25 Authors and their Holiday Traditions 2022
25 Authors and their Holiday Traditions 2022
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Click here to see what authors said about their favorite Holiday Traditions in 2021.
Casey Dembowski
My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas cookies! The tradition started as a bakeathon with my best friend where we would make sometimes 10 different types of cookies and watch The O.C. Chrismakkuh episodes. After she moved across the country, we would live text during our individual bakeathons. Last year, and again this year, I plan to make a few of my favorites with the help of my five-year-old daughter. She loves to help in the kitchen, and I love getting to continue this tradition with her!
Carolyn Lee Arnold
I celebrate the Winter Solstice with a ceremony! On the longest night of the year, I gather about 12 friends around me to share what we want to let go of in our lives, and what we want to bring into the light in the next year.
The evening starts with mulled cider and warm appetizers, as we chat in the kitchen or around the fire blazing in the living room, catching up with each other. When it's time to start the ceremony, we sit in a semi-circle around the fireplace and become peaceful, sharing the meaning of solstice and honoring the four directions and center, with candles, sage, water, salt, and fire. To meditative music, we write down all the things in our lives that we want to let go of ā qualities, things, people, projects, attitudes. Then one by one, we get up and declare our list to the group, toss the list in the fire, and watch it dissolve into smoke, witnessed and supported by the group. After everyone has done this, we sit in silence and darkness to feel what our lives are like without these things. Then we turn on all the lights and candles and put on joyous music, and write down all the things in our lives that we want to bring in. We each declare these to the group ,and burn these lists as well, sending a message to the universe about our intentions.
For the over 20 years* I've done this ceremony, so many of our intentions have come true, and we look forward to it every year. My memoir, Fifty First Dates After Fifty, is framed around 3 consecutive winter solstice ceremonies during the time I was dating, and I credit those ceremonies for helping me let go of my former partner and find the perfect one for me.
*During COVID years, we moved to Zoom, and when Spare the Air days fell on the Solstice, we burned our papers in a cauldron.
Christie Leigh Babirad
I absolutely love the holiday season, particularly Christmas. I tend to secretly begin festooning and listening to Christmas music long before anyone else since Iām not a Halloween girl. In fact, Iām listening to Christmas music right now as I write this piece in the middle of August. Slipping into the coziness under the lights and soul-filling music of the season like a child crawling into a newly made igloo of snow, never wanting to leave, this is the holiday that has me wanting to stay in each and every sweet moment of closeness and cheer.
Holiday traditions are what make this season so special for me. These traditions not only get me excited to celebrate but to hold Christmas in my heart all year long. Here are a few of my Holiday Traditions. I hope they have you thinking about how you celebrate this special time of year:
1. Decorating the Tree- Of course. But did you know that I have three trees in my house, all with different themes and lights? I have so much fun decorating the trees with my mom as we listen to Christmas music. āLast Christmasā sung by Wham is a favorite.
2. Christmas Lights Drives- They begin on the first of December, on my birthday. I drive all around with my family and Jack Russell Terrier in tow, windows down, crisp air coming in as we take in how the local village is lit, and all the homes nearby. We always watch for the sleigh that comes through the village throughout the season. We usually conclude our trip with a cup of milk and sugar coffee or hot chocolate.
3. Driving out to our Favorite Farmstand- The farmstand we go to is decorated with colored lights and has beautiful wreaths, scarlet poinsettias, and decorations galore. The scent of pine in the air creates instant happiness for me, not to mention the chocolate bombs we pick up to enjoy when we arrive home. My Jack Russell Terrier says hello to the goats that live there as he explores the area, donning one of his many holiday sweaters.
4. Walking through Our Villages Decked in Lights- I adore how Babylon Village and Westhampton Beach Village are decorated, and Westhampton Beach has Christmas music that plays out onto the street. Last Christmas, āThe Christmas Waltzā was playing- another favorite song of mine.
5. Cozy Family Time- Reading, Hallmark Christmas Monopoly and Christmas movies with my mom, and writing our next story, poetry book, or wishes for the coming New Year while we have one of the Christmas ambiance or fire log channels playing on the television. Oh, and we also love watching all the Christmas-themed programs. Kelly Clarksonās Christmas show last year was fantastic!
6. Christmas Concerts with My Mom- Whether itās getting all dressed up to see Mariah Carey or Brett Eldredge in New York City or 98 Degrees on Long Island, some of my most favorite memories center around these shows we have enjoyed together. Both of our birthdays are in December, so itās no wonder that this has become our favorite time of year. We are both Christmas Girls!
