It's Christmas!!

I LOVE this time of the year with the bright and cheery decorations, the yummy baked goodies, and of course, all the feel-good Hallmark Christmas Movies.  As I look back over this year I can't believe everything that's happened.  Our children and grandchildren are all happy and healthy, we added two little rescue pups to our family, we had to say goodbye to two loved-ones, and my hubby is still the love of my life and writing muse.  Yes, I truly am blessed.

I do have some exciting news to share.  My novella, Saying Goodbye: The Christmas Gift won GOLD in the 2017 AUTHORSdb cover contest.  How cool is that?  I've never entered any competition for my writing, so this was quite exciting for me.  If you haven't read it yet, you can get it as a FREE download on Amazon.  It's received a handful of rave reviews, so I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

I'm currently working on another Christmas novella. I don't know if I'll have it ready for this year, but it's going to be a great story that will make you cry tears of joy and sorrow.

So, decorate your tree, bake those favorite yummies, and spend this magical season with those you love... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What Happened to Christmas?

Where has 2017 gone?  It seems like it was just yesterday when I was taking down our Christmas tree and packing up all the decorations.  When I went to the store the other day the shelves were filled with decorations for Christmas, alongside those for Halloween.  Whatever happened to letting each holiday have its own time???

I long for the days when Christmas did not officially begin until the day after Thanksgiving.  We all enjoyed the playfulness of Halloween.  Then we moved on to Thanksgiving and beloved family gatherings.  Then and ONLY then it was time for the Christmas season.  Yes, the Christmas season.  Not this watered-down, several months long thing the retailers have created and forced on us.  I understand businesses want to make money.  I have no problem with that. However, I believe putting Christmas items out WEEKS before Halloween is a bit much.

How are we supposed to enjoy each unique time?  None are allowed to stand out, to be thoroughly experienced before moving on to the next.  Call me old-fashioned, but I enjoyed the feeling of magic and wonder during December.  I loved shopping for gifts and seeing the decorations lighting up homes and stores.  I miss feeling the excitement in the air as each day brought us closer to Christmas eve and day.

I don’t know if I’m the only one who feels this way, but I’m sure I’m not.  I, for one, refuse to allow those grinches in merchandising to steal my Christmas spirit.  So many have forgotten or never experience the true wonder of the Christmas season. I only pray we can find the magic again.

Now that Halloween is behind us, we move on to Thanksgiving…