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. 

Secrets of a Cozy Christmas

By Nancy Jill Thames

As a child, was there a special Christmas you remember? One that stands out among all the rest? When my mother cut up an old white satin formal of hers to make a wedding dress for my doll, that's the Christmas I remember. 

We lived in a tiny house, all five of us, plus a brand new baby brother, making six. But in spite of the cramped quarters, our family spent some of our happiest days living there. Having a ton of neighborhood friends to play with was one reason we children were so happy, but another reason was the way our family celebrated the holidays.

When Christmas came, my parents did their very best to provide as many gifts they could to make us happy. We lacked for nothing because my father made sure we had everything we needed. Not everything we wanted. That's where Christmas came in.

My father read the Christmas story every Christmas Eve from the gospel of Luke, Chapter 2. Afterward, my mother would serve hot Dr. Pepper with lemon as a tradition. We went caroling with church friends, had parties, baked cookies, and hung paper chains all over the house. Gifts were opened on Christmas morning, but we were allowed to open one on Christmas Eve to break the tension.

Growing up, making gingerbread houses wasn't  part of our tradition, but my kids loved making them. As they grew older, I carried on the tradition with my grandchildren. The one you see pictured was made by my grandson two years ago. Instead of making a new one each year, I wrap this one in plastic bags and store it in the top of my closet. If some decorations fall off, I simply glue them back on with a little water.

In my new book "Waiting for Santa," I've written in some of my families Christmas traditions as a way to preserve the legacy. What are the secrets of a cozy Christmas? I believe it's carrying on your own special traditions, whatever they may be. 

Merry Christmas!

~Nancy Jill

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

To learn more about the author, visit her blog at http://www.nancy-jill.blogspot.com or email her at jillthames@gmail.com