7. New Traditions- There is always excitement in my heart for new traditions that come each year. Iām so looking forward to seeing what this Christmas season brings into my life. Itās a magical, full of hope time and I hope this new year brings all of you out there nothing but joy and cherished time with your loved ones.
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Alyanna Poe
Despite being atheists, my parents still celebrated Christmas when I was a child. We currently don't anything for the holidays, since I know about Santa now and we don't have a big family to go to see. It's just been the three of us since I was a baby, so my parents would go a little extreme on the gifts. I think it was to make up for the family members that I didn't get to see.
I've always loved burning things. My parents have a video from my first camping trip as a baby. There I sat before a campfire, an orange haze glowing in my infant eyes.
We would get a Christmas tree from any of the local parking lot "farms" closer to Christmas to make sure it stayed fresh. Now the phrase "lit up like a Christmas tree" could mean the Christmas lights on the tree or the way a Christmas tree will erupt into flames when given the chance.
So, Christmas morning would come, I would open all my gifts, say thank you, and we would proceed to take the decorations off the tree. In the backyard we had a very hungry firepit. My dad would carry the tree outside, set it into the firepit on its top, and set it on fire. Boy, I think the only thing I've seen burn brighter than a Christmas tree is sagebrush. They've got so many oils in them that they light up like gasoline. This happened only a few years in a row once I was a bit older sadly, but I do plan on doing the same thing with my kids. It's a great way to get rid of boxes and wrapping paper, too and was a fun way to stay warm.
Suzette D. Harrison
Besides decorating the tree and making delicious, fattening eats and treats, one of my favorite holiday traditions is driving around at night and looking at all the festively decorate houses and Christmas lights. It's a holdover from when I was a child and my mother did this with me and my sisters. I carried on the tradition with my own children. Now, that my children are college-age and it's not super cool to hang out with mom, I can only count on my daughter to indulge me, not my son.
Denise Williams
In my family, kids get to eat whatever they want on Christmas and we routinely had pie and Christmas cookies for breakfast. The first year I introduced this to my son, his eyes were as wide as saucers and he just kept asking me if I was serious that he got to have a cookie for breakfast. It's not an ornate or fancy tradition, but it always makes me smile and no matter how old I get, I still get excited about having a cookie for breakfast, too.
Georgie Blalock
I love decorating the tree with my family. Every year, during the weekend after Thanksgiving, I invite my family and all the kids over to help decorate our tree. Afterwards, we bake and decorate Christmas cookies for everyone to enjoy. It is a wonderful and tasty way to kick off the holiday season.
Bill Lockwood
Years ago when I was a child in the 1950s my parents always decorated the tree after I went to bed Christmas Eve, and they set up a "train set" under the tree. Through the years I became a somewhat skilled model railroader having various model railroads in two houses and some apartments as we moved from here to there through one situation after another. Now retired with just my wife and I in the home we still set up a decorated tree every Christmas, though sometimes a couple weeks before the actual day. Ane I still setup my "train set" under the tree.
Tori Whitaker
Oh Tanenbaum!
By Tori Whitaker
The first Christmas that I was marriedāforty-five years agoāmy husband John said he wanted to go cut the tree. My family had always bought a real tree, but from a parking lot at a department store. I liked the idea of him bringing home one fresh-cut. I went out to buy the lights and ornaments to prepare for the trimming. Yet no ornaments were as special as the ones my grandmother made for me, one each year for Christmas.
When John arrived home, I had holiday music playing, hot cocoa warm on the stove, and marshmallows at the ready. Iād hung two red felt stockings on a shelf in the kitchen because we had no fireplace. And together we decorated the tree, in those days with silver foil tinsel, too.
Thatās how our tradition was born.
Over the years, our two boys went from toddlers to college students, and our tradition continued. In the cold north of Michigan, father and sons went off with saws to a hayride where a wagon pulled bundled folks to the best Douglas-firs. After we moved to Georgia, my guys drove miles to a tree farm, wearing shorts some years in December. But always, always, I was home preparing for their returnāand loving the anticipation of their smiling faces.
Part of our tradition became for me to greet them at the door and exclaim, āThatās the most beautiful tree weāve ever had.ā And it was.
Our tradition evolved in other ways. More stockings hung on a real fireplace that crackled with flames, and now a trio of marshmallow treats appealed to everyoneās favorites: big marshmallows, mini marshmallows, and spoonsful of marshmallow crĆØme.
