You are cordially invited to join us for a Christmas Decor Crawl starting on Monday December 18 and lasting until Friday December 29. Please grab a cup of cocoa and a slice of fruitcake and settle in as the fillies move house to house to share their favorite holiday decorations!
Happy Holidays!
Howdy!
Gosh, I can’t tell y’all enough about how much I enjoyed our conversations yesterday! Thank you all for coming to the blog.
Now, because it is Christmas and it is the season of giving, I am giving everyone who came to the blog yesterday, and who left a message a free e-book of my newest 25th Year Anniversary book. All you have to do is email me privately at karenkay.author@startmail.com in order to get your book to you.
This includes, Denise, Ami J., Tracey D., Rhonda P., Kathleen O, Pam H., Colleen C., Kim H., Barbara R. Judy S., Cherie J. and BN.
Thank you so much for a delightful day yesterday. I very much loved talking to y’all yesterday and in my small way, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Howdy! Howdy!
Since it is the season of giving, I’ll be giving away two e-books of the new release of the 25th year anniversary edition of WAR CLOUD’S PASSION. Just leave a comment to enter into the drawing.
Because one of my favorite memories of the Christmas season is story telling, I thought I’d tell you a recent Christmas story.
And so here we go — a Christmas story:
About 10 years ago, my daughter had asked me if my husband and I might consider relocating to the East so we could be closer. She specifically asked if I might help her by becoming a nanny for her daughter. My granddaughter was then two years old and my daughter was pregnant with her son…my grandson. Of course, my husband and I decided this is what we should do. So in 2013, I came to the East to help my daughter and to become my granddaughter’s “nanny.” (My husband came a little later, in 2014.)
Anyway, a year went by and I loved being with my granddaughter day in and day out — and we went to the local toy story a lot. At least once a week. It was a beautiful store and friendly and always had lots of new toys. The 2013 Christmas season came and my grandson was born only a few months previous to Christmas and so, with my daughter being home, recovering from giving birth, I was spending even more time with my granddaughter.
One day we were in a toy store and I saw a book of karaoke sing along Christmas songs, meant to be sung in the car. It contained a CD disk and at least three different song books, as well a book full of information about the various songs and the words.
I couldn’t believe my luck. I bought two of them and I’m glad I did.
We sang and we sang and I think my granddaughter’s favorite song was Jingle Bells (of course). My husband was yet to join us in the east and so I was with my granddaughter a lot and we sang and sang and sang as we drove to various places (parks and museums, etc.)
A year went by and my grandson was now one by the next Christmas and my granddaughter was four. She was in school, but the school was a 45 minute drive away and my grandson did NOT like car rides…at all.
Well, I discovered that one particular Christmas song from this sing along CD would sooth his utter dislike of car rides. Can you guess what the song was? It is probably one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, and although it is usually sung at Christmas, it was actually written to be sung to celebrate Easter.
Do you know what it is?
It is The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
This beautiful music kept my grandson from whatever it was that caused him to dislike car rides so much. He would listen for the entire car ride, which was really something considering he was only a year old.
Gosh, we must have played the song all the way over to where my granddaughter was going to school and all the way back home again. My granddaughter and I soon memorized the words and sang and sang and sang it.
Well, once again, time has gone by and with all the activities both the grandchildren are in nowadays, we seem to be in the car again…a lot.
So it was that only two or three nights ago, as we were driving home, we had on the same karaoke CD and Handel’s Messiah was playing. We were all singing along loud and strong. My daughter knows the harmony and the rest of us sang the “melody,” which often changes here and there as I’m sure y’all know. It was one of those moments for me — one of those pleasant times when “all was right with the world.” Even though it was only a brief moment when time seemed to stop temporarily, it was beautiful.
And so in honor of this extraordinarily beautiful piece of music, I thought I’d include a sing along. So I hope y’all will have a wonderful time enjoying and singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. Oh, my goodness! There’s one of the fillies singing right along. Hope you’ll join in with her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nV2Q-eNqMY
Did you do it? Did you sing along? I did and I hope you enjoyed singing along, too.
