This holiday season I treated myself to watching a lot of Christmas romance movies. While I enjoyed the stories and loved the characters, I struggled to suspend my disbelief in the outdoor winter scenes.
In many of the movies—even those where a snowstorm closed airports, roads, and towns—the characters headed outside in below freezing temperatures wearing a light winter coat hanging open. They rarely wore mittens, boots or hats, and their scarves were merely stylish accessories.
Movie image
What would the reality be? I’ll simply say when I attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, we called the open center of campus Little Siberia. To walk across campus, I wore two pairs of wool socks, hiking boots, long underwear, jeans, a turtleneck under a wool sweater, under a wool blazer and a down coat. Under my hood, I pulled my hat down to my eyebrows and wrapped my scarf over my nose.
realistic image
In one movie, despite conditions like above, the town managed to plow Main Street for the Christmas parade. Because other roads were impassable, the entire town walked to the event dressed more for October weather. One girl in the crowd wore nothing more than a knitted poncho with bare arms visible as she waved to those on vehicles easily navigating the freshly plowed street. In reality, the street wouldn’t have been plowed and if it had, the city still would’ve cancelled the parade.
More realistic image
In many movies, the couple have had conversations outside. Often the heroine wore a strapless ball gown or cocktail dress, but the hero generously offered his tux/suit jacket to keep her warm. The couple finish their discussion, usually involving a big emotional reveal, and share a romantic kiss. Really? In reality, after two minutes tops they’d be charging inside or turning into well-dressed icicles.
Another thing I found odd that pulled me out of the story was everyone drinking hot cocoa and no one asking for coffee. How often in a coffee or donut shop do you see anyone over twelve order hot chocolate rather than coffee? In addition, when the characters wandered into the kitchen because they couldn’t sleep and ran into each other, they drank hot cocoa, chatted, and shared a romantic moment. Don’t get me wrong. Give me a cup with a peppermint stick and a dollop of real whip cream and call me happy. But in the real world, if I had hot chocolate in the cupboard, chances are it’s expired or dried into a hard clump.
Movie hot chocolateWhat we might have available.
I found myself developing a holiday decorating inferiority complex because every house inside and out looked as if the owners hired a professional decorator. The reality? Who knows how long it took the set director and crew to accomplish the task. For me, even if I started in September with an unlimited budget, I wouldn’t obtain those results by Christmas. And don’t get me started on stories where a Christmas shop provided the character’s sole income. No wonder she was having financial troubles.
Okay, I know they were movies, not documentaries. Maybe I had trouble suspending my disbelief because authors rarely get away with tweaking reality that much and my last novel, Aiming for His Heart, was set in winter. I considered how would my characters get around if the roads were closed. What would they eat? How long would they be cut off from the world?
Would I give up a moment of watching any of the movies? No way. But while I enjoyed these movies, I couldn’t help but think, would it hurt the story and destroy the mood for characters to wear hats (okay my cover heroine doesn’t have one, oops), gloves, and decent boots and for the character who adores Christmas to own a store that sells other items during the year?
What do you think ab0ut Christmas romance movies? What’s your favorite thing or your pet peeve about them?
I love to decorate for Christmas. Almost all of the items that I have collected over the years carry sentimental value. Some I can remember picking out with my husband 30 years ago. Others I remember crafting with love as a new mom. Some were gifts from friends and family. Others were made by the kids when they were in school. Some were crafted by my daughter as she fell in love with hand-making Christmas items. Our decor wouldn’t be found in the pages of a magazine, but it warms my heart every year.
The item I chose to share for our Filly Christmas Decor Crawl is my fireplace mantle. This section is dear to my heart for many reasons.
Sentiment. I cross-stitched each of the stockings. Opening stockings on Christmas morning is a tradition I grew up with and one I intended to keep after I married. When my daughter was born, it was important for me to have personalized stockings for each family member. So, for the first year, I stitched stockings for my husband, myself, and my little girl. Two years later, I added my first son. Then after another two years, I added number three. Each of these stocking took months to stitch, but every thread carried love and joy. .
