Month: December 2024

Thanksgiving in the United States was a month ago.

Christmas was earlier this week.

One more holiday dinner to avoid — if you’re poultry.

Hang onto your feathers, ladies. Encourage the advertisements for beef, pork, and fish. Lay a few extra eggs to prove your worth to the farmer and his family.

What have you enjoyed at the end-of-year holiday feasts?

Did you gather with family? Friends? Neighbors? I hope you shared a few lively conversations and more than one laugh. Too soon 2024 will be part of history and our thoughts will turn to 2025. Enjoy these final days of a year — I heard a rumor that holiday calories don’t count.

In the sweet historical romance, Stitching a Dream, at least one family hosts a Christmas party. And the young girls will have new frocks. Check the details at the link below and step into the fictional town of Elm Ridge, Illinois when the year changes from 1851 to the more promising 1852. https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

The day I unpacked the majority of my Christmas ornaments, I noticed that I’ve become fond of snowmen.

I suppose this is not a new thing. As a young girl, I remember building a snowman in the yard with my father. As an adult, I’ve built a couple — after all, the next generation needed a little “hands on” instruction. But I suppose two decades or more have passed since I rolled snow into balls large enough to create a temporary statue.

Instead, I’ve managed to gather this assorted family to add a dash of seasonal feel to my December and early January household. The larger ones sit well on a shelf. The smaller ones are just the right size to add to my tabletop tree.

As you can see–not all snowmen are alike. Just like people, they come in different sizes with a variety of texture. Smooth or natural wood? Plastic? Glass? Fond of tophats? Or decorated with earmuffs. (A good trick for something without ears.)

Yet each one has a place. Just like humans — a little variety in appearance, interests, and abilities makes the whole world work better.

In the sweet historical romance, Stitching a Dream, Kurt Tafel struggles with the concept of “American”. A times he feels like he’s walking a fence rail — with his Deutsch heritage, language, and customs on one side and his Pennsylvania birth and acceptance of local institutions on the other. Check out the details by following the link: https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

Triplets and sets of three are said to be pleasing to the ear. I think it’s the rhythm of one…two…three.

A wreath on the outside of the front door is usually meant to serve as a welcome to guests and perhaps give a hint of the personality of the household behind the door.

Cartoon characters? Perhaps children live here — or adults with a childlike sense of humor.

Foliage? My first thought is a nature lover. Also might be a florist.

A complicated design worthy of an art exhibit? Wow! Am I worthy to enter?

I hope this circle of blue, silver, and golden ribbons surrounding a country church proclaims a welcome to a rather traditional home where Christmas is celebrated as both secular and religious.

Do you decorate your door? With pine and holly? Ribbons and painted wood? Fine twisted and painted metal?

In the mid-19th century, holiday customs in the United States varied by the community, ethic origin, and religion of the household. In fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois, both the American and Deutsch residents were beginning to share and adapt traditions. This included more than winter holidays. Check out the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, for a peek a few young, ambitious newcomers to the American Midwest.

Find book details at the link: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Like many people, when I travel, I often purchase something to remember the place or event.

During my childhood, I knew ladies who collected salt & pepper shakers, or engraved spoons from different cities and states. As a younger adult, I favored coffee mugs. (I still purchase one now and then.) But for some of my more recent trips I’ve gone smaller and easier to transport.

These items will join others collected or received as gifts during the years to add to my Christmas tree. When I decorate, and undecorate, and perhaps a few times between, I’ll be reminded of enjoyable times in Jamestown, VA; Nova Scotia; and Pepin, WI.

What sort of decorations do you put on your tree – or shelf- for the holidays? Heirlooms? Handmade? Themed?

The Deutsch immigrants to fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois in the mid-19th century brought holiday customs with them. Think of a Christmas church service with a cedar (or other evergreen) tree decorated with candles, cookies, and perhaps a silver star on the top.

In the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, you’ll meet Louisa, a young baker, some of her relatives and people who soon become special in her life — including a young man full of interesting stories. Click on the link for details: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE