A Little Christmas Fun

I thought it might be fun to learn a bit about each other’s Christmas traditions, memories, etc. Feel free to post your answers in the comments or on your own blog. If you post on your blog, link back in the comments so I can see your answers!

What is your favorite . . .

• Christmas movie? The Holiday and A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Christmas carol / song? "O Holy Night" gets me every time! Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is fun for a dance party! Totally opposite ends of the spectrum! (However, I do love all Christmas music . . . traditional hymns and carols and new songs alike!)
• Christmas sweet treat? Divinity. I have no idea how to make it. My grandmothers only make it at Christmas . . . and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the family who likes it.
• Christmas book? The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - It's really just a short story, but it's so wonderful . . . really gets at the heart of Christmas!
• Children’s Christmas book? 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
• Christmas tradition? Christmas Eve was always so special growing up. We went to church, and then would either have family over for dinner or go out to eat somewhere. Driving around looking at Christmas lights was usually involved. And then the guys would finish wrapping their gifts and we would exchange gifts among our immediate family. If we hadn't already watched Christmas Vacation, we would usually pop it in for a while at some point.

As far as your preferences . . .

• White or colorful lights? I've always had white lights . . . but I'm not opposed to colorful lights.
• Twinkling lights or non-twinkling lights? Non-twinkling
• Turkey or ham? Ham at Christmas  . . . the only day of the whole year that I actually like ham. Weird, right?
• Tree - real or fake? Fake . . . less mess, less money, less trouble all the way around. Plus, the one we have now was a freebie from Grandma. :)
• Hot cocoa or apple cider? Both! But not mixed together.
• Frosty or Rudolph? Rudolph
• Scrooge or the Grinch? Scrooge . . . I just love A Christmas Carol!
• Gift wrap or gift bag? Whatever's handy and fits.
• Themed tree or traditional family ornaments? Traditional family ornaments. Most of my ornaments have special meaning to me.

Who are you spending Christmas with this year? We're making the rounds again. We'll hit up both sets of parents, all four sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I think the only people we'll miss are Hubs' brother (we saw him last weekend) and one cousin. Not too shabby!

What is the most embarrassing gift you’ve ever asked for? Hands down . . . Bob Guiney's cd. Yes, Bob Guiney from The Bachelor had a CD. And I own it.

What is the best gift you’ve ever gotten? Oh . . . so hard to choose! My grandmother made me a t-shirt quilt after I graduated from high school. She gave it to me for Christmas the next year. Definitely a labor of love! I take it everywhere with me! Probably the most surprising gift was a tanzanite and diamond ring that I really, really, really wanted but just knew I wasn't going to get. My parents totally surprised me with it for Christmas one year!

What is the best gift you’ve ever given? I thought this was a good question, but now I'm not so sure. I don't know if this is really the best but everyone seemed to enjoy it. The Christmas after Hubs and I got married, I made photo albums for all of our grandparents of our wedding pictures.

What is your most memorable Christmas and why? Every Christmas is wonderful and special for one reason or another. I think the most memorable, though, was the one I spent in Africa. It was just so different from every other year. So much more simpler . . . and much less about me. It was so hard to be away from home during Christmas, and I had to rely on the Lord so much. Our little Charlie Brown Christmas tree, spaghetti Christmas Eve dinner, McDonald's for Christmas lunch, making Christmas special for orphans, opening my Christmas box from Mom and Dad, sharing gifts from my parents with all of my African friends, swapping gifts with my new friends and knowing that every gift I received was a total sacrifice. It was memorable in every way!

What are three words that you associate with Christmas. Redemption. Peace. Joy.

Well . . . I hope you guys have had fun. I can't wait to read about your Christmas traditions and memories!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Last Scripture for the Year!

Wow . . . it's hard to believe that this year's focus on Scripture memory is coming to an end. It's been a bit up and down for me (and the last two months have definitely been a "down"), but it's been so, so, so good.

Here are the last five verses of the Christmas story. While I haven't done as well with the actual memorization, it's been a true joy to study and meditate on these verses. The Lord has shown me a lot through this familiar passage. And that's really the point anyway, right?!

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.^17181920

Luke 2:16-20, ESV

12 Pearls of Christmas: A Christmas of Kindness

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will be announced on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

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A Christmas of Kindness
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

"You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas Eve I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband's relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.

