Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

 

 

 

 

25 Ways to Enjoy the Holidays

 

 

1. Spread the cheer! Do one act of kindness for someone each day of the holiday season.

 

2. Go ice skating!

 

3. Have a holiday movie night and watch all of your favorites. What is your favorite?

 

4. Grab some warm cider and drive around one night looking at the beautiful Christmas lights.

 

5. Buy a CD of holiday tunes and sing along to it in the car as you travel this season.

 

6. Build something creative and fun out of gingerbread.

  

                             7. See a local holiday play, show, or Christmas pageant.

 

8. Choose charities for holiday donations. You could sponsor a child for Christmas, donate food to an animal shelter, or give coats and blankets to the homeless.

 

9. Go sledding on a favorite mountain.

 

10. Give a waiter or waitress an extra large tip.

 

11. Wear at least one festive outfit.

 

12. Take blankets and a thermos of cocoa and go see a Christmas parade.

 

13. Make a gift for someone special.

 

14. Attend a holiday party and learn a new recipe to bring along.

 

15. Make a DYI Christmas photo booth with props and have a silly photo shoot with loved ones.

 

16. Read Christmas stories.                                                

 

17. Make winter treats for your backyard wildlife.

 

18. Make treats for your neighbors.

 

19. Shop at  a Christmas market.

 

20. Try a creative hot chocolate recipe with flavors like orange cayenne pepper, or peanut butter.

 

21. Create a one-of-a-kind wreath for your front door.

 

22. Bundle up and enjoy the beauty of winter by taking a nature walk.

 

23. Bake Christmas cookies. Try something new like rum balls or lemon crinkles.

 

24. Get a new pair of pajamas for everyone in the family to open and wear to bed on Christmas Eve.

 

25. Remember what the reason for the season is and be grateful, humble, kind, compassionate, and generous each day.

 

 

 

 

Deborah Malone's first novel, Death in Dahlonega, finaled  in the American Christian Fiction Writer's Category Five writing contest! Deborah was nominated for 2012 and 2013 Georgia Author of the Year Award in Novel category. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine, "Georgia Backroads." She has had many articles and photographs published, and her writing is featured in "Tales of the Rails," edited by Olin Jackson. She is a member of the Georgia Writer's Association and Advanced Writers and Speaker's Association. As a current member of the American Christian Fiction Writers she has established a blog where she reviews Christian Fiction. 

Christmas Traditions by Cynthia Hickey

When I was a child, we opened one gift on Christmas Eve. After supper, Dad would jump up and shout, "Christmas Eve gift!" and hand us each one present. I never continued that tradition because, marrying and having a blended family, we celebrated on Christmas Eve anyway. But, we have made some traditions of my own, my husband and I. And heaven help us if we stray from them. The kids are sticklers for tradition. Especially during the holidays.

 

 Now, although our kids are grown, they still come over on Christmas Eve for a large breakfast. Adults and grandkids open presents and spend the day together. Christmas Day is spent at the house of the oldest child. That tradition of opening on Christmas Eve still runs strong.

 

On Christmas morning, those of us left here, put something in Jesus’s stocking. We write down on a slip of paper something only we can give Him. This is done before our stockings and gifts. Those papers are never read, being for His eyes only, and replaced each Christmas morning. I can honestly say this is my favorite tradition.                                                 

 

 

 

 This year, we’ve decided to bring back an old favorite. When the kids were young (you had to be at least ten years old and able to be quiet for an hour to participate), we would light a fire, fill a plate with finger foods, and listen to an hour of Christian Christmas carols, after reading from the book of Luke. No Frosty or Rudolph here. All the songs depict the birth of Christ. There is no talking during this hour of music. No demands on anyone. We no longer have a fireplace, so will use Christmas lights and candles.

 

This tradition has proven to help us relax and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. The door is open to any who want to attend and the music starts exactly at the appointed time. I am very excited to reintroduce this tradition to the grandkids.


Here's something we might serve at our fireside concert.

Chocolate-covered bacon

Cook bacon. Let cool.

Melt dark chocolate (chocolate-chips are fine)

Dip cooled bacon three fourths up into the chocolate.

Enjoy!

Pepperoni Bread

 Pizza dough (or buy store bought)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
sliced pepperoni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the bread dough so that it makes a large rectangle. Sprinkle generously with the mozzarella cheese, then top with desired amount of pepperoni. Carefully roll the dough jelly roll style into a loaf and place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

 

Merry Christmas. What is your favorite tradition?

 

 Multi-published and Best-Selling author Cynthia Hickey had three cozy mysteries and two novellas published through Barbour Publishing. Her first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, won first place in the inspirational category of the Great Expectations contest in 2007. Her third cozy, Chocolate-Covered Crime, received a four-star review from Romantic Times. All three cozies have been re-released as ebooks through the MacGregor Literary Agency, along with a new cozy series, all of which stay in the top 50 of Amazon’s ebooks for their genre. She has several historical romances releasing in 2013, 2014, 2015 through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents, and has sold more than 275,000 copies of her works. She is active on FB, twitter, and Goodreads. She lives in Arizona with her husband, one of their seven children, two dogs and two cats. She has five grandchildren who keep her busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer”. Visit her website at www.cynthiahickey.com