13 December 2012

Holiday Gift of Love Blog Hop

Happy Holidays!

I was born on December 21st so the Winter Solstice is a very important day for me.  It is the time of death and rebirth, to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, who warms the frozen land.  Winter Solstice is the shortest night of the year.  From this day forward, the days will become longer.



Growing up in Missouri, we had snow.  Every Christmas felt special because it was cold, school let out, and the anticipation of Santa was overwhelming.  Now I live in Los Angeles, and the only time I've seen snow was when we travel to Big Bear for snowboarding.  I try hard to keep that Christmas feeling alive for my own son, but year after year the traditions of my childhood seem so far away.

With Christmas being so commercial now-a-days, tradition has become very important to me.  I have a six year old son that certainly expects Santa to bring him presents but I also teach him that he's to give back to those families who may not have enough at this time of year.  I read a special book called 'The Shortest Day; Celebrating the Winger Solstice' by Wendy Pfeffer and Jesse Reisch.  But I also read to them The Christmas Story, The Night Before Christmas, and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell.  And though I may not be very religious I don't shield my son from religion, I simply teach him that there are many beliefs and he must pick his own path.

My Christmas tree might be fake, but the decorations were hand picked by my son, including the decorations he made in school.  To the right of the tree I have a Menorah to honor our Jewish friends.  I also have the spring of mistletoe and smell of pine lingering in the air.  I have Rudolf the Red-nose Reindeer recorded on the DVR.  Of course, for me, holidays are about food.  I reserve the Winter Solstice for making only the special once-a-year kind of food.  Like cakes soaked in cider, eggnog, snowflake shaped sugar cookies, and divinity. (I tried adding a recipe for divinity but it's not showing for some reason so I'll try again on Wednesday for my Hump Day Hook!)

My thanks for taking the time to visit with me during this wonderful season!  As part of my own appreciation, I have a wonderful gift package for one lucky winner, which includes a t-shirt, a desk calendar, and a $10 gift card from Barnes & Nobel.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and my assistant (AKA: son) will pick one name when the blog hop is over, so please leave a way to contact you!  I will also give away one PDF ebook of any of my titles (winner's choice) to the second name drawn.

Please visit the others in the blog hop!

29 comments:

  1. thanks for the great blog and wonderful giveaway

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  2. I love your story and I try as well to follow old traditions and make new traditions for my 6 and 2 year old. A newer tradition is we have kids go thru the toys they have a month before christmas and choose a bunch to give to charity. We also buy toys for Toys For Tots at local Walmart. An older tradition is decorating Christmas Cookies and going thru our little town and looking at decorations and lights.

    susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

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  3. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  4. Happy Holidays (hope you "assistant" and you have a wonderful Holiday Season)
    Thanks for the being a part of the hop and the giveaway

    BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom
    (email following)

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  5. A big thank you for such an awesome giveaway! Have a wonderful holiday season.
    tessa.bamberg@kolumbus.fi

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  6. I love the fact you incorporate all different kinds of traditions in your celebration. I never thought about that for my son growing up. Happy Holidays

    Dawna N.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Have a wonderful holiday!!
    zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom

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  8. One of my favorite Christmas Romance Books is The Untamable Rogue by Annette Blair! The story is about Ashford Blackburne Fifth Earl and he has to get married and get his willing bride pregnant before Christmas or his grandfather won’t let him inherit his money. Ash truly needs to inherit the money because his late father squandered it all away and he is taking care of his mother. After getting stood up at the alter, again, Ash and his friends go to the local pub where the owner plays a drunken Ash in a card game…his consolation prize is the pubs daughter Larkin, who he wants to get ride of. Ash has to learn to forgive…Larkin has to learn how to trust…can two completely different people find love together. This is a cute, extremely funny, romantic story with a surprise Christmas ending!

    Angelheart618@gmail.com

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  9. Traditions are great We have several. We always read some of the same books that you mentioned and we go and drive and look at all the lights and decorations then come home and have Hot cocoa and cookies, we all have a lot of fun
    Thanks for the great giveaway Merry Christmas

    crystaley73 at yahoo dot com

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  10. One of my family's tradition is eating dessert after Christmas eve mass.
    bituin76 at hotmail dot com

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  11. In my home the Xmas tree is fake- the cookies may be burnt- the egg nog low fat- but the love is real. Have a blessed holiday.

    Kathewv@yahoo.com

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  12. I have a cousin and uncle born in the last bits of December. I know when Christmas comes I have a month to prepare for my youngest's birthday!

    But we have fake tree. We rent the land.. but I hope whenever we bought our own land that we can start buying live trees, do what my parents did when I was young. They'd buy a tree roots and all. Then after Christmas/New years, they'd plant the tree on the grounds.

    Raonaid at gmail dot com

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  13. Happy Holidays!
    ajcraig77@comcast.net

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  14. Every Christmas Eve we go out to dinner and come home to watch the movie Elf.
    Thanks for the chance and Happy Holidays!
    sqwalker2@hotmail.com

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  15. Thanks for the hop. Happy Holidays!

    Lasha
    mslasha at gmail dot com

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  16. Thank you for the blog hop! I haven't read any of your books yet, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity, I'm loving meeting new authors!
    smoofrog@gmail.com

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  17. thanks for the hop
    kaholgate at ymail dot com

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  18. Happy Holidays! Great giveaway!

    aprilnu2003(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  19. Thanks for the chance to win!
    Happy holidays!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  20. If I say my name is Spongebob and I send chocolate, do you think your son will pick me? I have been hearing a lot this year about people celebrating the Winter Solstice. I am going to have to do some research on it and see what I can find. :) Whatever you choose to celebrate this year, Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays. I hope Santa brings everything on your son's wish list.

    Marlena
    charmedpoms(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  21. Thanks for being part of the hop... Happy Holidays and good way to put your assistant to work... I have two boys so i know i make them do things like that for me lol.

    j.m.platt83@gmail.com

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  22. Thank you & Happy Holidays
    missie25524 @ netzero.com

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  23. Hello, thanks for the giveaway!

    skizzles_22_hju@yahoo.com

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  24. I always plant seeds on the Winter Solstice !

    Merry Christmas !
    ~Kym
    flwrs4ever(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  25. What an awesome hop!! And a fantastic giveaway! Thank you!! Happy holidays to you all! Best wishes and many blessings!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. Happy Holidays!

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  27. My favorite thing about this season is cookies; I love making and eating them. Everyone is so willing to share.
    planterofhope at aol dot com

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  28. I'm spending this holiday season with my family and hoping to win so I can read more romances. I don't have an ereader. Happy Holidays! lisarayns at gmail dot com

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  29. I really enjoy the holiday season. I enjoy the smells, the food and lights. Oh and the music too. Not much into baking anymore. But I do enjoy tasting, ask my scales.
    Tee Hee. Thanks for being part of the Holiday Blog Hop. Great blog.
    roya-clan@sbcglobal.net

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