In time, our grandchildren joined in the tree-cutting funāand I, now Grandmaāhad extra holiday mugs set out. As our kidsā families grew, they started their own tree traditions in their homes, too. But everyone comes to āGrandmaās houseā for Christmas Day.
Like my late grandmother before me, I make an ornament for each grandchild every Christmas. Itās been sixteen years running. Thereās still hot cocoa, a fire, and music. And a big dinner, too, served on good china, with candles and multiple courses. All ages gather round in the kitchen and join in the cooking.
The thing about traditions is, they arenāt planned. They just happen. They evolve.
And we savor them.
Priyanka Taslim
As a Muslim author, I celebrate the two Eids. During the Ramadan preceding Eid al-Fitr, I fast with my family from dawn to sunset for a month. It can be challenging to fast sometimes, but itās the time of the year when I feel most connected to my family, community, and faith. I love the togetherness of breaking the fast, or Iftar. There are special foods eaten within the Bangladeshi community for this that I donāt typically have the rest of the year. Many of them are fried treats. Then, once Eid begins, I love the special treats prepared for the holiday and dressing up in beautiful clothing while spending time with loved ones. Although it doesnāt focus much on religion, my YA romcom, THE LOVE MATCH, features an Eid al-Adha scene.
Jumata Emill
Decorating my Christmas trees (yes there are more than one) while listening to holiday music, watching LOVE ACTUALLY on a seemingly endless loop and shopping for my nieces and nephew.
Suzanne Nugent
On New Yearās Eve, my family bangs loaves of bread on the walls of our home to bring luck in the new year ā an Irish tradition. Over the years, our friends have shared their own cultural New Yearās Eve rituals with us ā sweeping to clear the path for new beginnings, walking around the neighborhood with a suitcase to bless travel... The list goes on. I can report that all these rituals work - we always have luck! (Okay, sometimes we have bad luck, but āitās better than no luck at all,ā as my grandfather used to say). Happy New Year!
Michelle Muriel
One of my favorite Christmas traditions and memories is baking with my mom. I treasure her baking lessons and time with her. To honor Mom, I love including baking sweet treats in my novels. It wasnāt just about baking sweets. Mom loved sharing her talent and love for baking with others. Her friends couldnāt wait for the holidays and her special tin of melt-in-your-mouth cookies. She baked with love, and her cookies turned legendary!
The smell of freshly baked cookies magically transports me back to Momās kitchen. In my house, the holiday begins with the aroma of vanilla, almond, toasted pecans, and browned butter. Sorry to say, Santa didnāt have a chance at Momās spritz cookies left out overnight. Happy holidays and baking, friends!
Mary Camarillo
Christmas morning while my husband warms up posole and pours a little eggnog in our coffee, I dig out an old CD of Handel's Messiah and play it full blast while we open presents. My mother used to drag us to hear the Messiah every Christmas. I thought it was boring, except for the Hallelujah chorus when everyone stands up. Now that my mom is gone, the first notes of the overture always make me cry. This year I'm dragging my husband to hear a live performance and few days before Christmas. I can't wait!!
Danielle Jackson
I have a few holiday traditions! Some have been in my life since I was little and others are more recent additions.
1) We ALWAYS drive around and look at lights. Out here in the Chicago burbs, people go ALL OUT with their decorations. My husband, daughter, and I pick a couple of neighborhoods, make some hot chocolate, and listen to Christmas carols while we find the best spots for over-the-top house decorations!
2) I make monkey bread to have on Christmas morning. We love the sugary sweet goodness of monkey bread, which I put all the ingredients together the night before, then let it bake in the oven while we open gifts. It times out perfectly (a true Christmas miracle) and starts our sugar rush early!
3) I make a cocktail that gets all the grownups properly sloshed. First it was pomegranate Martinis. Then it was Moscow mules... but for the last couple of years, I make a prosecco-limoncello-rosemary-mint punch and hoo boy, it does the TRICK. After a long day of family gathering, overstimulated kid meltdowns, and too much roast turkey, this drink is exactly what we all need.
Happy Holidays, everyone!!
Michael Kaufman
Man, what a list I've got for you. 1. Give (and receive) a ton of books, purchased when possible from one of our fave independent bookstores. 2. I'm the cook and the baker in the family--so it's pretty much non-stop for a couple of weeks. 3. We celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas, but I have to tell you, I love our Christmas dinners with my wife's family. They all sang in their church choir as kids and we sing carols with amazing harmonies. I guess I should say, they sing with amazing harmonies. I'm happy if I can stay on tune.
