Monday 4 November 2013

Casa for the Holidays Blog Tour and Giveaway


November 4, 2013 Book Girl of Mur-Y-Castell Guest Blog: Sourcebooks Holiday Authors 

For today’s Casa for the Holidays blog post, our authors are chatting about their favorite holiday traditions! 

Juliana Stone, author of The Christmas He Loved Her: 
There are several holidays throughout the year that I absolutely love but for me, the one I look forward to the most is Christmas.  Thanksgiving is wonderful and ours falls in early to mid October, so that means all the fall fairs, apple cider, turkey, and pumpkin pie.  But Christmas is the one holiday that always takes me back to when I was a kid and still BELIEVED. 

Now, my kids are teens and they’re not up at the crack of dawn anymore, but that’s okay since Christmas Eve is where it’s at.  A couple of our friends always have open houses Christmas Eve and we drop in for some visiting, laughs and drinks. Once we get home, I always settle in with a bottle of wine and while I wrap the stocking stuffers (yes I’m a  mom who loves to wrap every single thing) I watch It’s A Wonderful Life with my mom (who comes with my dad and spends the night).  We relax, chat, and have a great night.

Every. Single. Christmas Eve.  And I hope it never changes.

Terry Spear, author of A SEAL Wolf Christmas: 
We always decorate the day after Thanksgiving so from that day until after New Year's, the house is cheery with sparkly lights and evergreen boughs, red bows, and decorations we've picked up over the years that meant something special. We also pass around our Christmas wish lists at Thanksgiving, and the night before Christmas, we open one gift. The next morning, someone passes out presents and while we're drinking eggnog or tea, we make a mess with gift wrappings everywhere. Every year, someone knows they bought a present that can't be located and we find it when the decorations are put away. We also love to share all the funnies of shopping for the gifts, because something always happens that we're dying to tell about but can't until we give out the gifts.

Carolyn Brown, author of The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby: 
These days since the family has grown so much Husband and I have Easter, complete with a huge Easter egg hunt in our back yard, and Thanksgiving, complete with Husband getting out the guitar and the whole family two-stepping all over the house or out on the yard if the weather is good. But on Christmas, the kids all stay at home so Santa can visit. Even the grandkids who are old enough to vote and buy their own beer know that Santa doesn’t come down the chimney unless they believe and everyone in our family believes.

 Husband and I call them all sometime on Christmas Day to say Merry Christmas from the beach in Florida where we go for a two week vacation every year. We dig our toes into the sand, feed the sea gulls cheese puffs, give a saucer of milk to the black and white cat that belongs to the motel and love being together on Christmas Day.

Grace Burrowes, author of Lady Jenny’s Christmas Portrait: 
Growing up, the best part of Christmas, from my perspective, was ten days home from school. Ten days to sleep in, play in the snow, read, bake cookies, take long walks in the winter-bare woods, make more cookies, wrap presents, decorate the house… ten days to NOT WORRY about this or that homework assignment, test, or quiz. 

It’s still my favorite aspect of the winter holidays. Because I was one of seven children, and the entire family could barely fit in one station wagon, we weren’t much for traveling in the winter. The occasional cousin might pass through before Christmas on the way to visit parents, grandparents sometimes popped in for a day or two, but mostly, we stayed put and had Christmas at home.

I loved that. I loved having time to myself at home, though Christmas break was by no means entirely consumed with hibernation. I have siblings thirteen years my senior, which meant from the time I was quite small, those siblings might grab a few of us “little guys” and head out for a skating expedition to Tait’s pond, a day of skiing at Oregon Hill, a winter hike up to the fire tower if it wasn’t too awfully cold. It didn’t hurt that our front yard was the best sledding hill in the neighborhood, either. 

Then too, I grew up in a college town, and that meant the university skating rink was a possible destination. If Mom really needed the house to herself for an afternoon, she might send a group of us off to the movies, and that was lovely—my grandmother’s candy store was right next door to the theatre, and Nana ALWAYS allowed us to sample the inventory. 

Christmas then, was about spending time at home and in the company of family. The big meals, the presents, the religious rituals for me were all secondary, and to this day, unstructured time in the place I call home is my greatest treasure. 

Giveaway
To enter to win a prize pack of all 4 of these Christmas authors’ novels, tell us about your own favorite holiday tradition in the comments! This contest is open internationally. 

