When I was researching information for Holiday Home (book 3 in the Holiday Express series), I was looking up details from World War II during the holidays. The story takes place during 1944.
I happened upon a neat advertisement for Scotch™ Tape.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to try to wrap a pile of Christmas gifts without Scotch tape? It almost makes me want to cry, because I love to wrap gifts and Scotch’s satin tape is my sticky substance of choice when it comes to holding the wrapping paper in place.
I had no idea Scotch™tape was a thing way back then, and even less of a clue that it was used during the war.
Apparently, Scotch™ tape was used in a myriad of ways during the war, from sealing boxes with blood plasma to “patching” equipment.
In the 1920s, Richard Drew, a young research assistant at 3M’s Minnesota headquarters, was working to develop an adhesive tape that would allow a precise two-tone paint job without mixing or bleeding colors. His prototype didn’t have enough stickiness to it, and he was told he was being “Scotch,” or stingy, with the adhesive. The name stuck.
By 1929, DuPont had developed transparent cellophane, and it was being used in all sorts of packaging. Producers wanted a tape that could match the vitreous appearance. After more trial and error, Drew and his team developed Scotch™ Brand Cellulose tape. I’m so glad they did!
I thought you might enjoy a little excerpt from the story:
Bryce could hear the woman and David speaking, but they sounded far away. His vision grew cloudy and he felt like he was being sucked underwater as the world around him began to darken and waver.
David grabbed his good arm and kept him from falling over. “Please, miss, my friend here is in bad shape. May we please have shelter for the night? I promise we’ll not cause any trouble.”
“How do I know you aren’t pretending to be injured?”
David frowned and pointed to the blood caked on Bryce’s leg. “Does this look fake to you?”
The woman sighed a second time and set the gun inside the door of her house. She motioned to them, flapping her hand forward. “Come on, but just so you know, I don’t have much to offer.”
“As long as you have clean water and a spot on the floor where we can rest, that’s all we ask,” Bryce said, aware his words sounded slurred.
“You better hurry before he faints,” she said, reaching out to help Bryce over the threshold and into her home. He drew in a breath, inhaling a faint fragrance that smelled soft and feminine. Something about it reminded him of his grandmother, Cora Lee.
Three steps inside the door, his leg gave out on him and pain swept over him with such force, he crumpled to the floor. The last thing he remembered was looking into a pair of bright blue eyes framed with a halo of golden curls.
Perhaps the woman in the farmhouse was really an angel in disguise.
In case you missed it, Holiday Hope released November 30 and is on sale for 99 cents! Holiday Heart released December 7. Holiday Home just released yesterday, and Holiday Love will release December 21!
As a special Christmas gift, download your digital copy of Scent of Cedar FREE today!
A matchmaking camel and her meddling friends are determined to help their humans find love this holiday season.
Cedar Haynes has a choice: change her high-pressure lifestyle, or end up dead by the time she’s thirty. Not one to do things by half measures, she quits her demanding corporate job, swaps her sports car for an SUV, and moves to the peaceful mountain community of Faraday. She envisions a quiet, peaceful Christmas, surrounding by silence and sparkling snow. When a camel takes up residence on her porch, she realizes small-town life may be more quirky and complicated than she imagined. Thankfully, the local mechanic seems to have all the answers – plus good looks, bad-boy charm, and a mysterious aura that leaves her wanting to know more.
Rhett Riggs left big city life behind the moment his small-town uncle needed his help. To make ends meet, he takes over Faraday’s one and only garage and gas station. He gets more than he bargained for, though, when Uncle Will passes away, leaving Rhett a run-down farmhouse, a wacky camel named Lolly, and a deep-rooted love for the community he considers his home. With the holidays approaching, he watches with interest as a new neighbor moves in next door. He waits for Lolly to send the woman running, like she has the last handful of residents. Only this time, if his beautiful neighbor leaves, she’ll take his heart with her.
Between spilled secrets, mistaken identities, and a camel determined to spread a little love, it will take more than mistletoe and holiday magic to help Rhett and Cedar find their happy ending.
Come along on a sweet Christmas romance adventure sure to uplift the spirit, touch the heart, and imbue the warmth of the holiday season.
What about you?
Do you love to wrap gifts? Hate it? Use gift bags? Paper sacks?
How would you approach wrapping gifts if there wasn’t such a thing as tape available?
Don’t forget to join us for a fun celebration of our favorite holiday traditions!