And so now a little about this 25th Year Anniversary Edition of War Cloud’s Passion. When we do these anniversary books, we freshly edit the book, which is another full edit. We put a new cover on the book which is a little more up-to-date, and additionally, putting these out again brings the original map (drawn by my then teenage daughter) back in the book, along with the original poster.
Here’s a short blurb of the book:
The Orphan Trains .Anna’s act of kindness to War Cloud’s kidnapped brother has saved the orphans lives. War Cloud, who led the attack upon their train, is enraged because honor demands he lead them to safety. But as passion grows, War Cloud must resist Anna’s charm because a curse hangs over his family, endangering them all should he fall in love.
tinyurl.com/warcloudspassion
Hope you’ve enjoyed the blog today and I hope you’ll tell me some of your favorite Christmas songs and memories.
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.
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.
Tomorrow is a big day for me.
It’s the 10th annual Cowboys & Christmas Celebration on Facebook – a party that gives me an excuse to have a day of fun with my author and reader friends while raising funds and awareness for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.
Ten years.
When I hosted the first party, I never imagined it would turn into an annual event. But it has, and I’m so glad!
It all started with a trip Captain Cavedweller and I took to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
We were at the airport, waiting to catch our flight home, and I noticed there were a lot of other rodeo attendees waiting to go home as well. The airport was a sea of cowboy hats!
As we sat there, I started thinking about how fun it would be for a rodeo cowboy to meet an uptight business executive at the airport and fall in love.
By the time we landed, The Christmas Cowboy, the first book in the Rodeo Romance series, was already taking shape.
After I began writing the story, though, I wanted to know how much care an injured rodeo cowboy would receive right there at the rodeo arena before they sent him to the hospital.
In the story, the hero is a saddle bronc rider named Tate who sustains an injury at a rodeo. In an attempt to get my facts straight for the story, I reached out to the Justin Sportsmedicine Team®. Through mobile medical centers, they provide care at more than 125 PRCA rodeos annually. Their responses to my questions were extremely helpful and I was so impressed with them, I wanted to do a little something in return.
That’s when I learned about the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.
Most rodeo athletes aren’t able to get insurance because it isn’t a matter of “if” they get hurt but “when.” Because of that, when they sustain injuries that leave them unable to compete (and earn money) for an extended time, it can leave them in a financially challenging situation.
That’s where the JCCF comes in. They give a hand up to those athletes, helping them cover their bills so they can focus on healing. The other wonderful thing about the JCCF is that 100 percent of all donations go into the fund.
In 2013, I launched a campaign to donate a portion of my book sales to the JCCF during the month of December and held the first party to help spread the word.
In 2015, I added the month of November to my promotion, giving two months to raise funds for JCCF. Then I extended the promotion period for my Read a Book, Help a Cowboy campaign to October 1!
So from October 1 through December 24, ten percent of the net proceeds from all my book sales (eBook, paperback, hardback, and audio all count!) will be donated to the JCCF.
I hope to see you at the party tomorrow! The fun begins at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time: 11 a.m. MT, Noon CT, 1 p.m. ET). Join the party by clicking the button below. It will be a day full of connecting with some of your favorite authors, games, giveaways, and more!
And if Facebook parties aren’t your thing, you can still support the Read A Book, Help A Cowboy campaign through every book you purchase between now and Christmas Eve.
In fact, I have a brand new book coming November 30 in the Rodeo Romance series!
Truitt Lucas is the guy who brings laughter wherever he goes and refuses to take life too seriously. Beneath his carefree exterior, though, he yearns for more adventure and excitement than he’ll find working on the family ranch alongside his cousin and grandmother. When the opportunity arises to assist a trick rider, Truitt eagerly lends a hand. However, he soon finds himself drawn to the perplexing woman who barely tolerates him.