Festivity. I love Christmas garlands, and while this one is simple, the classic green and red shout Christmas and bring a smile to my face. .
Faith. It’s always been important to me to remember that Christmas is all about the birth of our Savior. Since the fireplace is the focal point of our room, I wanted there to be a prominent display of the nativity there. I have collected Willow Tree figurines for years, and when I discovered they had a nativity set, I began asking for the pieces for Christmas. Then last year, I found the “O Come All Ye Faithful” sign at Hobby Lobby and it added the perfect finishing touch. Some of the nativity animals are hard to see behind the garland, but I love the reminder of the reason for the season.
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and that you are enjoying time with family and friends. May 2024 be a year of abundant blessings and good books.
I have to admit that my decorating has become more free form as time goes on. This year my two-year-old granddaughter helped decorate the tree, so we put the “special” decorations at the top and then let her direct the rest, using those wonder plastic Christmas balls that never break–even when a two-year-old feels enthusiastic in her decorating efforts. It’s a cheerful free for all, and we had so much fun putting it up.
We also decorate our outside “tree”. We put up this tree to give larger birds a place to land as they survey the area, and every Christmas it becomes our Festivus Tree.
And, as you can see, the cats truly enjoy the season. Sometimes they help with the wrapping and sometimes they guard the tree.
I hope everyone had the best Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!
Christmas is probably my very favorite time of year–every single year. My husband says I’m still “a big ol’ fifth grader” when it comes to Christmas, and he’s probably right about that.
Today I thought I would just share a few of my decorations–I don’t ever do ‘trendy’ things because my decorations and ornaments are ones that I’ve had since I was a child, going up through my early years of marriage, ornaments my own children made in school, and those we used to buy for them each year and hang on the tree. I couldn’t bear to get rid of any of these and opt for something more modern! These two pictures are last year’s tree since I have none of my presents wrapped this year yet, and I had to show you all the very best present of all that keeps on giving every day–Sammy, the dog!
Every year, I always include the little ladder with Santa and his elf climbing up to the middle of the tree. I got this when my kids were very young, and my son Casey was fascinated with my earrings. He took a little Christmas sticker and drew a picture of an earring, attached the sticker to the edge and put it on the elf’s ear. That elf wore that earring for YEARS until the glue finally let go and the earring was lost. You can see the ladder, Santa and elf in the first picture on the left side of the tree.
This is the first ornament I bought when Gary and I got married, waaaaaay back in 1979. It’s hard to see, but it’s two lovebirds with a red heart between them, surrounded by a clear heart. This is all blown glass and very fragile.
The last ornament my mom ever bought me. Clear glass, very fragile, and I put it on the tree every year!
Another “oldie but goodie”–originally a package tie-on, my mom converted this little deer into a much-loved ornament!
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I cross-stitched this ornament for her while I was in the hospital after my C-section. She has very dark hair in real life, but who knew? LOL This little angel is blonde!
Here’s the poor little mismatched, loved-through-decades nativity set. Mom and Dad had this nativity set before I was born in 1957! Oh, how I loved this, from the time I was able to crawl over to it! Some of the figures are plaster and have not stood the test of time (and three kids) all that well. I cut up a piece of green velvet fabric I wasn’t supposed to use to make Baby Jesus a beautiful blanket about 2 inches square for His cardboard manger. One of the wise men has disappeared, along with the donkey who didn’t make it, and a sheep. But, there are two camels, a cow and a sheep, along with a shepherd, two wise men, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and a plastic angel. The stable is cardboard, too. My mom gave this to me one year for Christmas when I was in my mid-thirties, and my kids were very small. We had a good cry over it at the time, but what a gift I will treasure forever!
This is one of my mom’s paintings that I am using on a display in my living room this year–it’s a very wintry scene and looks great with the bright red lighted poinsettias and some other Christmas-y things on my couch table. Below, you can see the entire display. That’s her painting right next to the old-timey lantern.
