It is in the midst of the holiday madness and I am just not feeling it. I remember eagerly anticipating this time of year and counting down the days. It meant days off from school, fun crafts and creating with Ninja_Mom, the eagerness to gift and receive, the delicious food, the sports, the games, looking at other people’s lights, and being together. As I got older and no longer lived at home the holiday season expanded to mean reconnecting with friends and family I hadn’t seen for 6, 8, or even 12 months.
Time continued to pass and the family expanded with significant others, marriages, munchkins, in-laws, gathering in places around the US instead of my hometown, and eating unfamiliar foods made by strange cooks. Throughout it all I still kept my own personal traditions from watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the old Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn, and White Christmas to discovering I bought waaay too many Christmas presents over the year to searching out recipes for us to try. **note: My family banned those movies except once a year due to over-watching on my part.**
But after Christmas of 2013 and its drama all I wished for was a drama free Christmas of 2014. I didn’t receive my wish and Christmas of 2014 if anything was even more drama filled. I am not talking the kind of drama with a Playbill and over prices snacks but the kind of drama that makes you consider going on a solo trip for the next holiday. The lead up to Christmas of 2015 has also been extremely full of emotional lows and stress but the wind seems to have changed and is taking a turn for the better. **cheers**
So now I have some hope for Christmas of 2015, I need your help getting into the spirit of things. Please provide me your recommendations for holiday stories to read. While my family does celebrate Christmas please do not limit your recommendations to just those stories which include Christmas. As a token of my appreciation I will thank one of you with a $10USD gift certificate from Amazon or Barnes and Noble because I really want to get back to enjoying the holidays once more!
Thanks!
I find Carla Kelly’s Christmas stories are a real spirit lifter. The main characters are so kind and loving. There are a couple of different anthologies available; some are self-pubbed.
I know what you mean… these past weeks there have been so many problems at home that it stripped me of christmas spirits ( and i’m so behind in my handmade gift creation that it’s just stress by now)
still Christmas in Dogtown by Suzanne johnson is a holidays novella that i absolutely love i hope it will cheer you up and i wish you a fabulous magical drama free Christmas!
I guess it depends on what you are interested in reading right now. For the life of me I can’t remember any holiday stories. I know I have read several but nothing lately so here are some of my favorite go to books/series.
Linda Howard has some novellas that are Christmas themed those were a good read.
Fern Michaels did some books in the holiday season that also have some good reading.
Robyn Carr’s Thunder Point series was around the fall/holiday season. The Wanderer, The Newcomber, The Hero
The Toni Mcgee-Causey books are fun and have lots of excitement. In order:
Charmed and Dangerous, Girls Just Wanna Have Guns, When A Mans Loves A Weapon
Suzanne Enoch has a great series featuring a “former” cat burger which is a nice treat. In order:
Flirting With Danger, Don’t Look Down, Billionaires Prefer Blonds, Twice the Temptation and A Touch of Minx
Scarlett Dawn has several books that are fun and sexy at the same time.
King Hall, King Cave, King’s Tomb and Obsidian Liquor, and Obsidian Mask come to mind.
I hope your holiday is better than previous years.
There have been instances where I wasn’t fully in the Christmas spirit. The good with our families is that it’s not a big deal/no drama if someone can’t make it back for the holidays. We just promise to get together whenever the out of town relatives do manage to make it in.
a Christmas carol
Letters from Father Christmas
I so know what you mean –I’m working retail this year and it sucked my spirit for shopping and I have kids
But what always puts a smile on my face is ELF , and i love watching The polar express. Those always remind me about the christmas spirit.
But have you seen this ? I went to my church’s youth sing along for christmas and I was able to get more in the the spirit.
https://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HP_SU_11-29-2015_dMIS_fSPC_xLIDyL1-A_
O I watched seven brides for seven brothers earlier this year again, it was fun! I am currently reading What happens under the mistletoe, a new Christmas anthology.
Holiday sparks by Shannon Stacey (contemporary rom) and How the Glitch Stole Christmas by Stacy Gail (sci-Fi) are two of my favorites. I also like Galileo’s Holiday by Sasha Summers (sci-Fi).
(Please don’t enter me in the giveaway)
Not having much of a Xmas spirit myself, I don’t read many holidays stories, but here are some suggestions for excellent romances to read:
Meljean Brook’s The Kraken King and The Iron Duke (they are both very good, and TID is the first in the series, but TKK is even better, as a romance and steampunk story).
Courntey Milan’s Trade Me. I usually don’t like young adult books, and it’s very rare that I even finish a story narrated in first person–let alone alternate points of view–but this one blew me away. It’s the first in a series, with the second one coming out soon-ish.
Also very good, though not quite up to Milan’s level, Sarina Bowen’s The Year We Fell Down and The Year We Hid Away. Young adult, and the first two in her Ivy Years series.
Grace Draven’s Radiance is…well, really, really good. Sort of fantasy, with a great romance–and also the first in a series.
I hope this year there is less drama and a lot more cheer in your life!
I work for the post office and it’s been getting harder ad harder every year to get into the spirit, largely thanks to my job. The entire month of December is pure hell, the packages are up like 200 percent this year, (good for the post office, hard on the carriers), people turn into raving lunatics if you can’t give them an answer to why their package hasn’t arrived, it really brings out the worst of people instead of the best. BUT, that being said, I love giving gifts to people, I love watching all the holiday movies on this time of year also. I only start feeling good about Christmas about 1 or 2 weeks beforehand. My go to is an audio book of A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry, I absolutely love it and I listen to every year and it helps get me in the right frame of mind. Hope things work out and you have a great Christmas!!!!!
I love Noelle Adams’ holiday stories – sweet, romantic, and characters finding their holiday spirit as they find love and family with each other.
I don’t have a recommendation, but you aren’t alone in the “not feeling the holidays”. I don’t know what it is, but I am not finding joy in any part of it. Take care.
I can’t think of a Holiday story, but what about a Holiday movie like While You Were Sleeping. I love how Sandra Bullock’s lonely character ends up with Bill Pullman’s character and quirky family.