Though I’m officially as old as dirt, this time of year turns me into a kid again. From Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, I am filled with anticipation and happiness. I want everyone to share a perfect holiday.
Before you lecture me about the real meaning of the day, let me assure you I have not forgotten the religious significance. That is why we give gifts in the first place, after all. My mother explained we give gifts to one another following the tradition of the wise men who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. Years ago, I learned about the real Saint Nicholas, our model for Santa Claus. The giving and sharing are the important part of gifts—and the heartwarming fun.
Our family, except for a cousin in Ohio, is spread across Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Southern California, Oregon, and Washington. Sadly, our immediate family has whittled down to my husband and I and our two daughters.
We have quite a few traditions we follow each year, and here are a few. A casual dinner on Christmas Eve consists of tamales and various side dishes (like my favorite of guacamole and tortilla chips). Before we open gifts, my husband reads the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke followed by a prayer. We each have a fairly large stocking that hangs from an angel holder. In addition to what Santa puts in the stocking, we each sneak a small wrapped gift into the other three stockings.
That tradition originated with our youngest daughter when she learned who filled the stockings. She declared it wasn’t fair that I didn’t have a surprise in my stocking. That year, I found a small gift she had purchased with her allowance at a garage sale in summer. She still buys gifts throughout the year if she finds something she thinks is perfect for someone. In a few years, her stocking idea had spread to each of us participating. I like that we added a lovely tradition to the many in our family heritage.
This year we’re adding possibly another new tradition. Christmas Day will be at the apartment of our eldest daughter in Dallas, followed by dinner at a nice restaurant nearby. It’s a big change and I’m having trouble getting my head (and heart) around it. But, life moves on and change is a part of life.
Change hasn’t diminished my love of the season. My wish for you is that joy and peace fill your heart this beautiful time of year. Merry Christmas!
This is good time to tell you about my latest release, a sweet historical western romance, SIDNEY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, book 6 in my Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides Series available at Amazon.
Sidney Garton, owner of Garton’s Mercantile, sent for a wife:
“What I hope for in a wife is that she cooks our meals and manages the household, but also assists me in the store when needed—which would be quite a bit of the time.”
Antoinette Fournier must evade her father’s plan to marry her to a terrible man. She’s confined to her room until she agrees to wed the rogue. Her sisters arrange her departure with the matchmaker. Antoinette escapes immediately to become the mail order bride for Sidney Garton. She doesn’t have time to read the letter he sent the matchmaker until she is on the train headed for Texas.
Uh oh, she foresees a huge problem. She can’t cook. Her training in managing a household is directing the servants. She’s never worked in her life.
What if he sends her away?
But he doesn’t.
When Sid is injured, she proves she is capable of managing his store and confronting a robber. But the criminal has sworn revenge. Can she and Sidney foil the evil thief’s plan? Is happily-ever-after together in their future?
******
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome heroes, feisty women, and scheming villains in a tiny office surrounded by research books and mementos. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd indoors on their two cats and two dogs as well as providing nourishment outdoors for squirrels, birds, and other critters.
The over 85 books she has created have made her a Top 100 Amazon historical author, a bestselling author, and won awards. She writes sweet to sensual romances, both historical and contemporary as well as time travel and mystery. In addition to her series she has written single titles and contributed to multi-author series and box sets. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, reading her friends’ books, dining in restaurants, browsing antique malls, delving into genealogy, checking Facebook, and taking the occasional nap.
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Thanks for visiting the Window, Caroline. We "older than dirt" people do appreciate each other, don't we? 😃