Here’s another favorite–back when latch hooking was so popular, I made this little Christmas tin soldier and he goes on my door every year. I can’t even remember how long it’s been since I made him, but I’m sure it was very late 1970’s. It wouldn’t be Christmas without him!
Here’s a couple of new additions to my holiday decor. These beautiful reindeer that I leave out all year round. I can’t bear to put them away. I’ve named them Fred and El Wanda, after my parents.
This is a plate I couldn’t resist and a little cute miniature bird house. Bought all of this just this year, but I won’t ever part with all the traditional decorations I love so much!
I always put “icicles” on my tree–this is something we did from the earliest Christmas I can remember, as a kid. I remember when we used to buy those for .17 a box–now, they are three boxes for $14.29!!!! Times have changed, in some ways, but I’m not sure it would be a real Christmas without those icicles, so it is my one big splurge from my usual practical outlook.
I’m going to attach a short story here that I wrote many years ago about why icicles are so important in our family tradition. It is based on a very true story, and I hope I did it justice. Merry Christmas, everyone!
SILVER MAGIC by Cheryl Pierson
Did you know that there is a proper way to hang tinsel on the Christmas tree?
Growing up in the small town of Seminole, Oklahoma, I was made aware of this from my earliest memories of Christmas. Being the youngest in our family, there was never a shortage of people always wanting to show me the right way to do—well, practically everything! When it came to hanging the metallic strands on the Christmas tree, my mother made it a holiday art form.
“The cardboard holder should be barely bent,” she said, “forming a kind of hook for the tinsel.” No more than three strands of the silver magic should be pulled from this hook at one time. And, we were cautioned, the strands should be draped over the boughs of the tree gently, so as to avoid damage to the fragile greenery.
Once the icicles had been carefully added to the already-lit-and-decorated tree, we would complete our “pine princess” with a can of spray snow. Never would we have considered hanging the icicles in blobs, as my mother called them, or tossing them haphazardly to land where they would on the upper, unreachable branches. Hanging them on the higher branches was my father’s job, since he was the tallest person I knew—as tall as Superman, for sure. He, too, could do anything—even put the serenely blinking golden star with the blonde angel on the very highest limb—without a ladder!
When Christmas was over, I learned that there was also a right way to save the icicles before setting the tree out to the roadside for the garbage man. The cardboard holders were never thrown out. We kept them each year, tucked away with the rest of the re-useable Christmas decorations. Their shiny treasure lay untangled and protected within the corrugated Bekins Moving and Storage boxes that my mother had renamed “CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS” in bold letters with a black magic marker.
At the end of the Christmas season, I would help my sisters undress the tree and get it ready for its lonely curbside vigil. We would remove the glass balls, the plastic bells, and the homemade keepsake decorations we’d made in school. These were all gently placed in small boxes. The icicles came next, a chore we all detested.
We removed the silver tinsel and meticulously hung it back around the little cardboard hook. Those icicles were much heavier then, being made of real metal and not synthetic plastic. They were easier to handle and, if you were careful, didn’t snarl or tangle. It was a long, slow process—one that my young, impatient hands and mind dreaded.
For many years, I couldn’t understand why everyone—even my friends’ parents—insisted on saving the tinsel from year to year. Then one night, in late December, while Mom and I gazed at the Christmas tree, I learned why.
As she began to tell the story of her first Christmas tree, her eyes looked back through time. She was a child in southeastern Oklahoma, during the dustbowl days of the Depression. She and her siblings had gotten the idea that they needed a Christmas tree. The trekked into the nearby woods, cut down an evergreen, and dragged it home. While my grandfather made a wooden stand for it, the rest of the family popped and strung corn for garland. The smaller children made decorations from paper and glue.
“What about a star?” one of the younger boys had asked.
My grandfather thought for a moment, then said, “I’ve got an old battery out there in the shed. I’ll cut one from that.”
The kids were tickled just to have the tree, but a star, too! It was almost too good to be true.
