It's not a surprise to anyone if I say I love books. I mean, what's not to love, right? :) Although to be fair I tend to choose fiction rather than non-fiction and definitely have preferred genres. I'm a romance gal. I want a guaranteed happy ending to any book I have invested my time in to reading. I want to walk away from that story with a solid belief that the main characters are going to get their happy-ever-after. So, yep, I am a romance reader because romance books are what give me that. But sometimes when I've bought a book, I find bonus content such as recipes, previews to additional stories, etc.
My Wrapped Up in Christmas stories each have some of this 'bonus' content. The stories themselves feature a real organization called Quilts of Valor Foundation. This phenomenal group makes and wraps patriotic quilts of healing around those who have served our country. As a granddaughter of a WWII veteran and the mother of an active duty soldier, that there are those who dedicate time and energy into letting our military know how loved and appreciated they are warms my heart. There are a lot of groups who strive to do this, thankfully, as our military have been and are exposed to so much. A dear member of the Quilts of Valor Foundation designed quilt patterns for my stories and they are included in each story.
As that first Wrapped Up in Christmas book in particular centers around a Quilts of Valor, this 'bonus content' to the story just feels so right. I'm told that quilting is a dying art, but in my circle, I know lots of quilters--they are such great people, too! I quilt because it's in my blood. Well, it seems that way since my grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and so forth, were all quilters--and good ones. I wish I had more quilts they had made, but feel so blessed to have the few I have. My grandmother gave me one her mother made for her and my Papa. I treasure it so much and wrap myself in it from time to time when I just want to feel a 'hug'. That may sound silly, but I am a firm believer that quilts give hugs and comfort. That's the premise behind Quilts of Valor, that welcoming a military serviceman or woman home by wrapping a quilt around them will provide comfort. I've seen it do just that.Even if you're not a quilter, I hope you'll check out my Wrapped Up in Christmas series and have a look at the gorgeous quilt patterns that Nancy Conn designed. I also encourage you to visit www.qovf.org to have a look at this amazing organization. Whether a quilter or not, think about joining or making a donation. If you are a quilter or want to learn, consider making a block per the pattern on their website. Each year they do a block drive then volunteers put the blocks together to make fabulous quilts to be presented to servicemen and women. If you don't feel able to make the current block pattern, search through some of the previous ones and find one that feels easier to you. The nine patch is one of the first ones I learned and is one of the easiest to me, but everyone is different. So, truly, even if you don't have the time or skills to make a full quilt, making a block or two adds up to where more quilts of comfort can 'hug' those who have provided us with such great freedoms.
Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy https://amzn.to/47wB8qW
Wrapped Up in Christmas https://amzn.to/4gvI1wP
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