Jolee Judson is living her dream as a trick rider on the rodeo circuit, using her lifelong passion for horses and gymnastics to wow the crowds. But when her partner unexpectedly abandons her, Jolee is just desperate enough to accept a good-natured cowboy’s offer to help. Fascinated and infuriated by Truitt and his shenanigans, Jolee struggles against her growing feelings for him. Falling for Truitt could spell disaster for her future and derail everything she’s worked for.
Can the two of them find common ground where trust is earned and love becomes a cherished gift?
A sweet holiday novel full of the magic of Christmas, Tricking Christmas brims with small-town humor, heartwarming moments, and wholesome romance..
If you were hosting a holiday party,
and could invite anyone,
who would you like to attend?
Post your answer for a chance to win a digital copy of the first three books in the Rodeo Romance series!
We’re thrilled to have guest Misty M. Beller back in the corral again. Welcome, Misty!
It’s such an honor to visit with my Petticoats and Pistols family again!
Do you love Christmas books as much as I do?
Ever since I was young, Christmas stories have held a special place in my heart. The charm and warmth they exude, coupled with the enchantment of the holiday season, make Christmas books a captivating combination I find irresistible. Can you relate?
I’m beyond thrilled to share that I’ve joined forces with my good friends and author heroes Jody Hedlund and Lacy Williams to release Christmas Bells and Wedding Vows, a brand new Christmas novella collection featuring marriage of convenience stories! Y’all, I’m over the moon excited about this book!
I’ve long been a HUGE fan of Jody Hedlund and Lacy Williams. I’ve read so many of their books over and over! Joining them for this Christmas novella collection has been a dream come true for so many reasons. And not only are these three marriage of convenience stories set on the Rocky Mountain frontier (my favorite place!), each of these novellas is an exciting extension of the current series we’re each writing.
Jody’s novella is the finale to her Colorado Cowgirls series. We meet both the hero and heroine of this Christmas story back in book 4. You don’t have to have read Jody’s series to fall in love with them here though!
Lacy’s novella tells the story of a character from a new mail order bride series she has coming soon. This prelude is a fantastic taste that will have you swooning as you eagerly await the rest of the books!
My own contribution features Two Stones, the Coulter family’s best friend from the Brothers of Sapphire Mountain Ranch series. I love having the chance to tell his story, even though he’s not ‘officially’ one of the brothers.
If you’ve read any of these series—or if you just love Christmas books like I do!—you’ll definitely want to read the novellas in Christmas Bells and Wedding Vows. It’s our collective holiday gift to you, the readers—intertwining familiar settings and characters with the joy and love that the festive season brings. We hope these tales bring you the same warmth and joy we’ve felt while penning them.
To whet your appetite for Christmas Bells and Wedding Vows, I’m excited to give away a signed paperback of my book Healing the Mountain Man’s Heart!
This is book 1 in my Brothers of Sapphire Ranch series, and the book where we first meet Two Stones (whose stories is in this Christmas collection)!
To be entered for the giveaway,
I’d love to know your favorite Christmas reading tradition!
Do you like to reread old Christmas favorites? Or do you binge read all the great new Christmas stories?
Leave a comment below to enter.
I write romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
My husband and children are the loves of my life, keeping me both grounded and crazy, sane and out of my mind.
I was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so my Southern roots run deep. Growing up, my family was close, and we continue to keep that priority today. My husband and 5 kiddos now add another dimension to my life, keeping me both grounded and crazy.
God has placed a desire in my heart to combine my love for Christian fiction and the simpler farm life, writing historical novels that display His abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of my characters.
Writing is my passion, and my family—both immediate and extended—is the foundation that holds me secure in my dream.
Learn more about Misty on her website: https://mistymbeller.com/
I love decorating for the holidays both outside and inside. Pulling out the decorations every year always fills me with joy. Every item has a story attached to it. My music box snowman reminds me of my boys. I still remember finding it at a small local shop right after Christmas. The three little snowmen immediately reminded me of building a snowman (the few times there was enough snow in Dallas) with my three boys and my hubby. I don’t recall the price, but I remember the piece was expensive enough on sale I thought long and hard before buying it. I wandered around the shop and kept circling around to look at the music box before I finally picked it up.
