Our holiday traditions

Do you have a holiday tradition you celebrate?

Faye Hall:

Hubby and I make mountains of Truffles to last us for months (we freeze them) and I watch our 5 youngest kids and our goose play under the sprinkler in our backyard (we're in Nth Qld, Oz so it's gets pretty steamy here) 

Pamela Tyner:

It's a silly tradition, but when the kids were little i wanted to teach them why we celebrate Christmas and do it in a way they might remember, so every year on Christmas Eve I would make a cake and we would put a candle on it and sing "happy birthday, baby Jesus". When they got older they started to roll their eyes at it, so finally I decided to stop doing it. That night they wanted to know where the cake was and they were upset we didn't have one. Lucky I had cake mix and candles so the tradition continued!

Trish Cobbin:

Each year a new Christmas decoration is added to the tree. One for each of the family. This year we made our own baubles. Christmas Eve all the family stay over at mine. we have take out. The adults open their pressies in the eve once the kids are asleep. Christmas Day is all about the little ones. Then for 3 days we do the usual. Christmas roast. Boxing Day is cold meat mash and pickles and the day after bubble and squeak.

Tracey Rogers:

On Christmas Eve we watch It's A Wonderful Life as the mince pies cook. Then we go outside to sprinkle reindeer dust (yes I still make my 18yo do this) and 'Santa' usually leaves new pj's for when we come back inside.

Ella Jade:

Every year the Sunday before Christmas my mom and I bake cookies. We make a huge mess, laugh and watch Holiday Inn while we do it. It usually takes us about six hours to get it all done. As busy as the season gets we always make time for it. It's one of my favorite traditions.

Deanne Parker:

A tradition my husband and I started is searching for a Christmas ornament to hang on the tree. It can come from anywhere. A couple of years ago on vacation we went to Harrods in London and bought one. It's fun trying to top the year before and they bring back some fond memories.

Imogene Nix:

Christmas eve, we get together for a dinner of (hubs and daughters seafood) and chicken with salad. We don't use any of the main dining tables (they are already set up) and we enjoy the lights and the peace of the season. The we crank up the santa tracker (yes, oldest is 20, but we still do it) and settle in with christmas movies!

Nola Cross:

The movie A Christmas Story is definitely a tradition on Christmas Eve. I never get tired of it. We usually watch as a family. 

Tamaria Soana:

We do stockings on Christmas Eve! My girls know the stockings come from us. We all go shopping at Target for each other. Oh and we frost and decorate cookies! Notice I didn't say bake... because I hate doing that, so I buy 2 dozen unfrosted cookies from my local bakery every year

Ellen Cummins:

Everyone gets to open one gift on Christmas Eve. (of my choosing because I'm the only one who knows what's in there) We eat Mexican soup, drink mistletoe punch, and then after the family goes home and my kids are in bed, I stuff the stockings. I still leave milk and cookies out for Santa even though my kids are all grown up!!

Merry Christmas!

by Stephanie Beck


I love Christmas, and it is even better now that I have kids. The anticipation of the day is spectacular. It builds in a way that even the best novel can't (or at lease I haven't found one that quite matches). Our family is quite churchy and we have a splendid church family we adore, so in addition to our family and friends, we add in a huge circle of people who are anticipating Christmas in loving ways.


It's still two days away and my heart is already getting all fluttered up just anticipating when this post will be live...I'll be in my jammies with my coffee and my kids and husband near the tree. By now wrapping paper will be torn asunder and the gifts I've been waiting to give will the in my kiddos' hands. We'll read the Christmas story before breakfast, and then after monkey bread we'll head up to see my husband's grandmother for a day of quiet enjoyment.


Oh I'm happy already.


Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and if that missed anyone, then please accept this heartfelt wish for everyone to find happiness now and in the New Year.


All the best,
Stephanie Beck
www.stephaniebeck.net

Merry Christmas Everybody!

