The Waiting is Over

By Fran McNabb

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already experienced the excitement of Christmas morning,

especially if you have children in the house. You still might have lots of torn wrapping paper around the Christmas tree and empty boxes where the children left them after getting their toys. Watching the excitement on a child’s face on Christmas morning makes all the stressful weeks before the holiday worthwhile.

Maybe you’re relaxing in a big chair after feasting on a traditional Christmas meal or waiting for the rest of the family to come in to enjoy a later meal together. Christmas is about family and what better way than to sit at a table together.

Every family has a different tradition as to how Christmas day will be spent. I hope whatever you choose to do with the rest of your day and the rest of the holiday week, you spend it with family and friends and find the peace and joy that Christmas should be all abo

And lastly, if you or someone you know received a Kindle or an iPad and you’re looking for some great reads, don’t forget the ladies on this blog: Susan Aylworth, Sandy Cody, Sofie Couch, Roni Denholtz, Victoria M. Johnson, Karen McCullugh, Deborah Nolan, Janis Susan May, Leigh Verrill Rhys, of course, me, Fran McNabb.

The waiting is over. Enjoy your holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy Hannakuh to you and yours. See you in 2020.

FRAN MCNABB and her husband live on a quiet harbor on the Gulf Coast. She writes sweet, traditional romances and uses her beloved Gulf Coast in many of her books. Check her out at www.FranMcNabb.com

It's Snowing at the Classic and Cozy Corner!

Welcome to the world of Classic and Cozy writers...

Come on. Walk with me down Main Street! (We'll cut through the park.)

It's not far now. (Crunch, crunch, crunch.) This is it... Can you hear the music coming from inside?

As we step inside, we are greeted by the smell of cookies...

...the sound of a crackling fire...

...the sight and smell of a tree...

...and coming from the corner of the room, someone is reading from a Classic and Cozy Book.

My gift to one of you...

So sign up to follow my blog at https://sofiecouch.com/blog/ and I'll choose a couple of names and post the winner on my blog,

In celebration of the holiday, to launch an overhaul of SofieCouch.com, I’m giving away the Christmas Trifecta – one of each, IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME, IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME…AGAIN, and DRAGON RUN, a not so Christmassy collection of short stories. I’ll draw a name from our current followers here at ClassicAndCozyBooks.blogspot.com, and a name from new and old followers at SofieCouch.com and those folks will receive a copy of each of those short-shorts! Well, I think it’s exclamation worthy!!! Woot, woot!

And if you haven’t already, you can still order books in time for Christmas from the many amazing writers here at Classic and Cozy. They are books with heart that anyone would appreciate finding under their tree.

Life Goes On

by Janis Susan May/Janis Patterson

Okay, take a deep breath. We have survived the Christmas crazies and the New Year's excesses; since it's after Twelfth Night, all the Christmas decorations should be packed away for next December and probably most of us have already broken the ambitious New Year's Resolutions we have made.

It's time for normal (whatever that is!) life to begin again. Some of us have already returned to our jobs. 2019 is a blank slate, ready for us to fill in for good or for ill.

The prospect is terrifying. There is only so much time and yet so many things that cry to be done. We have families who must be attended to and enjoyed. We have jobs that need to be done, whether day jobs in the business world or the job of running a home or whatever. We have civic duties. We have.... You get the idea; everyone's life is different in details, but the same in so many ways.

So how do we do it all? The answer to that is as individual as we are. Speaking only of the writing part of our lives, we must write. And edit. And re-write, sometimes ad nauseam. Add to that research, and the necessity of giving some thought to our next project, and that bête noir of every writer I know, publicity. All the above apply - in various proportions - whether we are traditionally, self or hybrid published, whether we are a full time or a part time writer.

I read on one of the writers' chat loops that several writers spend up to 50% of their writing time on publicity. Somehow that seems so wrong. We should be writers, not publicity hacks. I know that If I wanted to spend that much time dealing with publicity and such I would have stayed in advertising - and be making a lot more money!

I know there are loads of publicity services available, all with different pricing structures. Most - dare I say all? - are out of my price range. I have a stubborn refusal to spend more on publicity than I am making. It is illogical, to quote Mr. Spock.

It's late for making Christmas wishes, but if I were allowed one it would be that some enterprising person would start a publicity service that even those of us who don't have a lot of money - read 'very little' - could afford. Think of what we could do with all that creative time! And even if the prices were kept quite low, think of how much money that publicity person could make. It would be a win-win situation.