Other pieces remind me of the person who gave me the item. The snowman and penguin spelling snow was a gift from my Aunt Wanda and Uncle Erlin. The geese came from my Aunt Mugs and Uncle Wayne. The crystal angel, the large size not the small, came from my BFF Lori. (She pointed out I got the larger one as did her mother and sister, while other friends got the smaller angel. ?) When I put out these gifts, I smile, think of these incredible people, and say a prayer of thanks for the difference they’ve made in my life.
I put lights everywhere starting with my mantle and the behind the sofa table. The Christmas tree in the entry way adds a sparkle there. In the family room, I have candles, the penguin (that I bought because my youngest loves penguins), and another snowman with lights. My favorite thing to do during the holiday season is light the candles, turn on the other lights, turn off the overhead ones, and watch a Christmas movie.
The downside of having all the decorations and the lights is taking them down. Not that I don’t like and have connections to the items I have out the rest of the year, I do, but somehow removing the holiday décor makes me a little sad to return to the everyday. I guess that’s it. Taking down those decorations mean we go back to our everyday lives filled with work, responsibilities, and day-to-day activities. Too often it feels like the joy and wonder of the season gets packed up in the boxes along with the decorations and we go through the post-holiday blues. Add winter to that with its shorter, colder days (however as I’m writing this it’s 68 degrees here in Dallas) and it’s a double whammy. But this year, I’ve realized it doesn’t have to be that way, and I’ve decided to make a change.
I’ll take down the Christmas trees and some of the decorations. But this year, I’m leaving up the lights/garland on my mantle and sofa table. I don’t know yet if whether I’ll replace the holiday with my non-holiday items or leave the snowmen out, but put away Santa and the stockings. I’ll see what speaks to me when I get started. The snowman and penguin lights could stay for a while since they’re wintery too. Hmmm, maybe I’ll switch from Christmas decorations to a winter theme at least until the end of February. I kind of like that idea. Hopefully it will help me hold onto the joy and light of the holidays longer. I want to embrace the hope that Jesus’s birth gives us, how His light that can shine through us, and can cut through any darkness.
Happy New Year and may your 2023 be blessed and full of memory making moments!
Giveaway: To be entered in today’s random giveaway for wrist wallet and a signed copy of A Cure for the Vet, leave a comment on how you fight the post holiday blues.
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying a great, healthy and happy holiday with family and friends.
I had a nice, quiet Christmas on the farm with my girls. It got pretty cold on Christmas Eve, and we had some frozen pipes and some equipment that wouldn’t start, but all of the people and animals made it through. God is good!
And here are the first four lines of this carol:
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Wow. Do you see how closely the first four lines follow that scripture? (I do want to point out that the Bible says the angels were SAYING. There’s no mention of singing. That’s not to say they weren’t singing, but the Bible does not say they were.)
Then we have these four lines:
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
They are a paraphrase of these two verses in Luke 2:10-11And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Read this verse from Matthew 1:23 and see how closely verse 2 aligns with it: Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Also, I Timothy says: God was manifest in the flesh.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Isaiah 1:6 says: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
And then we have verse three:
Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Okay, and I admit, these next two lines are two of my favorites.
Malachi 4:2 says: Malachi 4:2, KJV: But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Incidentally, if you love hymns too, you might know that The Comforter is Come also has a stanza based on Malachi 4:2.
We have these two verses from Corinthians and John:
I Corinthians 15:54 This mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
John 3:7 Ye must be born again.
And Mr. Westley writes:
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
In Haggai 2:7 we read, And the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory,
And the song says:
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Genesis 3:15 says, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
I Corinthians 15:45-47 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
And, of course, those last few lines are showing salvation, talking about the old man – in the likeness of Adam – being removed, and “stamping” (don’t you love that?) Jesus on us instead. When we trust Christ and are “born again” God doesn’t see our sin anymore. When He looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Jesus. And all of it – the birth of Christ, His death and resurrection, was because of God’s great love for us. Such a fitting ending to a song that is basically Bible verses in poetic form. Be still my heart. : )
Just a beautiful hymn of doctrine and salvation, celebrating the birth of our Lord.