 

Is it really that time of year again? Okay, I know it gets said a lot but this year really has flown! Maybe it’s because I’ve been so busy, our wedding in the summer,  a house move which came out of the blue, and some personal stuff that took a lot of time to get my head around. This has got to be one of the most turbulent years I can remember, there have been ups and downs, but as a family we’ve pulled together and I know it’s definitely made us stronger. I’m really looking forward to what next year brings, feeling more inspired and motivated not just to write, but just to get out there and seize the day.

Before welcoming in a new year though, I plan to celebrate Christmas in style. For the first time it will be me that cook the HUGE family dinner for everybody. My cupboards are bursting with food, my dining table is overflowing with Christmas crafts that my children have been making, I have Christmas tunes playing like they’re going out of fashion and I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for Christmas day. Of course, I’m not the best cook in the world…so I don’t imagine that this will go off without a hitch, but regardless I’m looking forward to a day filled with family fun. I hope you all have a great one too! Merry Christmas everybody!

Treat Yourself This Holiday Season

Happy Holidays! Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve (if you celebrate)? WOW. I kept thinking Christmas was on a Thursday, only to learn it's on a Wednesday. Talk about throwing me through a loop!

Everyone is so busy this time of the year, and I'm sure your wallet is feeling a bit light. So if you're a romance reader, treat yourself to a free holiday read from some of the Beachwalk Press authors. You deserve it. Now put your feed up, grab your eReader, and relax. The big day is almost here!

Happy Holidays!

FREE DOWNLOAD

A collection of short stories by various Beachwalk Press authors, available for free download!

Positively Holly by Pepper Anthony
When Holly and Evan run into each other at the Toy Palace the week before Christmas, the last thing on their minds is rekindling their failed love affair. After all, Holly is one of those wide-eyed optimists, and Evan is a man who deals in practicalities. Things would never work out between them. But two cups of coffee, a pair of shopping bags, and a touch of sexy Christmas magic just might help them find their common ground.

Hometown Miracles by Patricia Bates
The holidays hold little interest for Leanne Wilson, a single mother who receives devastating news mere days before heading home. Once she arrives, she runs into the one man who holds her heart. But she can’t reach out to him now…after all, this may be her very last Christmas. Jay Locke has loved Leanne for years. When she left town, he forced himself to move on, but now she’s back with a darling little girl and a Christmas wish he just can’t say no to.

Believe in Me by Aimée Duffy
Leona Sharp and Ryan Lee have been friends forever, it seems. Although there’s an attraction between them, they’ve never acted on it. On New Year’s Eve, Leona finally allows herself to give into the temptation, but she vows that it will only be for one night and as soon as the clock strikes midnight they will put it in the past and go on as if it never happened. Ryan, however, has other plans…

His Holiday Lifesaver by Hazel Gower
Brad isn’t looking forward to Christmas dinner with his family as they are always trying to set him up with women. This year he has a plan involving Hailey, a female tourist he rescued at the beach, posing as his girlfriend for the next couple of weeks. The only problem with the plan is he didn’t expect to fall in love with her.

Drawn To You by Tara Mills
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what does that make a series of sketches? Drawn to the same beach over and over again to secretly sketch this quiet, contemplative man, Rachel is about to find out.

Reunion by Ashlynn Monroe
Years ago, Shayla left her small hometown to pursue her dream. When she did, her family turned their back on her. Leaving also meant she had to forget about the boy she loved. When her mother dies, Shayla realizes that while some things change, other things are doomed to remain the same. She returns home, but doesn’t feel very welcome until the boy who haunts her memories steps into her present. Luc is no longer the farm boy she’d fallen for—he’s grown up, and quite nicely too. Can Shayla rekindle what she lost with the man she never stopped loving?