1. Open internationally
2. Answer the question
3. Ends November 28th



To find out more about these authors, please visit their websites!
Carolyn Brown Website: http://carolynlbrown.com/
Grace Burrowes Website: http://graceburrowes.com/
Terry Spear Website: http://www.terryspear.com/
Juliana Stone Website: http://www.julianastone.com/

FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE “CASA FOR THE HOLIDAYS” VIRTUAL TOUR!
October-December 2013
Fun Holiday-Themed Posts from Carolyn, Grace, Terry and Juliana,
And Chances to WIN Books at Each Stop!

October


Oct. 8
Booked and Loaded
Oct. 16
Ramblings From This Chick
Oct. 23
Debbie's Book Bag
Oct. 29
The Reading Café
November


Nov. 4
Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
Nov. 6
Smexy Books
Nov. 12
Cocktails and Books
Nov. 14
The Bookish Babe
Nov. 20
Night Owl Reviews
Nov. 22
Fresh Fiction
December


Dec. 4
USA Today HEA
Dec. 5
Under the Covers
Dec. 10
Romancing the Book
Dec. 11
Anna's Book Blog
Dec. 16
What's on the Bookshelf
Dec. 17
That's What I'm Talking About



68 comments:

  1. Good morning, everyone! I've got coffee in hand so let's visit for a while.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by today Carolyn :) I got your holiday book coming up soon and I sure look forward to it

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    2. Natalie and Lucas can' t wait for you to read their story!

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  2. For my family traditions have changed in the last five years. My siblings and I have lost both our parents and family circumstances have changed. We always got together on Christmas Day and had the big family feast and opened up our gifts, but now we changed it to Christmas Eve and we have pizza and chicken wings.. We have a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit and maybe a couple of games of cards.. We are together and that is what really matters.

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    1. It's the family that matters. Presents and food are just an added bonus! Glad you stopped by Kathleen! Loved hearing from you.

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  3. Good morning Carolyn! Well I'm sitting down and eating a bowl of Apple Jacks, not much of a coffee drinker! Christmas is usually spent at home with my boys. This year my youngest will not be here because he has left my nest. :-(... Him and his girlfriend are trying it on their own. I wish them luck. I still have one at home who will probably always live here, but that's ok. I am a last minute shopper and although my boys are 23 & 29 they will always get stockings. For the past 6 years my son has had one of his friends here for Christmas. I always wondered why they didn't want to be home. That's ok I always went out and made sure I bought them gifts too. It's sad that so many family's are torn. My boys will always have a stocking on Christmas morning and for whomever they drag home. Of course Santa always has cookies and milk!

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    1. Said from a true believer, Miz Kim. You've found the true spirit of Christmas! And BTW, I love Apple Jacks!

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  4. Christmas tradition in our house is we decorate a tree filled with ornaments that were handed down from our parents, most are very old and delicate so we put the tree away from the hussle and bustle of the household.

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    1. Jean, Natalie and Lucas decorate a tree with old ornaments, too, and Natalie hears all about how Christmas was Lucas' grandmother's favorite holiday as they decorate.

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  5. I love the holidays and ooh I want to read all of these. I am a sucker for holiday themed reads from paranormal to historical. We always grill on Christmas, even in six feet of snow. We do surf and turf and I love it because I make veggies sides and twice baked potatoes with chedder cheese and bacon and lots of homemade cookies and desserts. There is very little mess to clean up, leaving me out of the kitchen and with my family. After dinner we settle by the fire with dessert and coffee and watch the Doctor Who Christmas special. It is wonderful.

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    1. What an absolutely wonderful tradition. Love the part about cleaning up the mess and all those desserts!

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  6. Good morning Carolyn! Im working on my third cup of coffee for the day!
    My favorite tradition is everyone gathers at our house for Christmas Eve breakfast. If everyone shows, we have around 20 of us here. And its mandatory..everyone comes in their jammies! lol

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  7. Hi Felicia and THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for reading our books! That's a Christmas present to each of us authors right there.

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  8. If I buy new jammies can I crash your breakfast? LOL! That sounds like a wonderful tradition and so much fun.

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  9. We go over a relative's home who serves great Italian food buffet style. So good!

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    1. Oh, I do love Italian food and buffet is good for the company and the hostess!

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  10. Every year we get together at my moms house on Christmas Eve. For the last 25 years she has had Santa pay a visit. We get just as much fun out of it as the young ones do. He reads a story, tells a couple jokes, passes out a gift to everyone...and we all take pix with him. It is the highlight of our evening. This year we have several new babies...so this year, and the next years to come, will be extra special. angadair at nwcable dot net

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    1. Your mom is a jewel and she must believe a whole lot for Santa to pay special visits.

