More than an Ornament by Melanie D. Snitker

If someone were to walk into our living room today and take a look at our Christmas tree, they might think it's an unorganized mess. There is no obvious theme with ornaments of every color, shape, and type along with candy canes, and multi-colored lights. Not only that, but some of the ornaments are clumped, with more hanging on the middle and lower part of the tree (because that's where the kids can reach).

I have to admit I love it like this because when I look at our tree, I see memories. Each of those ornaments are more than just an ornament, they are like a photograph that reminds me of a moment in time. 

Growing up, my parents let me and my brothers pick out one ornament a year. My mom meticulously wrote down when we got the ornament and how old we were. I remember the anticipation of getting them out each year to hang them up, and how I would play with them on the tree as a kid. With the exception of a couple that have broken (namely due to a cat who once knocked our Christmas tree down), I still have all of those ornaments from my childhood: The pretty frosted Christmas tree from my first Christmas, the pretty little cardinal, and even Miss Bianca that we got from McDonalds the year the "Rescuers Down Under" came out in theaters. 

My husband and I continue to collect an ornament a year as well. Hallmark began releasing the Snowball and Tuxedo ornaments that second Christmas after we were married, and we haven't missed one of them yet. Our first Christmas together as a married couple, my sweet husband gave me an ornament. It was Droopy the dog with mistletoe hanging off his hat and a sign that said, "Pucker Up Baby." I remember laughing and blushing profusely. It's still one of my favorites! 

Now we carry on that tradition with our kids and allow them to pick one favorite ornament to add to the tree each year. Between that and the precious handmade ornaments we make ever season, the tree is an absolutely beautiful conglomeration of memories. 

If you decorate for Christmas, what kind of ornaments do you use on your tree? Is your Christmas tree themed? Do you have a favorite ornament? I'd love to hear from you!

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A marriage of convenience isn't exactly what she had in mind.

After a rocky start, Rachel Peters finally has her life on track. Then a tragic accident takes away her sister and leaves her to raise her niece, Kendra, alone. About to lose custody of her last blood relative, Rachel is desperate to prove she can adequately care for her niece. On the verge of running away to keep Kendra, a new friend offers Rachel an opportunity she can't refuse.

Brandon Barlow has long admired Rachel. When her world begins to fall apart, he feels led to help. A marriage of convenience would enable him to provide Rachel and Kendra with a stable place to live, proper health insurance, and a viable shot at staying together. Once Rachel gained full custody of her niece, the marriage could be annulled.

His plan provides the perfect solution, until Brandon realizes he's fallen in love with Rachel. Through love and patience, can he help Rachel realize that, even when she experiences storms in her life, she's never alone?

Calming the Storm

Available on Amazon

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Seasons' Greetings in the Off Season by Milou Koenings

Seasons' greetings are on my mind.

Last month, we released Sweet Christmas Kisses 4, a collection of 14 sweet holiday romances. Obviously, that officially rang in the holiday season for me, even if we were still only in September!

Outside my window, the leaves outside are still turning colors and we haven't even had a really cold day yet in our hometown.  But in my mind, it's snowing in the town square, complete with hot chocolate and sleigh bells ringing, since that's what happens in the book I wrote this year for Sweet Christmas Kisses 4. (It's called The Gift of Yesterday and it releases in November. One Amazon reviewer called it If you don't want to wait that long, you can read now by getting the Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 box set, which is on sale now for only 99 cents.)

It was even stranger being in that seasonal frame of mind back in May when I was writing the book and planning my kids' summer activities.

But neither is as strange as my opposite experience last year, when I was promoting the release of my book The Kampala Peppermint Twist. Because come December, it really was the holiday season — snow and all — but here was a holiday story that had none of that.

Instead, what this Christmas tale has instead is hot weather, thunderstorms, a cruise on the Nile River and very few of the traditional seasonal accoutrements. And once the external trappings are gone, the characters are forced to look inward, deep in their hearts, to find what the season means to them.

I think this is why The Kampala Peppermint Twist, odd name, odd location and all, is still one of my favorite holiday romances that I've written. I hope that if you read it, you loved it as much as I do.

Where was the oddest place you've spent a holiday and did the unusual setting change the meaning of it for you?

But before you head off to exotic destinations, make sure to mark your calendars for the Sweet Romance Reads Xmas Party, coming to Facebook on December 6.  Fun, games and giveaways galore!

Milou Koenings is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes romance because, like chocolate, stories with a happy ending bring more joy into the world and so make it a better place.

Her other Green Pines sweet romances, I Love You Three, Reclaiming Home, The Kampala Peppermint Twist and Sweet Blizzard are available on Amazon,  Amazon.uk, iBooks, Nook, Kobo and all your favorite e-book retailers.