As for the writing itself, I have long said that writers work pretty much 24/7. Even if we go days without touching a keyboard, somewhere in our brains there is a part that whirrs and thumps and wrestles with storylines - even if we are sometimes totally unaware of it. Ideas and wording and plots don't come from thin air; they are lured into the open air by hard work, creativity and skill. There is no magic shortcut, darn it.

Neither is there a magic formula. Some writers write a set number of words or hours every day in rigid discipline. Others write only when their 'muse' dictates. Others write in unbelievable multi-day explosions of creativity, putting aside every other consideration. There is no absolutely 'correct' way. Neither is there a completely consistent way, no matter what style of writing one chooses. There is family, there is illness, there are unexpected emergencies... all commonly called 'life,' and writers must work around them. And somehow we all manage.

It's called life, and life does go on.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

I’m writing this blog (which was supposed to have been posted several hours ago) on Christmas Eve.  As is often the case, I’m behind schedule on a number of fronts.  I’ve finished my shopping, but still need to wrap and this blog was pushed to the back of the line.

Lucky for me a blog at this time of the year practically writes itself.  As we approach the end of the year and the beginning of the next, most of us think about our resolutions or wishes for the future while looking back on the past year. 

I have a lot to be thankful for including a loving spouse, children and daughters-in-law happily connected to our family. We also have a precious new grandson and another due in April.  Our world may be in turmoil, but I have much to be grateful for.  

Most of us have been around long enough to know that all of that can change in the drop of an eye so my New Year’s resolution is to appreciate what I have and try not think about tomorrow and what might be coming. I’ve spent too much of my life thinking about what I need to do, making lists and going through them with almost total focus.  I did not always see the gifts and opportunities that are in front of me and I’m sure I lost some special moments.

My 9 month-old grandson was here in New York this week visiting from L.A.  I was fortunate to be able to spend quality hours with him every day while his mother worked.  A younger me would have fretted about what I was not getting done while I hung out with him at the children’s museum and the library.  An older me appreciates how fleeting these opportunities are.  I knew the blog and other writing tasks could wait—even until after the holidays.

That’s my new year’s resolution:  To prioritize my family and their needs recognizing that the writing will get done, but the family is what’s essential.

Happy Holidays to everyone!  

It Wasn’t Exactly the Christmas I Wanted…

By Karen McCullough

But it was the one I got, and it was terrific in its own way. Just not the way I planned.

It’s always a better Christmas when there are children around, so I was elated when my daughter said
she, her husband, and four little boys would be able to come to our place for the holiday. That meant a lot of packing for them, and a ten-hour drive with the four boys (ages 6, 4, 2 ½, and 6 months) in car seats in a mini-van. It’s a pretty big venture for them.



The three older boys playing at the kitchen island.

But come they did. I had things mostly ready – guest rooms, toys for the kids, high chair and portable crib for the baby, plus all the Christmas decorations. Gifts were bought and wrapped. We had plans to visit several relatives in the week following Christmas and to take the boys to a few of their favorite places. The back yard was ready with toys so they could play outside, since winters are generally pretty mild in central North Carolina.

My daughter warned me on her final phone call the day before they left that she and the baby weren’t feeling well and seemed to be developing colds. I assured her that wasn’t going to be a problem.  Little did I know…  (Writers love to use that particular cliché, and it’s so appropriate here.)

They arrived a few days before Christmas, and things started going sideways almost immediately.  The weather took a turn for the bitter, making it too cold for the boys to spend much time out-of-doors. In fact, temperatures remained ridiculously low for this area throughout their visit, making any outing an adventure in endurance. I’m talking daytime highs in the 20s and lows at night in single digits. Biting wind at times.

But I had a good supply of toys, crayons, markers, scratch paper, and books to keep them entertained. They’re good about playing on their own. Until all three of the older boys got sick as well a couple of days after they arrived. Then their Dad caught it. And my husband and I came down with it the day after Christmas.

This wasn’t the normal, garden-variety cold either, of the sort that makes you sniffle for a couple of days. We don’t think it was the flu, since none of had the achy muscles and joints, bad headaches, and nausea that go along with flu, but it was a really ferocious cold that made people feel generally icky for close to a week, then left us all congested, coughing, sneezing, and running for an additional week to ten days.

We had to cancel all the planned visits to relatives, forego the church services we wanted to attend, and forget some of the other places I wanted to take the boys. The kids were frequently, and understandably, cranky, mopey, and whiney.

