Good morning! It's another day of the Countdown to Christmas Party, and there are plenty of fun things in store! Linda Goodnight is here to kick things off today by sharing some Christmas memories and offering a giveaway for one reader! Linda's latest book is called Sugarplum Homecoming, and it is delightful! (I don't use that word enough!) I read it in just two sittings and gave it a 5-star rating!
(If you've missed previous posts during the giveaway, you can catch up here! Plus, later today we'll be chatting with Jennifer AlLee, and I'll be sharing some really amazing gifts that help others.)
i blog 4 books: Welcome, Linda! Tell us about your most memorable Christmas.
Linda Goodnight: We don’t get a lot of snow here in Oklahoma so I remember the two times we had a white Christmas. But the one that stands out the most is the first year we hosted a child from an orphanage in our home. Christmas changed for us that year as the focus moved from us to showing Christ’s love to a child who’d never even heard of Jesus. That was a very special year.
ib4b: Oh, that does sound like a special year! What a neat opportunity for your family. Name three words that you associate with Christmas.
LN: Family, Jesus, holy
ib4b: How will your family celebrate Christmas this year?
Linda Goodnight: We don’t get a lot of snow here in Oklahoma so I remember the two times we had a white Christmas. But the one that stands out the most is the first year we hosted a child from an orphanage in our home. Christmas changed for us that year as the focus moved from us to showing Christ’s love to a child who’d never even heard of Jesus. That was a very special year.
ib4b: Oh, that does sound like a special year! What a neat opportunity for your family. Name three words that you associate with Christmas.
LN: Family, Jesus, holy
ib4b: How will your family celebrate Christmas this year?
LN: The Goodnight clan will celebrate as we always do. On Christmas Eve, we’ll attend a simple, lovely candlelight service that sets the spiritual tone for the best day of the year. Then, on Christmas morning, the entire family gathers: the two girls still at home, the grown children and grandchildren, extended family that lives nearby. We’ll share gifts and laughs and an enormous dinner with all the traditional fixings.
ib4b: What is the best gift you’ve ever given?
LN: Early in our marriage, we didn’t have a lot of money. One year, sometime in early fall, Gene saw a vintage hunting rifle he wanted badly but knew we couldn’t afford. Later, I put the rifle in lay-away and paid it out a few dollars at a time. Was he ever surprised and happy on Christmas morning!
ib4b: Surprises are the best! Who gave you the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received? What was it?
LN: I am not big on gifts and wouldn’t care if I didn’t receive even one. However, one year my oldest son surprised me with a painting, and I cried. I didn’t even know he’d noticed how much I liked it. That painting still hangs in my living room.
ib4b: Tell me about the Christmas tradition that means the most to you.
ib4b: What is the best gift you’ve ever given?
LN: Early in our marriage, we didn’t have a lot of money. One year, sometime in early fall, Gene saw a vintage hunting rifle he wanted badly but knew we couldn’t afford. Later, I put the rifle in lay-away and paid it out a few dollars at a time. Was he ever surprised and happy on Christmas morning!
ib4b: Surprises are the best! Who gave you the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received? What was it?
LN: I am not big on gifts and wouldn’t care if I didn’t receive even one. However, one year my oldest son surprised me with a painting, and I cried. I didn’t even know he’d noticed how much I liked it. That painting still hangs in my living room.
ib4b: Tell me about the Christmas tradition that means the most to you.
LN: We have a long-standing tradition that I love. Even if we have an artificial tree, we take a day, load up in the truck with all the windows rolled down and drive around in the woods until we find just the right live tree. My husband honks Jingle Bells and Rudolph and we all sing at the top of our lungs. We usually find a lopsided, prickly cedar, but we cut it down and decorate it while watching Christmas movies. It’s a silly, happy, family time that bonds us together as a family, and I think that’s especially important for our adopted daughters.
ib4b: How do you keep your focus on Christ during this hectic but wondrous time of year?
ib4b: How do you keep your focus on Christ during this hectic but wondrous time of year?
LN: We do a variety of things, though I always feel we need to do more. Here are a few things: Programs at church, shoeboxes for orphans and Angel tree, special decorations in the house, an Advent calendar in which we read a scripture each evening at the dinner table, and on Christmas Day after dinner, we serve mini-cupcakes complete with lighted candles and sing happy birthday to Jesus. Last year, I downloaded some old Christmas movies that focus on Christ. Sadly, those are hard to find these days.
ib4b: What is your favorite ...
ib4b: What is your favorite ...
- Christmas movie? It’s a Wonderful Life
- Christmas song? Oh, Holy Night
- Christmas treat? Homemade fudge and peanut brittle and divinity and….
- Christmas smell? Candied orange slices, a memory from childhood.
- Christmas children’s book? The Polar Express
A New Mommy For Christmas
Widower Davis Turner doesn't need to hear his children's whispered wishes for a new mom to recognize that new neighbor Lana Ross is a beautiful woman. But he worries that his feelings for the former bad girl could put his family at risk for small-town scandal. Lana knows she should steer clear of Davis. Yet she can't resist spending time with the handsome single dad, even if the truth might soon tear them apart. Though Lana has turned over a new leaf, her secrets have followed her to Whisper Falls. Secrets that could destroy her hope for a future with Davis.
Whisper Falls: Where every prayer is answered…
Widower Davis Turner doesn't need to hear his children's whispered wishes for a new mom to recognize that new neighbor Lana Ross is a beautiful woman. But he worries that his feelings for the former bad girl could put his family at risk for small-town scandal. Lana knows she should steer clear of Davis. Yet she can't resist spending time with the handsome single dad, even if the truth might soon tear them apart. Though Lana has turned over a new leaf, her secrets have followed her to Whisper Falls. Secrets that could destroy her hope for a future with Davis.
Whisper Falls: Where every prayer is answered…
About Linda Goodnight
Winner of the RITA Award, Linda Goodnight’s books have also won the Booksellers’ Best, the ACFW Carol and the Reviewers’ Choice Award from RT Book Reviews. Linda has appeared on the Christian Bestsellers list and her romance novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Active in orphan ministry, this former nurse and teacher of the year lives in rural Oklahoma with her family.
Connect with Linda Goodnight Online
Giveaway
Linda is offering a copy of Sugarplum Homecoming to one reader. Giveaway is open to residents of the US or Canada and ends December 11. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*** All participants must be 18 years or older. The winner will be contacted
via email. Once contacted the winner has 72 hours to respond with the
required information. If the winner does not respond within the
timeframe specified, another winner will be chosen. I am not responsible
for shipping mishaps. Void where prohibited. ***
