Category: Christmas

Need Some Christmas Cheer?

Christians look forward to the good news of the birth of a baby who, in the words of Douglas Adams, ‘…was nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change…’. 

But what happens if you hate the commercialisation and enforced jollity that our various winter festivals have become? The pressure to conform, and the loneliness that can strike at this time of year is hard to avoid.

I’m posting some good news here to raise spirits while I can.

Good News!

There was good news for me at the fracture clinic yesterday. With luck, I’ll be in a lighter cast by mid-January. I have regained feeling in all my fingers, although movement remains very restricted in three of them. I keep telling myself that jazz genius Django Reinhardt managed well enough with only two fingers. Trouble is, I’m a writer, not a guitarist!

I’m typing this (with one hand) on 21st December. That’s the Winter Solstice, otherwise known as the Shortest Day. The sun rose this morning just after eight o’clock, and it will set shortly before four pm. It slips behind the trees at lunchtime here, which means part of the garden is in shade from around 1:30pm. Even so, there’s no stopping nature. These crocuses are in a window box outside my office.

The Winter Solstice is actually good news. From now on, the hours of daylight will increase by a few minutes each day. The days will start getting lighter, and longer. It means spring is on the way. People have been saying that to cheer each other up since they were building Stonehenge (right). That’s what you call continuity.

More Good News

I happened on this anecdote on Crazy Days and Nights, a site which is famous for its edgy celebrity gossip.The following story, and many of the comments about the kindness of Gary Sinise, Wendell Pierce, Will Rogers and others, raised my spirits. Here’s the story:

‘There is an A- list actor who has made it his passion the past several years to build as many low income single family homes as he can. Our actor made his name in iconic HBO show that has seen a few cast deaths in the past few years. The people get no interest loans and own their own houses. It was while he was doing this that he ran into several military veterans who were doing construction on one of the houses. They got to talking about other veterans who served and were permanently disabled and were having trouble getting work and therefore having trouble finding places to live. Many ended up homeless or in shelters. Our actor started meeting with veterans groups and also met with an actor that has been in this space before for his work with veterans. Our A- lister started bugging his producer friends to find jobs for the veterans. Our actor also got a group together to purchase two motels for the veterans to stay while they were saving enough to move into their own place. The motels each also have a coffee shop/diner where the veterans can eat, but also work and serve the general public.’  

You can read the comments here.

And Finally…

Fancy a break from the hectic round of shopping and cooking? Then browse these selections of free books. They are a great way to discover the work of romance authors you may not have met before. You can choose from Free Steamy Romance I or Free Steamy Romance II.

That’s all for now. If I don’t manage to get back on here before 2024, have a peaceful, pleasant Christmas and New Year.

Would you like inside information on my writing life in the English countryside, offers, and more? Then sign up for my newsletter here.

There’s an extract of my latest book, Royal Passion, here, and to buy Royal Passion, click here.

Small is Beautiful This Week

Saturday, 2nd December is Small Business Saturday here in the UK. The first Small Business Saturday was founded in 2010 in the US by American Express. It caught on so fast that within a couple of years it had reached this country.

Buyer Beware

I love poking around small independent bookshops and always try to buy something. Many small businesses operate on a knife edge. I’m not a complete pushover, though! On one occasion, I decided to buy a book I wanted from a local bookstore, rather than get it from Amazon. When I got to the shop they didn’t have the book in stock, but the owner opened his laptop and offered to order it for for me, for delivery next day. I noticed he was going to be ordering it from the Amazon site, so I asked how much it would be. The figure he quoted was full price, so I told him I wouldn’t bother. I would have had no problem in paying the extra if I’d thought he had to pay full price to his suppliers, but for him to buy at a discount then bump up the price for me was not on. I went home and ordered the book from Amazon myself!

Charity Begins…

I buy charity cards whenever I can. This week I called in on the Charity Christmas Card pop-up shop in Hereford’s All Saints Church. Each charity represented had a section with selections of cards. There were also many different designs of Advent calendars, as well as ordinary calendars and diaries for 2024. I chose packs from two charities I haven’t supported before: GUTS, a charity supporting sufferers of bowel cancer, and Perennial, a charity which helps people involved in horticulture. That one is particularly close to my heart.

Last year I had astonishing luck in the raffle at a local church’s sale of work. You can read about that here. There were lots of lovely things on sale (as well as raffle prizes!). Events like this are a good place to find handcrafted local gifts. Market stalls are often the next step for growing businesses after they have been selling from home or online , so they need all the support and encouragement they can get.

…At Home

This year I’m trying to give useful presents. DD is getting a HotBin compost box, which might not sound very exciting but it’s something she definitely needs. Her little cottage is in such a picturesque part of Tewkesbury that there are strict rules about putting out rubbish bins. The less she has to dispose of, the better. She is already a dedicated recycler. This composting system will gobble up practically everything in the way of compostable waste, including cooked food. That’s the plan, anyway –we’ll have to see how it works out.

My sister rather rashly said she’d like me to make her some pyjama trousers, after seeing a pair I made for myself. I bought the material from a local supplier. You can see the fabric I chose in the header of this blog post. I’ve got as far as cutting the pattern pieces out and tacking them together, but then life got in the way. Those half-made pyjamas have spent the last week hung over the back of a chair waiting for me to get the sewing machine out!

Have you ever thought of making, rather than buying Christmas presents? How did you get on?

If you’d like inside information on my writing life in the English countryside, offers, news of free books, seasonal recipes, and more, sign up for my newsletter here.

There’s an extract of my latest book, Royal Passion, here, and to buy Royal Passion, click here.

Three Bits of Special Christmas News For You!

I’m blogging early this week as I’ve got some special Christmas news for you. There are stories to read, both short and full-length, and a 30% discount on a package that will help you get your own words into print.

A Short Story

My story Podgy Moose and Me appears in The People’s Friend Special Number 252, which went on sale this week. This story’s working title was The Disobedience Champion, and it’s all about a naughty dog who has to go on a diet. Moose will do anything for food – anything, that is, except for doing what his owner asks. There’s absolutely no need to ask where I got the inspiration from for this story!

A Helping Hand

When I was getting my latest novel, Royal Passion, ready for publication, I used Vellum to create ebooks for distribution on every platform. Vellum did everything for me, from formatting to creating the index. It was really easy to use, and better still, Vellum are offering 30% off until December 4th. Find out more here.

Free Books

Once again, I’m taking part in a promotion with lots of other authors to introduce our work to new readers. If you like contemporary romance full of bad boys and billionaires, here are plenty of free books to introduce you to your next romantic hero. You can find out more here.

You can buy my latest book, Royal Passion, here, find out more about me here, and see some of my books here.

THE SMALL PRINT! Some hyperlinks on this site are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase then I receive a small percentage of the sales. Don’t worry – I only recommend tools, services or books that I use myself.