On top of that, the bug exacerbated a continuing throat problem in my son-in-law, which forced a trip to the emergency room – right as we were getting ready to sit down to Christmas dinner. And a day or two after that the bug set off the six-year-old’s asthma. Fortunately they’d brought along his medicine and a friend lent us a nebulizer, but his parents didn’t get much sleep that night. In fact, sleep was in short supply for them for most of the visit with four wheezy, snuffly, stuffed-up children who all had trouble sleeping.

We blew through (literally) about 20 packages of wipes (for diaper changes and cleaning up runny noses) and several boxes of Kleenex for the adults.

And yet, amid all the chaos and changes of plans, there were some wonderful moments and great blessings.

Present-opening on Christmas morning went well for the most part. We do stockings first, and each of the boys got a foam play sword stuffed in the top. The two-year-old was so excited about the play sword, he went off brandishing it, and Christmas could have ended right there for him. We had to call him back and remind him there were other things in his stocking.

And there was the moment when the six-year-old unwrapped a present and found a book he desperately wanted. He literally shook with excitement and his face lit up with the kind of joy that, if bottled, could solve many of the world’s major problems.

The assistance of my older daughter, who lives nearby and has grown children of her own who were spending the holiday with their other grandmother, was invaluable during the chaos of Christmas day, and my sister-in-law Page was also helpful and understanding when dinner didn’t go according to plan.

At the end, they had to extend their say here a few days because of ice and snow clogging the roads back home on the day they’d planned to leave. That, too, was a blessing in disguise. With the boys finally mostly healthy again, we were able to do some of the things I’d wanted to do earlier, including outings to Safari Nation, a terrific indoor playground, the library for story time, and the Greensboro Children’s Museum.

Perhaps the biggest blessing was contained in something my daughter told me shortly before they left. In thanking me for all the help (though I still don’t feel like it was that much), she said that if they’d been at home with everyone sick, Christmas would’ve been pretty dreary. Being with us meant she didn’t have to handle everything herself, could grab a few extra naps she might not have had at home, and had extra hands to help with caring for the children. That made a huge difference for her.
And I realized I was glad that she and the family were here, illness and all. Together we all had a better Christmas holiday than any of us would’ve had on our own.

I Still Buy My Parents a Christmas Present

My mother died in 2012 after a brief illness. When she went in for surgery to repair an aneurysm, we didn’t really expect complications. Although she was 87, she was still active and spry. Her mind was sharp. And she’d come through other recent surgeries with all flags flying. We didn’t expect that she would suffer a stroke during the surgery and end up with a few other complications that led to her death just a few weeks later.

My mom’s parents had both lived into their late 90s and I truly thought she would, too. I thought we had more time. That said, although there’s still a lot of sadness, I don’t have many regrets. We had a good relationship and I visited as often as I could, given that I had a family of my own to take care of and we lived 600 miles apart. I could’ve called more often, but I did make it a point to call her at least once a week. If I didn’t, she’d call me, concerned that there was a problem.

My father died some ten years before her, after a long and lingering illness. His passing wasn’t a surprise, but it still came on us too quickly, before we were ready. I suppose one is never really ready.

It took a while to get over the grief each time and there are still holes in my life that they used to occupy, but I’m reconciled to it now.

But I still buy my mom and dad a Christmas present. Every year, I buy chickens or a goat in their names for a needy family through the Food for the Poor (foodforthepoor.org) program. It’s a charity my mother had supported during her lifetime. I like to think it’s making them both happy where they are now to know that they’re still making an effort to help others in need.

And on a personal (and more commercial) note - I love writing Christmas stories of all kinds. I have a couple that are available for sale on Amazon and at most ebook outlets and one short story that's totally free.

  

 

A Vampire's Christmas Carol

Amazon Kindle   Nook   Smashwords

Blue December - Amazon Kindle

 

Can You Jump-Start a Reindeer?

Free!

http://www.kmccullough.com/ST_Reindeer.php

Writing Schedules and Other Fictions

by Janis Patterson

There are those who say that the success to writing lies only in following a strict schedule. So many words per day, every day, or writing X number of hours without deviation, or... whatever. On the other hand, there are an equal number of equally fervid writers who are convinced that no good writing ever comes from being forced. One should wait for the magic touch of the muse, as anything which is worked at, which happens without fiery and flowing inspiration is unnatural and bad writing. 

Give me a break. Or two.

That said, I will admit that my writing is easier when I am in the throes of inspiration, and that I do try to write a certain number of words every day. Keywords here are 'easier' and 'try.'

