your book sounds like a great read and the cover is Beautiful! Thank you for the chance.
I guess my favorite gift would have been my Barbie doll that I got one year for Christmas. I still have that Barbie today but she is in rough shape because I played with her a lot.
My kitchen aid mixer. It took me 17 years to get it- I have now had it for 13 years and it’s still one of my favorite gifts from my husband.
My Kindle e-reader. It let me buy more books without the clutter.
My favorite gift I got was my Dad coming back home me after being in on strike and stuck behind the picket lines and couldn’t come home until January it was so special and good to get him home Santa and his elves really outdid themselves by making sure Dad’s signed the contract that year, I was a kid when that happened.
The best gift I ever got for Christmas was the year my dad stayed sober the entire day because I asked him to.
We never got a lot of toys for Christmas, there were seven of us and I am the youngest. I only remember ever getting three dolls. The first one had a modeled rubber head and her lips were puckered up like she was ready for a kiss. Her hair was molded to look like two ponytails with a red bow at the top of each. The bows were attached with a straight pin stuck into her head. My second doll was about 10″ high and hard plastic but if you held her hand and moved her side to side, it looked like she could walk. lol My last doll was a bride doll which I got when I was a senior in high school. She was a different kind of rubber also, but she melted from the heat. We didn’t have air conditioning and she was packed down to keep for me when I left home. I still have her bride’s dress. So many wonderful memories.
Linda, I always remember begging my mom for a Scotch pine tree for Christmas. I thought those trees were SO beautiful! But of course, they were a bit more expensive, too, and Mom always said no. LOL We always had a great tree (or so I thought, to my childish eyes) and I still have some of those old decorations I use to this day! Lots of great memories at this time of year. I can just imagine how thrilled your whole family was to have your brother home for the holidays that year! Love you, filly sis! Merry Christmas!
When I was little I got a play kitchen one Christmas. That was the funnest surprise going out to the tree Christmas morning and seeing my very own kitchen set up there!
When I was probably 10 I got a rock polishing kit. The next year I got Creepy Crawlers (I can’t figure out why I wanted that one). Being the oldest of 10, Mom spruced these up and gave them to younger siblings a few years later.
My memory is the gift of a person… the year Santa came to visit our farm… my brother & I were likely 4 & 5 years old… We had many conversations after his visit as to how he got into our house with no chimney entrance. It was years before we knew our visitor that Christmas eve was our neighbor.
When I was a child, it was a Barbie townhouse which I had been asking for years for.
Oops I’m a bit late. My favorite gift was my youngest son. He was born Dec 16th but came home Dec 26th. He was 4 weeks early. There were complications and I spent 30 days laid up in the hospital just trying to not go into labor. The complications decided that the 16th was birthing day and so we began. Him and I almost died in the process. No medication for the pain so I felt it all. So he’s my Rainbow and Miracle baby.