Grandfather went outside. He disappeared around the side of the old tool shed and didn’t return for a long time. Grandmother glanced out the window a few times, wondering what was taking so long, but the children were occupied with stringing the popcorn and making paper chains. They were so excited that they hardly noticed when he came back inside.
Grandmother turned to him as he shut the door against the wintry blast of air. “What took you so long?” she asked. “I was beginning to get worried.”
Grandfather smiled apologetically, and held up the star he’d fashioned. “It took me awhile. I wanted it to be just right.” He slowly held up his other hand, and Grandmother clapped her hands over her mouth in wonder. Thin strands of silver magic cascaded in a shimmering waterfall from his loosely clenched fist. “It’s a kind of a gift, you know. For the kids.”
“I found some foil in the battery,” he explained. “It just didn’t seem right, not to have icicles.”
In our modern world of disposable commodities, can any of us imagine being so poor that we would recycle an old battery for the metal and foil, in order to hand-cut a shiny star and tinsel for our children’s Christmas tree?
A metal star and cut-foil tinsel—bits of Christmas joy, silver magic wrapped in a father’s love for his family.
This anthology is only available used now, but it’s well worth purchasing from Amazon if you can find it, and reading so many heartwarming Christmas stories from yesteryear! Hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas and a fantastic 2024!
In our family, the Christmas holiday is full of delicious food and decking the halls. As native New Englanders, our decor reflects old-fashioned themed displays. Vintage St. Nicholas figurines, crocheted snowflake ornaments, Buffalo-plaid, greens, holly berries, and seed lights on our mantle.
So, get yourself a hot drink, slip into a cozy Christmas sweater, and put up your feet…and let the Christmas Decor Crawl begin!
Welcome to North Carolina!
As the real meaning of Christmas, the manger is the first decoration displayed. This year, my husband added the lights reminding us that He is the Light of the World and His presence is needed more than ever.
Here is the first of four trees…with its burlap-wrapped base, felt mittens and hearts ornaments, Buffalo-plaid ornaments, and clear twinkle lights, it greets our visitors in the foyer.
Here is our dining room with its Williamsburg centerpiece, greenery on the chandelier, and more Buffalo plaid stars and runner.
Welcome to the kitchen!
Tree #2 is our Williamsburg ornament tree. We have a yearly membership at Colonial Williamsburg, and each year they send us an ornament depicting one of the historic buildings in the town. In addition to MORE twinkle lights, there are miniature colonial men, women, and animal ornaments.
When our children were young, we gave them ornaments each Christmas with the intention that they would display them on their own trees. Which they did, but it left our living room (#3) tree woefully bare. So, for the next 25 years, we’ve been steadily adding ornaments. The ornaments are eclectic…snowflakes, icicles, wooden Santa, Red Sox, Jack Daniels, motorcycles, guitars reflect our interests. We’ve also added ornaments from places we’ve visited…Biltmore Castle, Monticello, Mt. Vernon, North Carolina’s Colonial Capital, New Bern, Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island, and Gatlinburg.
On the wall outside my office is a quilted wall hanging I during my annual quilt week a few years ago.
A trio of St. Nicholas figurines in front of tree #4 guard the landing to the upstairs. Several, several years ago, we purchased these from my husband’s co-worker. She crafted these using old pieces of fur, velveteen bathrobes, pieces of moss, and berries and twigs from nature. She also names each figure and gives him a back story.
There you have it…a little glimpse into Christmas in the Carolinas. From our home to yours, Happy Holidays!
Thank you for stopping by as I kick off our two-week long CHRISTMAS DECOR CRAWL!
Over the span of 48 years spending Christmas together, my husband and I have had relatively few Christmas trees in our marriage. As newlyweds, we bought live trees, but the cost (and finding needles in the carpet in July) compelled us to invest in a practical artificial tree. Later, once I decided I wanted something less ordinary, we splurged on a gorgeous flocked tree with wide branches that almost hugged the floor. It was so big, it would only fit in our bay window. And when THAT one got on in years and the flocking began to litter the floor, I went with something smaller that I love, love, love to this day.