Tammy Euliano
Each year since our first child was born in 1996, we have sent a family photo card and humorous letter reporting on the major events of the year. I have attached a year placard, the photo card and the laminated letter with ribbon. These now line our hallways over the holidays and it's always fun to skim the letters and remember.
When the kids were at home, we had a tradition of attending the local theater showing of A Christmas Carol, followed by dinner at a fondue restaurant. For a few years in there, we added ice skating believe it or not, considering we're in Florida.
Heather Bell Adams
One of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays revolves around a gift-giving tradition. For the past several years, I have given my reader friends my favorite book of the year. (This doesn't necessarily mean that it was published this year, but it often does end up being a new release.) I purchase copies of the book at my local independent bookstores (Yay! Shout-out to Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh and Page 158 Books in Wake Forest!). After the holidays, it's fun to hear back from my friends about whether they too enjoyed the book.
Maheen Mazhar
EID (A muslim holiday that celebrates the end of Ramadan , fasting)
My family and I celebrate every holiday, but nothing brings in our Pakistani culture and traditions to life, the way Eid does. Eid is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, a month where we fast from dusk till dawn, pray and try to stay away from all sorts of sin. The whole concept of fasting is not only about staying hungry from dusk till dawn. The concept of fasting teaches us patience, patience to not angry when you are hungry, patience to not lie, engage in bad doings while fasting because all of this can break your fast. The concept teaches us purification of the mind, body, and soul. Fasting 8-10 hours a day is good for detoxing your body, but during this time knowing that you canāt lie, cheat, get mad at someone for an unjust reason all helps us practice patience in every aspect and purifies your mind, body and soul because not only are you staying away from food, but you are also trying to stay away from lying, cheating, sinning etc. A lot of people also quit drinking alcohol during this month to stay away from āharamā (forbidden things), kind of like lent when you give up something you love/ or for the sake of God for a certain amount of time.
Ramadan lasts for 30 days and the first day after fasting ends is called Eid Al Fitr. Eid is a celebration of all sorts of things, love, family, culture dancing, meeting all your extended family, tons of eating, praying, and getting money or a gift from your elders for fasting the entire month. Usually that gift is money, and we call it Eid. The celebrations start on the last fasting day of Ramadan, which we call āChaand raatā meaning āfull moon night.ā After breaking the final fast on chaand raat, the celebrations start. Usually, the women get together at someoneās house or at a festival to get henna applied to their hands. The Henna artist from our local South Asian salon usually comes over to whoeverās house we are celebrating at to apply henna to everyone. I donāt usually do this because I donāt like when henna turns yellow when it starts to fade. But my mom and sister love getting henna. We usually celebrate Chaand Raat at my momās friends house where all my momās friends and their daughters get together for dinner, henna, dancing and just a night of fun to celebrate the end of Ramadan. We wear traditional outfits called āshalwar kameezā, itās a long shirt or dress that goes a little bit below your knees, paired with bell bottoms or leggings, depending on whatever style you like. The gowns or long shirts called a ākameezā is usually full of embroidery, thread work or stone work, depending on how fancy you want to get. Everyone dresses up to the fullest as if we are going to a wedding with jewelry, full make up and colorful sequined bangles that we call āchooriyanā. The night goes by dancing, eating, and catching up with friends.
The following day is EID. In the morning my mom wakes up the earliest because she makes everyone ā dhoood seviyanā which is a traditional Pakistani dessert which we eat on Eid for breakfast. Dhood seviyan is, made from milk, condensed milk, sugar, and angle hair noodles. I know the concept of noodles dipped in milk and covered in sugar sounds weird when you first hear it but when this dish is burning fresh off the stove, itās divine. The best way to eat it is when itās warm and fresh off the stove but since my mom makes it early morning when all of us are sleeping, she puts it in the fridge so it could turn into more of a rice pudding kind of texture. I guess you can call it noodle putting. Only on Eid it is that as soon as I get up, I get into the shower and get ready right away instead of coming straight downstairs in my PJās to wish my family āEid Mubarakā. I guess you could do that if you really wanted to but itās a tradition in our family that on the day of Eid everyone gets dressed up first thing in the morning. My shalwar kameez is usually already ironed and laying on my bed the morning of and I just shower, do my make-up, put on all the jewelry I can and get ready with my high heels as if I was literally going to a wedding. Our Eid outfits are always pre-selected every year because thatās the only time of the year I would wear something like that. I usually order them from Pakistani designers by just browsing online.