It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.

Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty space, but space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is oh so right.

Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts.

Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.

And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and then . . . Ah, but you'll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.

Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agenda, the essence of true simplicity.

And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.

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Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Smitten

Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, Denise Hunter
Contemporary Christian Fiction, Romance
432 pages
Available December 20, 2011
Thomas Nelson

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You know . . . it's funny. Four-in-one novella collections used to be my bread and butter as far as reading Christian romance went. Perhaps it was about all that was out there. Then I discovered all sorts of new authors and started reading full-length novels more and more and novellas got left behind.

I was excited to read Smitten. I've read three of the four authors before (and love their work!) and was curious to see how they would pull off a collaborative effort. Let me tell you . . . they did a great job!

Smitten is the story of four friends who work furiously over the course of a year to turn their town of Smitten, Vermont into a romantic tourist destination. They face opposition of the men in the town. However, between their faith in each other and their faith in God, they are confident they will be able to pull it off. Throw in a few handsome bachelors and you've got quite a romance story!

The thing that made this collection of novellas unique is that four different authors were writing about the same characters living in the same town. I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised! Generally, my biggest complaint with novellas is that they're just too short to really get to know the characters, but that was not the case with Smitten. Each story focused on one of the four main characters (Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese). I loved feeling like I really got to know each of the characters. Each story built off of the previous ones and the authors did a great job of making sure that the story flowed well from book to book. Smitten was thoroughly enjoyable!

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my fair and honest review.

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About the Book
Four friends devise a plan to turn Smitten, Vermont, into the country's premier romantic getaway-and each finds her own true love along the way.

With Smitten Lumber closing, residents wonder if their town can stay afloat. Then four friends and local business owners-Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese--decide the town is worth saving. How will they do it? They'll turn Smitten into a honeymoon destination!

As Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese work to save the town, each discovers romance in her own life. Meanwhile, the faith of a little child reminds the whole town what it means to have real faith in the God who is the always and forever Love.

Discover a novel written by four of Christian fiction's most popular romance novelists- friends in real life who've drawn an amazing story of four friends! Includes a Reading Group Guide as well as "Conversation over Coffee with the Authors".

About the Authors
Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Connect with Colleen through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Kristin Billerbeck is the bestselling, award-winning author of several novels, including What a Girl Wants. A Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award, Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. She lives with her family in northern California. Connect with Kristin through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Connect with Diann through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Denise Hunter is the best-selling author of many novels, including The Convenient Groom and Driftwood Lane. She lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too! Connect with Denise through her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Fun Christmas Book & A Discount!

I recently read The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall and will be posting a review soon, but I wanted to make sure you had a chance to read it BEFORE Christmas . . . and at a discount too!

Of course my full review is coming, but let me just say this was a GREAT book! I'm not usually a fan of Amish fiction, but I loved this book enough that I went back and read the first one as soon as I finished! (Both are excellent!)

And WaterBrook Multnomah is graciously offering YOU a 30% discount and free shipping on The Christmas Singing (and any other title). Just use the promo code DECEMBER11 when checking out at WaterBrook Multnomah's website. 

Still not convinced? Check out the first chapter here . . . for FREE!
The Christmas Singing (Chapter 1 Excerpt)

12 Pearls of Christmas is BACK!

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!

We've gathered several of today's most beloved authors to share their Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along beginning tomorrow (Wednesday the 14th) through Christmas day as Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Rachel Hauck, Sandy Ralya, Sibella Giorello, Susan May Warren and more, share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year.

If you'd like to share the 12 Pearls of Christmas with your blog readers too, just email Christen and she'll send you the series.

AND of course there is a giveaway! Beginning tomorrow you and all your friends can enter to win a PEARL NECKLACE and EARRINGS valued at $450! The winner will be announced on New Year's Day! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.

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Just a quick note before the series begins on the 14th ...

As I write this, I imagine that we are sitting at my kitchen table and chatting over a cup of coffee while familiar Christmas carols celebrate the Season. My twelve year old Chihuahua, Pongo, barks for a pinch of pound cake while my Shih Tzu, Lilly, patiently sits by the chair and waits for a crumb to fall.