I was strolling Hobby Lobby and found the tree on display. I was captivated by the slow revolving motion and decided to buy it right then and there. The store employee gave me a scare when he said they were out of stock of the revolving tree stand, but lo and behold, one final check in the back room yielded their very last one.
It is so meaningful to sit in our living room and watch the tree revolve. No putting ugly ornaments to the back. Each one is on full display as the tree quietly and slowly twirls around and around and around.
New this year – in my continuing quest to pare down on the things I’ve been storing for years, I was at a loss what to do with my grandmother’s wedding dress. I’ve been safely keeping it in an antique hat box in my storage room. She was married in 1927, and her dress was very simple. Bland, even. Maybe it was her taste, or the style, or her lack of finances, but I knew no one would ever wear the dress. Still, it broke my heart to throw it away or give it away.
And then I happened to catch a Facebook post from a crafty group of ladies where one of the members asked the same thing. What to do with her grandmother’s wedding dress. Someone suggested this idea, and I knew it was IT!
A string doll angel ornament. Here, the angel’s dress is made of the only lace on my grandmother’s dress, at the mid-calf hemline. The embellishment and pearls at the angel’s neckline came from my grandmother’s veil headpiece. The wings, halo, and ribbon trim are modern, of course, but this little angel is mostly 97 years old, and I will always treasure it.
The perfect 2023 addition to my revolving Christmas tree.
Is your tree a special part of your Christmas, too?
Or is there something else you hold dear during this time of year?
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmases and a peaceful New Year!
One of the many signs of the season is the appearance of mistletoe – on the trees, in holiday movies, on Christmas cards and hanging in homes. And being the curious person I am I thought I’d dig a bit into the traditions around this plant and how it became associated with Christmas and with kissing. And I’m going to share a little of what I found out with you today.
The mistletoe’s romantic association can be traced back to ancient times, where it held a special place in various cultures and traditions. The ancient Druids, who inhabited the British Isles, revered mistletoe for its seemingly magical properties. They believed it had the power to bring good fortune, ward off evil spirits, and even bestow fertility upon couples. During the winter solstice celebrations, the Druids would gather mistletoe from sacred oak trees using golden sickles and distribute it among the people, fostering a sense of unity and goodwill.
The mistletoe’s romantic symbolism is also deeply rooted in Norse mythology. According to one of the most popular myths, the goddess Frigg, who was associated with love and fertility, had a son named Balder. Distressed by prophetic dreams of her son’s impending death, Frigg sought a promise from every element in creation not to harm Balder. However, the mischievous Loki discovered that Frigg had overlooked mistletoe, thinking it was too insignificant to pose a threat.
Taking advantage of this, Loki fashioned a weapon from mistletoe and tricked Balder’s blind brother, Hodr, into using it to unintentionally kill Balder. Devastated by her son’s death, Frigg’s tears turned the red berries of the mistletoe white. To honor Balder and symbolize love triumphing over death, Frigg declared that the mistletoe should never again be used to harm but rather as a token of love, leading to the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe as a sign of goodwill and affection.
Fast forward to medieval England, where the mistletoe’s association with love and celebration persisted. As Christmas celebrations evolved and incorporated various customs and rituals, mistletoe found its way into the festivities. The plant’s evergreen nature and ability to thrive in winter contributed to its allure as a symbol of life and renewal during the cold and dark days of winter. During the holiday season, branches of mistletoe would be hung in homes and gathering places, inviting couples to share a kiss underneath. It became a symbol of peace, love, and reconciliation during the Christmas season, fostering a sense of unity and merriment.
The Victorian era, known for its romantic sensibilities and elaborate traditions, saw a resurgence of interest in mistletoe as a symbol of love and romance. As Christmas celebrations became more elaborate and festive, mistletoe found its way into holiday decorations, and kissing under the mistletoe became a cherished custom at Christmas gatherings and balls.