As soon as I am ready, I come downstairs and meet each member of my family to wish them Eid Mubarak. When we are wishing each other Eid Mubarak we hug them thrice and say Eid Mubarak. The hug is more like when you are meeting friends and send them a kiss on each side. I wish everyone in my family first and then my dad and my grandpa because I know thatās where I will be getting the āEidiā from lol. My dad usually just hands me hundred dollars and cash and my grandpa always puts it in an envelope and hands to me. The idea is that, until you are not dressed up and wish your elders a happy Eid Mubarak, you do not get the āEidiā lol. After all the hugs, kisses, Eid Mubarakās and Eidi happens, then comes the Eid Prayer. The Eid prayer is just like a regular namaz prayer but on Eid everyone prays together at the local mosque in our area, the Eid prayers at the mosque have certain timings. If we miss the prayer at the Mosque we usually just gather as a family in our living room and perform the prayer at home. Either way, praying as a family on Eid is a must! Praying for peace, love, prosperity, happiness, and success as a family.
The entire day of Eid is all about family, friends and relative. Around mid-day, all my cousins, aunts, uncles, family friends, relatives, mom and dadās friends, my brotherās, even some of my neighbors, literally everyone we know in Virginia gather up for an open house lunch/tea at my house. I call it open house laughingly because from 2pm to about 10 pm I constantly have people coming and going from my house, to eat, talk, have fun and wish each other a very happy Eid. My mom usually decorates the corner of the house underneath the large spiral staircase with an Eid Mubarak banner and balloons. Once all her friends come over and my friends come over the decorated area under the staircase turns into our picture corner. First my mom spends fifteen minutes taking pictures of me and my friends and then I must spend around thirty minutes trying to take pictures of my mom and her friends. Lol the aunties are never happy with their photos, itās always ācan you take another oneā. We have an open kitchen with two dining rooms and two living rooms attached to it. The kitchen counter is decorated with a buffet of all sorts of food that my mom gets catered from a restaurant usually and then our breakfast table in the corner gets decorated with fancy table mats and turns into dessert table with soufflĆ©s macaroons, a chocolate fountain, cake, rice pudding and traditional Pakistani sweets. The entire day is spent talking, eating, and eating some more. And the funniest moment to me is when me and my friends are sitting at one of the dining tables, trying to eat food, one of my mom friendās will come up to our table and say, ācan someone take a picture of us?ā and all of us at the table look at each other thinking whoās going to go. Because this isnāt oh, I took one picture and I am done, this is literally you are taking one billion pictures till all the aunties in the group are satisfied with it (laughs). And that is how my family celebrates Eid, a day of thankfulness, love, peace, friends, music, food, prayer, and lots of gratefulness for life in general. I feel like thatās the entire of concept of Ramadan, learning to be grateful for not just food but everything that you have been given in life. Because staying hungry for so long teaches you patience but it also teaches you to feel for others. To feel for those people who canāt get food when they want, however they want. In general, itās a time to get grounded, be humble and realize all the blessings you have in life and be thankful to God for those blessings.
Kaira Rouda
Now that my four kids are in their twenties, itās having them all home at the same time. I truly cannot wait! Oh, and I have gigantic stockings I make them stand inside annually for a photo. And I love holiday cards ā receiving and sending. I better stop because Iāll keep thinking of holiday smiles. This year my mom is able to join us. I canāt wait!
Lynne Reeves
When my children were young and still living at home, our Christmas festivities stretched over the course of many days. Spearheaded by my husband, we would decorate the tree in early December. I'd bake and decorate cookies with the kids in the days leading up to the holiday. On Christmas Eve, we would open a handful of special presents; the gift giving culminated the next morning when the children would dig into their colorful stockings. Now my son and daughter have rich lives beyond our family home. Yet we seem to have taken all our favorite traditions and crammed them into one busy Christmas Eve. My son and his girlfriend prepare the Christmas Bread. My daughter and son-in-law bake cranberry cookies. And my sweet grandson hands out the presents, delighting in the giving as much as the receiving. Together, we've created a family history, through a set of rituals and traditions that bind us. It might be hectic, but for me it's the best day of the year.