Winter Break by Kaylie Newell
Harper Smith is a horrible skier. She can’t stand it, almost as much as she can’t stand her irritatingly sexy ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be a member of the ski patrol. So when she finds herself in a life-or-death situation on a cold, dark mountain, she has mixed feelings when Justin Noble shows up to rescue her. Part of her would rather freeze to death than accept his help. The other part can’t help but warm up at the sight of his messy, sun-bleached hair and cocky grin. Without her consent, Harper’s heart tips dangerously close to falling for him again. But will this time be any different?

Mistletoe & Holly by Tamaria Soana
Zoey is going through the normal Christmas Eve ritual with her three-year-old twins. The only difference is that her husband Preston isn’t there to share it with them. He’s been deployed overseas and won’t be home for the holidays. After Zoey tucks the kids in for the night, she places the gifts under the tree, snuggles on the sofa to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, and falls asleep. She’s startled awake by a loud noise. Is she dreaming, or is her Christmas wish standing under the mistletoe?

Katrina’s Christmas by Sidda Lee Tate
Christmas has always been just another day to Katrina Bryant. She works hard and expects her employees to do the same. When her sexy assistant, Grant Ward, quits on Christmas Eve she becomes worried she will never see him again, and she wonders why that bothers her so much. To her surprise, he arrives at her home hours later and whisks her away for a Christmas she will never forget.

Merry Christmas, Mrs. Todd by Elise Whyles
Recently widowed, Mary Todd isn’t looking forward to spending Christmas alone. She’s determined to keep a low profile during the madness—that is, until she meets her sexy neighbor, Walter. He seems intent on helping her get into the holiday spirit, and she just might let him.

The Gift Beneath the Tree by Lacey Wolfe
Tara won’t be spending Christmas with her family this year, but she’s not entirely alone. Her roommate, Brad, who’s currently single, is also at home with her. Tara goes to bed Christmas Eve with hopes Santa might bring her what she most desires. After hearing a loud crash, she goes to investigate, and underneath the tree, she finds the present she’s been dying to unwrap.

Content Warning: some stories contain explicit sex

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.
Try to enjoy your family and friends, and not worry about anything.
Hope you new year brings you all that you desire.
Peace.

Creating a Cozy Christmas

For our family, the best part about Christmas is bringing the special ambiance of the holidays into our house. Since the time my sons were small, we spent many happy hours in November and December making ornaments, wreaths, candy, cookies and center pieces. Pots of potpourri or cinnamon candles burn 24/7, so the first thing you smell when you walk in our door is a promise of cheer and warmth. A big lighted star shines at the end of our driveway; you can see it from a quarter mile away as you come down the dark tunnel of woods toward our home.

The first weekend of December my husband and youngest son are charged with venturing forth to cut a tree. Then a whole day is spent decorating it with white twinkle lights and a collection of homemade and one-of-a-kind ornaments. As we unbox each ornament, we recall another Christmas past. Before long, the memories are strung together like the garland of popcorn and cranberries on the tree. We are present to the poignant sweetness of holiday tradition and an awareness of time passing more quickly than we had realized. We are present to continuity, loss, and love, all at the same time.

There is nothing glitzy or showy about our family Christmas. It’s all about the clay gingerbread men my boys made in Cub Scouts, and the paper chain we all worked on for hours many years ago. It’s about the simple, fragrant Douglas Fir boughs and cones in the big red bowl in the center of the coffee table. Martha Stewart would throw up her hands at the mismatched tableware and friendly hodgepodge of red and green placemats we use; she would no doubt blanch at the crumpled edges of the paper snowflakes we unfold each year to tape once again to our windows. We don’t care. We like it this way. Warm. Friendly. Easy. Cozy. Christmas.

In my latest erotic novella, Macy’s Awakening, Macy understands very well the wounds in Jerrod’s heart, and the power that cinnamon candles and fir boughs on the mantle might have to heal those wounds. She knows that nothing is more special than the glowing promise of a family Christmas, and nothing is as enduring as the treasure of love at its core.

I would love to hear about the special unique touches you add to your home to create the sweetness of the a family Holiday. Tell us how you create a cozy Christmas.

-Pepper
"Let's read something spicy!"