My name is not Martha Stewart, and I will never receive a neighborhood beautification award. Just look at my front stoop. Yes, my never-had-time-to-carve-the-pumpkin-that-now-suffers-from-frostbite slouches next to the front door which is decorated with a Christmas wreath. I plan to roll this large orange ornament to the garbage pile tomorrow. For now, however, I will pretend that my front stoop is a contemplative modern art exhibit capturing the essence of contrast.

Actually, I love the concept of juxtaposition – placing things together that don’t seem to belong together, yet somehow ultimately make sense being paired. A personal example for me this season is the phrase: “comfort and joy.” Having just completed my manuscript for New Hope Publishers about the aftermath of grief, I fully understand the contrast of those two words. How can comfort bring joy? How can one find joy in loss?

Perhaps, dear reader, you have experienced loss this year – loss of a loved one, loss of friendship, loss of health,  loss of financial security, loss of trust, loss of love, or loss of direction. Even with the best intent, words of encouragement shared by others can somehow seem insufficient to address an inconsolable loss.  A spoken word cannot fully restore joy to a broken heart; however the Word can. And that’s the bottom line message of Christmas! God gave us the most amazing gift: His Son -  the Word of God, the Holy Comforter.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

You are not alone this Christmas, dear friend. Juxtaposed to the unexpected grit in life is the gift of God’s grace wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. This year I purposely placed a pearl in the Nativity scene as a metaphoric reminder. When we place our grit into the hands of the Lord, His grace transforms our pain into a pearl.

 “Joy to the world!”  

Thank you so very much for sharing the JOY of the Season with us this year.

God Bless,
Margaret
@mcsweeny

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Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband, David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. She is the founder and director of Pearl Girls. For more information please visit www.pearlgirls.info. Margaret is fast at work on several fiction manuscripts. Her book Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace was written to help fund the Pearl Girl Charities. She is also the host of weekly radio show, Kitchen Chat. Connect with Margaret on Facebook or Twitter.

Accused by Janice Cantore

Accused by Janice Cantore
Pacific Coast Justice Series, Book 1
Contemporary Christian Fiction, Suspense
416 pages
Available February 1, 2012
Tyndale House Publishers

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Not sure how I've missed out on Janice Cantore's previous novels, but Accused is one of the best suspense novels I've read in a while! The book read very much like an episode of a TV police drama . . . well, maybe two or three episodes! (Think Law & Order but cleaner and better!)

I loved both Carly and Nick and found myself rooting for them . . . even before I really had the entire back story.

Janice's background as a police officer made the book so realistic. It's obvious she knows what she's writing about! Janice did a great job staying one step ahead of me, so that it wasn't until the very end that I knew for sure "whodunit." (I love trying to guess who the culprit is but hate figuring it out halfway through the book!)

Due to the nature of a police drama, there were quite a few characters and sometimes I had trouble remembering who was who. However, knowing this is the first in a series, I'm sure I'll get to know the main characters better in future books.

The ending was beautifully done . . . not too rush, not trite, but realistic and a good pace. And … Janice did an amazing job at tying up the loose ends of Accused while obviously setting the stage for the next book in the series. I can't wait to read the next installment of Carly and Nick's story!

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my fair and honest review.

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About the Book
Detective Carly Edwards hates working in juvenile—where the brass put her after an officer-involved shooting—and longs to be back on patrol. So when a troubled youth, Londy Atkins, is arrested for the murder of the mayor and Carly is summoned to the crime scene, she's eager for some action. Carly presses Londy for a confession but he swears his innocence, and despite her better judgment, Carly is inclined to believe him. Yet homicide is convinced of his guilt and is determined to convict him.

Carly's ex-husband and fellow police officer, Nick, appears to be on her side. He's determined to show Carly that he's a changed man and win her back, but she isn't convinced he won't betray her again.

As the investigation progresses, Carly suspects a cover-up and strikes out on her own, uncertain whom she can trust. But when danger mounts, she begins to wonder if she made the right choice.

About the Author
A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She's always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today's Christian Woman before tackling novels. A few years ago, she retired to a house in the mountains of Southern California, where she lives with two Labrador retrievers, Jake and Maggie.

Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Accused is the first book in the Pacific Coast Justice series, featuring Carly Edwards. Janice also authored the Brinna's Heart series, which includes The Kevlar Heart and The Heart of Justice.

Connect with Janice through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.