Henriette Lazaridis
My family celebrates Christmas, and, starting when my children were in their teens, I began the tradition of watching an inappropriate movie on Christmas Day. We run a little sarcastic in my family, though--like most cynics--we are thoroughly sentimental deep down. So, while we watch the usuals of Holiday Inn or It's a Wonderful Life, we tend to need a wry palate-cleanser after the sweet. One year, I gave the family a DVD of Tropic Thunder as a gift, and that became our inaugural Inappropriate Christmas Day Movie. Picture my teenagers and their father, plus my fairly conservative and Catholic in-laws, gathered in the family room after opening gifts and eating brunch, settling in to watch the DVD of a movie with zero holiday content and plenty of profanity and generally raunchy material. For many years after that, I would spend weeks deciding which movie to choose. Lately, I've been soliciting input from my children--who have developed strong opinions on the quality of the inappropriateness we watch. Over the years, we've screened Bridesmaids, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, among others, though I really do think my first pick of Tropic Thunder can't be beat.
Felice Zaslow
My traditions for Chanukah are: having the whole family over for a traditional dinner of latkes and applesauce, chicken, sweet and sour meatballs, challah, wine and all the accoutrements.
We say the blessings over the bread and wine and blessing during candle lighting..
Everyone brings gifts for everyone else and try as I might to delay the opening until after dessert, it often happens beforeš.
My living room has wrapping paper strewn all over which I, with some help,stuff into plastic bags. Itās quite a wild scene but so much fun and everyone is happy.
I love to share a story about a boy named David who was adopted by an American soldier after WW II called, āThe Menorah in the Window.ā It has a heartwarming ending and actually occurred in real life. It is during the storytelling that all my guests actually remain quiet!š
Felice Zaslow
Lexie Elliott
My husband and I have a tradition of both taking a day off work in December to go Christmas shopping together in London - we love all the beautiful lights and incredible shop window displays at that time. In truth, I aim to get almost everything done before our shopping day so we can just enjoy ourselves mooching around and then have a long lunch!
Our favourite tradition with the kids is to go to the London Palladium pantomime, which is always excellent - and properly irreverent and ribald, in keeping with true pantomime heritage! We try to book in soon after the kids break up from school; it's such a fun way to start the holiday season.
Kerry Crisley
I love my holiday traditions. Thereās Christmasification Day, the day when I lug all the Christmas decorations from the attic, take down all my year-round home decor and replace it with its holiday-themed counterpart. It always takes hours. Itās always exhausting, and itās always worth the effort.
Thereās the annual December binge of holiday movies with my husband and kids. For me, the animated Grinch beats the live action one, Scrooged is the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and Die Hard is unequivocably a Christmas movie. Anyone who says differently sits on a throne of lies.
Thereās even my extended familyās tradition of stealth-decorating one of our housesā¦with a hideously ugly set of holiday antlers. Yes, antlers. It started decades ago as a gag between my dad and my uncle, and ā like a snowball rolling downhill ā grew bigger to include us all.
But hands down, my favorite traditions is my annual re-reading of Rosamund Pilcherās Winter Solstice. In the days leading up to Christmas Eve, I steal a few hours here and there to curl up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of tea (in a Christmas mug, of course) and lose myself in the story. I think part of the reason I enjoy it so much is that itās a little cocoon of self care in the midst of a busy season. When Iām reading, Iām detached from my to-do list. Iām not wrapping gifts, cleaning, cooking, shopping or working. Itās bliss. Still, thatās just part of the reason. The truth is, I love this book. Hereās why:
The Setting
Iām a sucker for quaint, probably because I grew up in New England. Give me a sleepy little town on the sea in the off-season and Iām all in. This is Winter Solstice in a nutshell; itās crackling fires, hot cups of tea, and bracing walks on the beach, all in a far-flung village in Scotland.
The Characters
Winter Solstice centers on five people, each nursing a loss of some kind. At the heart of the book is Elfrida, a retired London actress who trades the city for a quiet life in a small English town. Her life is far from quiet, however, with the unexpected friendship of party-throwing socialite Gloria Blundell and her kind ā and more introverted ā husband Oscar. Thereās Elfridaās cousin Carrie, newly returned to London following the end of an affair in Europe, and Carrieās niece Lucy, a teenager heartbreakingly ignored by her parents. All are brought together to Oscarās childhood home in Scotland for Christmas.
The Snowstorm
Every good story needs a mysterious stranger, right? Thatās Sam, an ex-pat back in the UK following years of living and working in New York. Samās clearly there to be Carrieās new love interestā¦but how do you plausibly bring a stranger into the mix ā and into the house ā for days at a time? Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
That these interwoven stories of loss, healing, and redemption take place during Christmas adds to the bookās richness. Heat up that tea water, grab your favorite cozy blanket, and enjoy.