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  11. I love Christmas, mostly because our whole huge family gets together every year. We switch up where it is every year, but as long as we are together, it doesn't matter. :)

    ~Pam @ Moonlight Reader

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    1. Pam, you got that right. It's the togetherness and the love that really is the spirit of the holiday!

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  12. I love Christmas-time. I think my favorite tradition is driving around looking at Christmas lights, preferably with a travel mug full of hot chocolate.

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    1. Oh,Carol! My mama loved that tradition. I remember driving around with her and just last week my daughter mentioned that when she was first married and living in the same town with grandma that they had done the same thing. And that was her favorite memory!

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  13. Oh christmas stories that's so nice! Well for us... we have a big tree, a real tree and it smells so good, we decorate it, we have a bog meal on the 24th and at mignight we have our presents.

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    1. What fun! Don't you just love the smell of a real tree? Even if you do have to water it and sweep up the mess that it makes...it still smells wonderful!

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  14. Fabulous post! It gets me in the mood for the holidays and holiday reading. I am starting Carolyn's book next week for the Ho Ho Read a thon! I wish I could hit the beach and dig my toes in the sand today. As far as my favorite tradition. I love being with my family and watching holiday movies and making Christmas cookies!

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    1. YAY, Heidi! Natalie and Lucas can't wait for your comments! I'm really looking forward to the sand and the sound of the ocean. It's like vitamins to my writing soul.

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  15. My favorite tradition is driving around the area and seeing all the beautiful decorations and lights.

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    1. Isn't it amazing how beautiful some folks decorate their places for the holidays. You can just feel the warmth and love in all those lovely decorations!

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  16. I do like looking at the lights and seeing how creative everyone gets. :)

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    1. Amen! Natalie sure has a fun experience with a couple of the neighbor's goats when she and Lucas decorate for the holidays!

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  17. We have our little Christmas rituals too, and they've become even more important now that I have a daughter. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday too.

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  18. It's important to carry on the traditions. My kids often say that we have to do this because Granny Chapman made it, or we have to do that because Maw Essary did it. I love the business of carrying on the traditions!

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  19. We pass out presents on Christmas Eve, of course, the kids all start opening theirs immediately, while the adults watch and when the kids are finished, then the adults take turns so everyone can see what someone else got. Thanks for sharing the giveaway and the wonderful books. evamillien at gmail dot com

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    1. It's so much fun to watch the kids, isn't it? It doesn't seem to matter most of the time what is in the present, just the fact that they have things to unwrap.

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  20. Great post and giveaway! I enjoyed reading the Christmas traditions. I have one of Carolyn Brown's Christmas themed romances on my Nook. Now's the perfect time of year to read it.
    A fav holiday tradition is that hubby, the kids and myself each get to open one single present on Christmas Eve at midnight. It's so nice to sit around the Christmas tree pick out which gift to unwrap. Christmas morning is when we open the rest.
    Happy Holidays!

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    1. That sounds like so much fun. Not knowing if you are opening something big or small, just the excitement of it all!

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  21. I love getting a peek at everyone else's holiday traditions! I'm a winter girl through and through, so the winter holidays are always my favorite. There's nothing better for me than snow, hot chocolate, family, and books:)

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  22. This is a wonderful collection of Romance genres!
    My favorite holiday tradition is going to the town's Christmas Eve carol sing around the green which has a large lite tree, then we go into a candlelight church service, then home for dessert.

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  23. My favorite tradition is to reunite with my children and grandchildren and go for a walk all together while it snows; and admire all the Christmas decorations and lights in front of the houses. Great giveaway!

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  24. My favorite holiday tradition growing up was decorating the Christmas tree, which I still enjoy. Now, though, my favorite tradition is getting together with all my family and celebrating together.
    jmcgaugh (at) semo (dot) edu

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  25. My favorite holiday tradition is the one my sister and I did for many years. After Christmas dinner, we'd get in the car and drag whatever kids wanted to go with us, and drive around town to look at all the holiday decorations. Then we went back home and had our pie - mine was always pumpkin with whipped cream. :D

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  26. My mom makes her awesome sugar cookies which she only does at Christmas. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

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  27. Our tradition is heading out to look at lights on Christmas Eve. I need to get started on my shopping...

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  28. Decorating the tree while listening to holiday music and then turning out the lights and sitting around the tree drinking hot chocolate.