Like all of life writing is uncertain. You can vow that you will write a minimum of 5,000 words a day, every single day without fail. If you can, good on you. The rest of us have lives. We have families, cars, homes, jobs... all of which seem to go maniacally wonky just at the worst times. There are things in life that should come before writing - family comes to mind first.

So - you've set a schedule and stuck to it pretty well, then something overwhelming happens and until it is resolved the writing goes out the window. Then what? Your rhythm is off. You haven't kept your word, and if you're so unreliable why go on? Obviously you aren't a real writer unless you .... whatever.

Yes, there are people who actually believe that. I look at writing schedules sort of like I do at a diet. They can be wonderful things from which you can benefit greatly. Depending on your attitude, they can also make your life miserable. If you break a diet, you don't just give up and wallow in a slough of chocolate (however delightful that might seem), you admit what happened, then pick up and go on. Or at least you should. At least, I do. Most of the time.

Being a writer is a life and career choice - it shouldn't be a sentence. Yes, we have deadlines, and yes, if we've given our word that so-and-so will be done by such-and-such a time, we should honor it, no matter what it takes. That's a sprint, though, not a way of life.

So am I advocating heedlessness, hedonism, laziness? No. If you are a writer, you must write. But... if you are a human, you must also live. As the Facebook meme (am I using that weird word correctly?) says, Eat the chocolate, drink the wine, smell the roses.

It's all about balance. I am a firm advocate that family comes first. Yes, you owe dedication to your craft, but you also owe dedication to your Self. And your family. And your life, however you choose to live it. But you must also be disciplined and productive in the way that is right for you.

Besides, there is a extra - if rather naughty - benefit to having a writing schedule. When something comes up that you should do, but don't really want to, but can't say no gracefully, you can always say, "I'd love to, but I haven't made my word count for today." Works every time.

Now for something that has nothing to do with writing - I wish all of you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years!

Letters to Santa

by Victoria M. Johnson

One pleasant, low-stress, ultra low-cost, Christmas activity to enjoy with young ones is writing a letter to Santa.

All you need is paper and something to write with.  But I know how we all are.  We want to make it festive.  Options include stickers or colored envelopes and multi-colored crayons.  You needn't go overboard with this step.  The fun is in the content of the letter.

The child can write about any number of topics other than just what he/she wants from Santa.  For example, they can write good wishes for others, or things they did that were helpful, or the nicest thing they did for their family.

The US Postal Service even makes it easy with a cute little Letter to Santa Kit that comes complete with adorable stationary, envelopes, stickers, crayons, and coloring images.  One page of the stationary includes a pre-printed letter/list for the child to fill in.  All you need to add is the address and postage.

If you want your child to receive a reply from Santa, be sure to follow the instructions from the US postal service (click here).   Note that your letter must be received by December 15 to allow time for Santa to mail his reply from the North Pole.

If you'd like to see other templates for a Letter to Santa that you can print at home (many are printable), visit Pinterest (click here). 

After your child writes the letter, what's next?  You scan or color copy it, of course.  Or take a photo with your cell or camera.  Then you have to decide if you truly want to mail it to the North Pole or if you want to mail it to Grandma and Grandpa, or other loved ones who might enjoy reading the handwritten letter.

The effort you make with your little ones will yield you a wonderful annual memento to cherish and brighten the day of the recipient.  Did you write letters to Santa when you were a child?  Did your parents keep copies?  Let us know in the comments below.  Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma.  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.

Holiday Overload... Well Before the Holidays

by Victoria M. Johnson

In July while hunting for a beach umbrella and chairs, I expected to encounter back-to-school supplies.  I was not prepared to find Halloween decorations on the shelves.  Something about jack-o-lanterns juxtaposed with flip-flops just didn't seem right.  Then in August, while trying to locate summer picnic items—after all plenty of summer still lay ahead—I was shocked to see Thanksgiving items in place of outdoor entertaining necessities.  This disconcerting circumstance wasn't just at one store.  I come across it everywhere: coffee shops already have pumpkin spiced beverages for sale, grocery stores have the Fall merchandise out, and apparel shops have Fall clothing in their windows.  It's still 99 degrees outside!

What's the rush?  Can't we enjoy our summer without the added stress of thinking about school and holidays?  Okay, I get—even though I don't agree with—the back-to-school displays overlapping with Halloween.  Harried parents buying backpacks and lunch boxes may have eager children pulling on their hems saying, "mommy, buy me this costume."  And that harried parent is thinking about saving a shopping trip to buy costumes a month later.  I understand the reasoning behind that.  But Thanksgiving items for sale in August?  Really? 

