Christmas Toy Memories

by Nan Reinhardt

Husband and I went Christmas shopping yesterday, something we haven’t done together in a long time. Usually, I’m the Christmas shopper, which is kinda ironic because I hate shopping. I’m terrible at it, especially during the holidays. I get overwhelmed by crowded stores and too many choices, which is why I tend to shop online mostly. However, yesterday was all about Grandboy and man, did we have fun. Bear in mind that for several reasons, not the least of which is an order from his parents, we couldn’t go crazy and buy him a bunch of stuff. Son and DIL are trying very hard to raise a kid who is sensible and understands the value of money and most importantly, the meaning of Christmas—all tough things to teach in a world where most kids are overindulged to the max. 

Standing among all the bright shiny stuff in the department stores made me think about my childhood and Christmas and toys…

We didn’t have much money when I was a kid—actually, we had no money when I was six years old. My father had abandoned us, Mom was working full time as a grocery store checkout clerk and going to nursing school full time. I’ve talked a lot about her because she is a particular hero of mine—how she survived those dark days after Dad left is still a mystery to me. I don’t know that I could ever have managed with four kids under the age of thirteen, a mortgage, groceries, bills . . . and yet she did it and she even did it at Christmastime. I know she must have been exhausted all the time and sick with worry over how she was going to feed all of us, let alone provide a merry Christmas. 

I remember that first Christmas after my father left with more clarity that any holiday that we ever had with him present. I’d asked Santa for several things, but the most important was a baby doll—not a little plastic one, but the life-sized one that had a soft body—one you could cuddle and dress up and hold like a real baby. At the time, I had no idea how hard it would be for her to fulfill the Christmas wishes of four children—I thought Santa took care of all that in his workshop in the North Pole. But that baby doll was under the tree that Christmas morning, complete with bottle, a blanket to wrap her in, and a small wardrobe of clothes. I was overjoyed! Honestly, I don’t know what happened to baby Sandra—I named her after the prettiest actress I knew of at the time—Sandra Dee. I think little Sandra may have gone to the Goodwill when Mother moved to California, but it doesn’t matter . . . she was my best Christmas toy memory, made all the sweeter for the adult knowledge of how Mother must have sacrificed to make a little girl’s dream come true. 

My favorite grown-up Christmas gift has been to be able to write emotional and heartfelt holiday romances for Tule Publishing. How wonderful it’s been that readers are falling in love with River’s Edge! The newest River’s Edge holiday romance is Made for Mistletoe, but there are four others, too. Welcome home to River’s Edge for the holidays.  

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet, small-town romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, woman in her prime. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of 51 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.

https://tulepublishing.com/authors/nan-reinhardt/

This Christmas he has big plans until he meets a beautiful distraction….

Army reservist Cameron Walker loves everything about the holidays in River’s Edge—celebrating with his big family and carving out more time to work on his custom design furniture in his studio. But when he meets a visiting artist and niece of a family friend, he’s eager to break his work plans for play. He knows first-hand life’s short.

Teacher and artist Harper Gaines is bowled over by the handsome and friendly finish carpenter she meets during her vacation. His admiration for her art and his enthusiasm for life light her up, and remind her of how much she’s been missing since her soldier husband’s death. But when she discovers Cam’s also a soldier, she retreats, unable to risk another loss.

Cam has never felt such a strong connection, and he won’t give up without a fight. But will Cam’s persistence and the magic of Christmas be enough to convince Harper to take a chance on them?

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