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  29. Ooh I love hearing about these holiday traditions! Going to the beach for Christmas would be so fun. I guess my favorite holiday tradition is making peppermint hot chocolate and driving around looking at neighborhood lights on Christmas Eve, listening to old classic Christmas songs.

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  30. Thank you so much for this amazing giveaway!!

    I am a traditionalist. At Christmas i still leave out a Mince Pie on a plate for Santa and a glass of milk. We may not have a chimney nor am i a child, but i still believe in the 'magic' of Christmas ~ and so i couldn't forget Father Christmas, ever!

    When i awake Christmas morning i still get those excited chills running down my spine - it truly is a wonderful time of year.

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  31. Oh, my email is ~ lfountain1@hotmail.co.uk x

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  32. Our tradition is to sightsee all around DisneyWorld including their resorts and to see Grinchmas at UniversalOrlando. Did you know that Disney has numerous gingerbread houses that people can stand in? AND they have a gingerbread carousel that revolves? AND that people staying at their Fort Wilderness resort decorate their campsites and golf carts for the holidays? We make the rounds each year... and take our friends (my son works there...) Thanks for the giveaway!

    lindalou (at) cfl (dot) rr (dot) com

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  33. Christmas already!? Wow, hard to believe. Though it is going to snow tonight...better break out the hot chocolate and a good HR :)

    Fun traditions! (no need to enter me, just having fun commenting)

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  34. I like decorating the Christmas tree with my parents! Thanks for the giveaway!
    mestith at gmail dot com

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  35. I just like to watching some of my favorite Christmas movies every year. Like Santa Claus: The Movie and The Santa Clause.

    Pam
    vanillaorchids69(at)gmail(dot)com

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  36. Spending time with the kids and the rest of the family is what really makes Christmas. We decided before the kids were born that Santa would come to our house. So every Christmas Eve we go to my in laws for big family Christmas dinner with English Crackers filled with goofy prizes and all.

    Christmas day is more relaxed with just meat, cheese and crackers etc. When the kids were little everyone came over to our house. Now that they are older and my sister in law has a toddler we head over to her place to visit for an hour or so.

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  37. We celebrate the whole month of December. We read the Christmas box every year and watch christmas movies. I really like to make the holiday last while my child is still young. On christmas morning we open gifts and then head to my mom's house. There we have finger foods and just spend the day hanging out as a family.

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  38. I love EVERYTHING about Christmas, but decorating the Christmas tree is a great favourite. The youngest present puts the Angel on the very top. She watches over us in the days ahead.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  39. My favorite holiday tradition is Cookie Day! Every year we get together with our closest friends and make all of our holiday goodies in one epic go. Turtles, buckeyes, cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, hard tack candy, peanut clusters and anything else we feel like adding to the list. By the end of the day, we're sick of sugar, but it's so much fun. Plus we get pizza for lunch. ;)

    ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com

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  40. Listening to a station that plays a marathon of Christmas songs for three straight days is something we like to do. The music in the background is fitting as we do preparations.

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  41. Our holiday tradition is going to a Christmas parade in our town the day after Thanksgiving.

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  42. We used to have the whole family go to my aunt's house for a wonderful Italian feast with baked clams, antipasta, pastas, meatballs and sausage, cakes and homemade cookies. Some people passed on, and several moved away and now it is just my husband and I and my mom for a quiet dinner unless some of the family members who moved come for a visit. My mom is 93 and we are happy to have her still with us.

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  43. I am in the UK and we love a full roast turkey dinner in the early evening Christmas day with our feet up watching Scrooge. All the family visiting goes on throughout the day , so it's nice to relax after that!

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  44. I love Easter, no obligation to visit the family, but it has become tradition for my boyfriend and myself to go away to a nice hotel for the weekend. Lovely, quiet and just us together without the internet.

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  45. Our only tradition is to watch Christmas movies while we are trimming the tree. Our favorite is It's A Wonderful Life, and we have to watch it many times during the holidays.

    ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com

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  46. It would be to check out the Christmas lights.
    strive4bst(AT) yahoo(Dot) com

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  47. My favorite holiday tradition is that well it was started by my oldest brother but every morning on Christmas we would set up a camcorder to record the whole family together and giving like a greeting for the new year. Afterward would be inviting the relatives over to celebrate christmas

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  48. Mine would be the cooking because in my house my and mom always cook together!

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  49. I enjoy the music and lights. Thanks :)

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  50. I love decorating the house and putting up the Christmas tree.
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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