Now that it is September, I fully expect to hear Christmas carols playing in stores.  And I haven't even discussed the internet ads yet.  Yes, I've seen the first Christmas ebook ad on Twitter.  Ugh.  Too soon, people.  I am happy to read that ebook in November.  But at the moment I want to frolic in the ocean.  Christmas is too stressful to think about in the carefree days of summer. 

I know Christmastime doesn't have to be stressful but it's just that it falls at that time of the year when so much else is happening in life.  Family commitments, work pressure to meet end-of-year targets, and forgotten personal goals we scramble to make an attempt to tackle. On top of this I haven't mentioned how much I get into the spirit of the season.  I like to attend the Christmas pageants of my youngest relatives, attend holiday festivals, and decorate my home for the many visitors who will stop by.  I love to shop, wrap, and give to my loved ones.

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As if all this weren't overload enough, I also happen to adore Christmas movies.  Typically during the season I might watch two in one week.  However, today I found out that the Hallmark Channel has plans to render me useless for the month of December.  They plan 33 new original movies for the 2017 holiday!  What?  How am I supposed to manage that on top of everything else?  I still have movies on my DVR from last season I haven't watched yet.  Click on the image above to see a preview of the new lineup.  (Or click the link here.) This announcement adds anxiety to my holiday planning.  I realize I must start everything sooner.  Perhaps I should bump things up a month to free up my time.  Maybe the retailers have it right.  Maybe the elementary schools could have their Christmas pageants in November, which would move Thanksgiving to October, and Halloween to September.  I think I should begin wrapping gifts now...

Is anyone else feeling rushed with holiday stuff being thrown at you too early?  Or are you happy, yet panicked, that Hallmark has 33 wonderful, uplifting movies coming out this holiday season?  Let me know in the comments below.

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma.  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.

Nostalgia Time!

Christmas is a time for nostalgia--for entertaining the ghosts of Christmas Past and Present and trying to titillate the ghost of Christmas Future, hoping to catch a glimpse as he flutters by. We work at making memories, so it shouldn't surprise us when those memories come full circle and we see our children and later, our grandchildren, repeating the same traditions.

When I was a child, my parents had a basic rule: no one could approach the tree on Christmas morning until the whole family was together. My hubby liked the idea, so we continued it with our family, but our kids took it a step further. They picked one bedroom where the whole crowd gathered, some in sleeping bags on the floor. Then when the first of them stirred, they woke the others. Since the rule said we had to be there too, they woke us by singing Christmas carols down the hallway. It was a lovely way to awaken each December 25.

Now some of our grandchildren huddle together on Christmas Eve and wake their parents with carols the following morning. Some have also continued a tradition begun with my mother and carried down through my family: homemade cinnamon rolls with egg nog, mulled cider, and/or hot chocolate as a mid-morning brunch after the gifts are opened. Both are traditions worth emulating.

We had other traditions we weren't so eager to pass down, such as the stay-up-until-early-hours-putting-toys-together marathon. I hope none of our children are carrying that one forward. Then there's the tradition no one else has needed, the one in which my birthday present appears under the tree wrapped in non-Christmas paper, the peculiar joys brought on by a Christmas-week birth.

Other traditions are shared by some of the next generation and fondly remembered by others. The pipe bells, made for me as a gift by my sister-in-law in a style similar to those made years before for my mother, are a Christmas Eve tradition. When we gather around the fireplace, we share around the bells and laugh as we try to keep rhythm on familiar carols.

Of course there are also the familiar recipes: fudge and caramels by the pound, certain kinds of brittle and divinity only made at Christmas time, pumpkin bread, holiday pudding, and a wide variety of others. Each has its memories and different family members promise "it wouldn't be Christmas" without one combination or another. Since we add to them every year (the newest is Coconutty Christmas Pie), the list of sugary treats seems to grow as rapidly as our waistlines and we always have something to resolve for the new year.

A few days from now we'll be looking forward to another joyous Christmas with much of our family here to share it. We'll be enjoying old traditions and making new ones. Whatever the holiday means to you and yours, I wish you merriment, joy, and peace.

Susan Aylworth is the author of 14 novels, all available as e-books. She loves her northern California home which she shares with her husband of 46 years and the two spoiled cats they serve. When she can't be with her seven children, seven great kids-in-law, and 25 grandbabies, she loves hanging with her fictional offspring, the children of her mind. She also loves hearing from readers. Visit her website at www.susanaylworth.com or find her @SusanAylworth, at .facebook.com/Susan.Aylworth.Author, or on Pinterest.