Over time, the mistletoe tradition became widespread, not only in England but also in other European countries and eventually in the United States. Today, mistletoe remains an iconic and enduring symbol of Christmas romance, with couples and revelers continuing to share kisses beneath its branches during the festive season.
Fun Facts and Trivia:
There are over 1,300 different species of mistletoe, and not all of them produce the iconic white berries. Some varieties boast vibrant red or yellow berries.
In Victorian England, there was a charming custom associated with mistletoe kisses – for each kiss, a berry was plucked from the mistletoe. Once all the berries were gone, the kissing had to cease. This added an element of anticipation and playfulness to the tradition.
Mistletoe has made its mark in literature, adding a touch of romance to various works. One notable example is Washington Irving’s “The Sketch Book,” where the author beautifully describes the festive atmosphere surrounding the mistletoe.
White berries are toxic, but not poisonous, to humans. But keep your pets away from mistletoe, it’s poisonous to them.
Some doctors prescribe mistletoe to cancer patients to help ease side effects from chemotherapy.
So there you have it, my short history of how kissing under the mistletoe became associated with Christmas.
Did you ever receive a kiss under the mistletoe? Do you hang mistletoe in your home as part of your Christmas decor? Leave an answer or comment on this or any thought on other Christmas traditions to be entered in a drawing for a Christmas book and a little surprise.
As I pulled out my eclectic Christmas decorations this year, I wondered what trends were hot this year. Of course, now distracted, I turned to Google to find out. Here’s what I discovered.
According to a Better Homes and Gardens article, (click here to read) this year’s all the rage color schemes are jewel tones, “Crisp” blue (whatever that is), pastels, and “wintery” white. (I’m always amazed that there are variations of white.) I love the idea of jewel colors. Deep maroon, emerald green, and deep purple with gold always say Christmas to me, but I’m not sure about the pastels. Another trend I saw multiple places was “natural” ornaments and “organic” greenery. Basically this is a fancy way of pinecones, oranges, cranberries, and real greenery or bringing the outside in.
Another article (click here to read) I found said to have a theme for a tree and decorations. It listed hot trends such as nutcracker, retro glam, pink Christmas Candyland (pastels again), gingerbread, and “mixed metals.” While they all look beautiful, and I would love to decorate with some of these (except for the pastels ?), two things keep me from doing so. One is the cost. Buying new decorations and ornaments is not in my Christmas budget. Plus, trends change so fast this year’s great décor becomes next year’s so over it trend. As to what’s out, I read mentioned ornate décor, tree skirts (we should replace them with a tree collar. See the picture below), traditional red and green. For me, that last one is never out of style.
A tree collar means using a basket, washtub, or something else for the tree to sit in.
The other reason I don’t want to replace my decorations and ornaments is because they mean something to me. It’s usually because of who gave the item to me and/or because of the event associated with it. I have “our first Christmas together” ornaments friends and family gave me and my husband. I gave my husband a little porcelain plane ornament. Every year when I see it, I envision him holding each of our sons as toddlers and them flying the plane around the living room before hanging the ornament on the tree. My bff Lori gave me a suitcase that says Australia ornament. That’s one of my favorites because when she or I have a bad day, we often joke about moving to Australia because of the children’s book Alex and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
One solution would be to have multiple trees. I started doing that a couple years ago, adding two table-top trees, but again, I went with ornaments that had an emotional connection. in the kitchen and family room. The one in the kitchen has Peanuts ornaments which I collected for years, but hadn’t put on the main tree for lack of space. The other tree has ornaments I’ve made to hold dog tags from our foster dogs.
So despite admiring all the wonderful magazine suggestions for decorations, this year I’ll stick with my eclectic-memory-filled items and save some cash.
To be entered in the random drawing for the long sleeve Merry Christmas T-shirt, leave a comment about your favorite Christmas decoration, ornament, trend, or what trend drives you crazy.
Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here, and I get to wrap up our Cowboys & Mistletoe Two Truths and a Lie posts. I hope you all have been enjoying them as much as we Fillies have. It’s always so fun to share festive silliness with special friends, which how I feel about this wonderful community that’s developed and blossomed here over the years.
Christmas books are not only fun to read but to write as well. For the writer it allows us to tap into everything we love about the season and it can bring up memories, both happy and emotional, as well as bittersweet thoughts of what used to be.
I’ve written a number of books set around the holidays, but today I want to feature His Christmas Matchmaker. I love Janell and Hank, they are such engaging, honorable characters who are perfect for each other – they just take a while to figure that out. But it’s the two children in the story, Chloe and Alex, who really touched my heart. Recently orphaned with one of them rendered deaf by the same accident that took their parents, they are truly hurting. And gruff, confirmed bachelor Uncle Hank means well but he has no idea how to help or deal with them. The fact that it’s just a month until Christmas drives this home all the more. Janell, a schoolteacher, recognizes that this newly-formed family is hurting and impulsively steps in to help.
Here’s a little more info:
A guilty secret…
Vowing to put her past behind her, schoolteacher Janell Whitman has resigned herself to spinsterhood and she’s erected walls to guard her heart from all but her students.
A solitary heart…
Hank Chandler is quite comfortable with his uncomplicated bachelor life. But when he suddenly finds himself the guardian of his orphaned niece and nephew he knows all that will have to change. Not only do the children need a mother’s love, but he’s not fit to be a single parent. So he’ll need to marry quickly, whether he wants to or not.
A Christmas bargain…
Seeing their need, Janell impulsively reaches out to help the hurting Chandler family. But when Hank proposes a businesslike marriage she draws the line at becoming his wife. She softens her refusal, however, with a counteroffer – she’ll take care of the children after school and help him find an appropriate wife in time for Christmas. After all, with a man as great as Hank, how hard can it be?
But as the holiday grows closer, it seems increasingly difficult to find a suitable candidate––not to mention even harder to deny their growing feelings for each other. It might take a miracle for these two hearts to become one, but Christmas is the season of miracles–and love.
And for my prize, I’ll be giving away a signed copy of one of my other Christmas titles, Her Holiday Family, along with a fun reader ornament.
And now, on with the fun!!
Below you will find three statements, two are true, one is not.
Guess which is the lie in the comments to be entered in the drawings.
Winners and answers will be announced on Sunday 12/03.
I LOVE Christmas decorations and must have hundreds of tree ornaments alone. In fact I have a walk in closet dedicated just to the storage of my Christmas stuff. Because it became impossible to use all of my decorations on the tree at one time, several years back I began doing themed trees, which allows me to rotate them in and out. Some of the themes I’ve done over the years include angels, bells, stars, snowmen, and even a fairytale theme – but my favorite was the year I did a nativity themed tree.
When my children were very young I started a tradition of buying them one ornament of their very own each year so that when they grew up and moved away they would have a ‘starter set’ of ornaments of their very own. My plans, however, met with mixed success. Two of my kids took theirs when they established their own homes, two of them still have their collections boxed up and stored in their former closets here at my house with the intention (or so they say) of taking them ‘someday’.
My siblings and I are all big on Christmas candy and treats and when we have our extended family gathering, which usually includes over 45 people, we all try to outdo each other. In fact there are usually more sweets than ‘regular’ food. My personal specialties are peanut butter fudge and a rice krispie based candy – and I like to experiment with at least one new item each year. As for the scrumdiddlyumptious candy my mom used to make, while my other relatives vied for her pecan pralines, I’d pass those up and go straight for her coconut pralines!
Thanks again for stopping by to play 2 Truths And a Lie with us this week. Remember that the answers and winners will be announced on Sunday.
And if you missed any of the 11 posts this week there’s still time to go back and get all caught up. Winners won’t be drawn until Saturday
To be entered in the random drawing for the long sleeve Merry Christmas T-shirt, leave a comment about your favorite Christmas decoration, ornament, trend, or what trend drives you crazy.
A guilty secret…