If you’ve made it this far, I suppose you can tell that hymns are one of my great passions. What a joy to get to talk about such a doctrine-rich carol with you today.
I wish you all a beautiful and prosperous New Year!
I loved the song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a kid (who didn’t?) and I loved watching the Rankin/Bass TV special. In fact, it’s still a Christmas tradition for me. I know all the lyrics and sing along. When they were young it drove my kids crazy, hey half of the fun, but now if I’m not singing they ask if I’m okay. ? Rudolph’s message of belonging, compassion, understanding, and everyone having something to contribute always hit home with me. I was a smart, liberal, knew-my-mind girl growing up in Dubuque, Iowa. I didn’t always fit in. I never went to homecoming or prom. In fact, I wasn’t even asked on a date in high school. I look back now and think I intimidated guys. Anyway, guess you can see why I identified with our little red nosed guy.
I was stunned to discover this classic Christmas tale that led to the Gene Autry song, was written by a Jewish man, Robert L. May. As a child, May skipped a couple grades in school, making him smaller and younger than his classmates. As a teacher, I can’t imagine how rough that was for him. Being physically smaller is difficult enough but add in developmental differences with his classmates, and no wonder he didn’t fit in and viewed himself as a “nerdy loser.” Anyone else see foreshadowing here and a writer who would write what he knew? (Being an outsider and insecure?) Yup, me too.
As an adult May dreamed of writing the great American novel but worked as a catalog copywriter in the advertising department for Montgomery Ward. (As an author, that sure hits home as I dreamed of writing novels while working countless other jobs to pay the bills.) In 1939, Montgomery Ward wanted to create a children’s book for its annual holiday promotion rather than give away purchased coloring book. May was given the job because of his talent for limericks and parodies. The only direction his boss gave him was to have an animal in it.
May chose a reindeer for his main character because his daughter, Barbara loved the ones at Lincoln Park Zoo. When turned in the story of a red-nosed reindeer teased by his peers, who had exactly what Santa needed one foggy Christmas Eve, May’s boss asked him to come up with “something better.” (Okay, let’s admit May’s boss couldn’t tell an incredible children’s story from a hole in the ground.) May didn’t give up, and with the help someone in the art department and his sketches, they changed the boss’s mind. Click here to read May’s original manuscript. (It’s definitely worth checking out. 🙂 )
On its release in 1939, Montgomery Ward gave away 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Yup, million. In 1939. Think about that. Despite the book’s success, May who was heavily in debt because of his wife’s medical bills, received no additional compensation. However, that changed in 1947, when the head of Montgomery Ward returned the rights to May. Another event that year that changed May’s life and impacted the classic Christmas song coming to life was May’s sister married Johnny Marks, a songwriter. Long before Marks married May’s sister he’d read Rudolph’s story, and jotted down notes in his song ideas notebook.
Marks added music to the story, and knew he had something special. However, Gene Autry apparently channeling May’s boss who “wanted something better” than Rudolph’s story, wasn’t keen on the song. Thankfully, his wife persuaded him to record the second biggest selling Christmas song of all time (White Christmas is number one) for the “B” side. (From my research, it appears If It Doesn’t Snow on Christmas was the “A” side and who’s even heard of that Christmas song? I hope he thanked his wife for her foresight.) Click here to listen to the Gene Autry song
Some articles I read claimed May and the Rudolph story is sad. I disagree. Yes, May had a difficult life, but he channeled that into something truly special. No, he never wrote the great American novel, but he wrote a great American Christmas carol that still inspires children and adults today. A pretty great legacy, I’d say. Plus, as an added bonus, Rudolph took care of May and his family for his life and beyond.
Now that I’ve learned the history behind the song, I love Rudolph’s story even more and it’s message seems even brighter.