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Too Old for the Easter Bunny? by Ginny Baird

Do you still do Easter baskets? The problem with holiday traditions, I’m learning, is not knowing when to start them (when the kids are young), but knowing when to stop. My husband and I have six kids between us, ranging in ages 19 to 30, and believe it or not, they all get Christmas stockings. This in part is due to the fact that everyone comes home for Christmas, and year-after-year we’ve wanted to preserve the tradition for the ah-hem…baby.

Finally, last year at Easter, hubby decided enough was enough. We only had one child home for that holiday, and our baby, who was then a high school senior, was already 18. Surely, he didn’t expect to rise early anticipating a visit from Peter Cottontail? His sad face said it all as he hunted around the hearth looking disappointed in his robe. Gee, that felt like a bad-mom moment. “But dear,” my husband sweetly reminded me, “the boy is practically in college.” Practically yes, but when his older siblings were his age they were still getting Easter baskets in deference to the younger children who came behind them. When is enough really enough, and how do you know when to stop?

While I understand the true spirit of the holiday has nothing to do with a fluffy white rabbit, having had children in the house for so long has made characters like the Easter Bunny nearly as real and endearing as the actual people who've lived here. Perhaps this is a sign that, in my mommy heart, I’m having trouble letting my kids’ childhoods go and acknowledging they’re growing up. Though, I’m not the only one challenged by changing traditions. Last year, our youngest was pretty disappointed too. So much so that I'd planned to sneak off to the store—one last time—to buy a big chocolate bunny, jelly beans, plastic eggs and Peeps… Then, I discovered the baby had made other plans and wasn't even coming home! 

So this year, it will be just my husband, me and our pets in the house. Will we receive a visit from the Easter Bunny? Probably not, but I may have to find a different excuse for buying Easter chocolates. 

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Ginny Baird writes contemporary romance novels and novellas. Her latest sweet romance release is The Calendar Brides, available at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Want to keep up with news from Sweet Romance Reads authors? Sign up for the SRR newsletter today.

Inexpensive Holiday Cards by Angela Benson

Happy Holidays!  I hope you’re gearing up for a safe and happy holiday season.   

I really look forward to sending holidays cards this time of the year.  Hubby and I like sending out the personalized cards with our photo and a personal greeting.  From the response we’ve gotten, the recipients enjoy getting them.  The good news is that these cards are fairly inexpensive.

On Sunday we’re going to Flash Digital Portrait Studios in the local mall for our holiday photo session.  We usually just use a picture we’ve taken on our phones [the picture above is the one we used last year] but I found a great deal on Groupon that I couldn’t pass up.  The photo session and a package that includes three images on CD and one traditional print sheet cost only $15.99.  We’ve had our pictures taken at this place before when it was Olan Mills and I hope we are as happy with the results this time as we were then.

I’m going out all for this photo session.  I haven’t decided what we’re wearing yet, but I do know there will be some red involved.  And right before the shoot, I have an appointment to get my make-up done at the Clinique counter in Belk, also in the mall. This is a much cheaper route than going to a salon.  At the Clinique counter, they only ask that you purchase one or two items, which will probably be around $30.  A salon would charge at least $30 for the make-up session and you wouldn’t get any products.  Again, I think I’m getting a pretty good deal.

To get even more bang for my photo dollar, in addition to striking some poses for the holiday card, I’m also going to try to find a pose that will work as my author photo.  The photographer’s assistant suggested that I bring a few copies of my books to use as props in those poses.  We’ll see how it goes.

After I get the CD with the pictures, I’ll create our cards on Staples.com. With another great Groupon deal, I’m getting 50 custom cards (with envelopes) for only $10.  I don’t think I can do much better than that. 

In total, I’ll spend about $57 for 50 personalized holiday cards, a semi-professionally done author photo and two Clinique products.  That’s a pretty good gift for me to give myself.  I just may give it someone else next Christmas.

If you’re still with me, you’re probably wondering how we’re going to get our cards mailed in time for Christmas.  Well, we’re not.  Over the last few years, we’ve gone from sending Christmas cards to sending more general “holiday” cards.  That way, as long as the cards arrive between mid-December and mid-January, we’re fine. 

I’d love to hear about your holiday card plans for this year.  Do (did) you send Christmas cards, holiday cards or something else?  Have you already put yours in the mail or have you joined the high-tech revolution and started sending only e-cards?  Feel free to also tell me about any good Groupon deals you’ve found.  I’m always looking for a good buy.

Happy Holidays!

Angela Benson is the author of 14 novels and two novellas.  In the novella, Friend and Lover, Reed Lewis thinks his best friend, Paige Thomas, is engaged to the wrong man, so he devises a holiday ruse to make her see things his way. Celebrate the season with this light-hearted holiday romp about two friends on the path to becoming so much more, and the grandmother who helps them get there.