Finding Magic in December Moments (Plus a Cookie Recipe!) by Josie Riviera

There's something about December that makes me want to wrap my hands around a warm mug of cocoa and pause. Just pause. In our rush to create the perfect holiday experience, we sometimes forget that the most precious moments are unplanned.

Recently, I discovered this truth during an impromptu cookie exchange with friends. What started as a simple afternoon of baking turned into hours of sharing family stories and cherished recipes. My kitchen filled not just with the aroma of butter and vanilla, but with laughter and the kind of connection that happens when women talk openly with each other.

December isn't about perfection—it's about connection. It's about taking those quiet moments between the holiday chaos to really see each other, to share our stories, and to create new memories.

Speaking of memories, here's my favorite quick-and-easy sugar cookie recipe that never fails to bring smiles:

Classic Holiday Sugar Cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1½ cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk.
4. Stir in dry ingredients until blended.
5. Roll into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake 10 minutes or until golden.

Tip: Sprinkle with colored sugar before baking for extra sparkle!

And if you're craving more holiday sweetness, don't forget to check out my newest sweet romance holiday release: Whispers of Holiday Magic in Sweetwater Springs for an amazing snickerdoodle cookie recipe and a heartwarming romance that's sure to brighten your December days.

Grab your copy today at the special introductory price!

What special moments will you create this holiday season?

Josie Riviera is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and inspirational romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully support husband. They share their home with an adorable Shih Tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovation.

Sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE ebook on her website: josieriviera.com

Christmas Books from Sweet Romance Read Authors #sweetromance

Deadly Night, Silent Night

By Margaret Daley

Revenge. Sabotage. Second Chances. 

Widow Rebecca Howard runs a successful store chain that is being targeted during the holiday season. Detective Alex Kincaid, best friends with Rebecca’s twin brother, is investigating the hacking of the store’s computer system. When the attacks become personal, Alex must find the assailant before Rebecca, the woman he’s falling in love with, is murdered.

Buy links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo and Google Play

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On sale Dec 10 to 21st 99 cents~

Happily single, Winter Woodard, owner of her grandfather’s floral nursery, is looking forward to a busy, fun fall and holiday season.  Clay Dixon, the very successful football coach at the local high school, has rebuffed all offers of “home-cooked meals,” keeping the female population at bay.  

Then bad things begin to happen. And unexpectedly Clay Dixon stands by Winter through a holiday season fraught with unnerving and destructive setbacks. Welcome to Steadfast, a small town whose people and mysteries you may never forget~

https://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/books-by-lyn/loving-winterFor more info or to buy, click here.

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                           On sale Dec 10 - Dec 31 for 99¢  ~ AmazonUniversal 

                     Four sweet contemporary romance Christmas novellas 
What readers have said: 
                        
“Warmed my heart and had me believing in the magic of Christmas again!”
                           

“One of the best Christmas books I’ve read in a long time if not forever.”

 “…has what it takes to find a place on my yearly holiday reading list.”

                                         “Made my heart smile.”

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Marked Down to $1.99 Dec 10 through 31 (Save $2!)

Three Heartwarming Holiday Stories in One

Holiday Escape
Bridget O’Brien lost her fiancé to a dangerous job. And, while she’d love to have a relationship like the one she lost, the last thing she wants is one with another man who willingly puts his life in danger. Luke Foster is a motocross racer whose track record with women runs short and no-strings-attached on both sides. He’d never seriously pursue a forever-after woman like Bridget. All they want is a holiday week away. Bridget from her well-meaning family’s condolences about her planned Christmas Eve wedding and her memories of a future that won’t be. Luke from his family’s annual critique at which he and his life choices always fall short of expectations. But, under the blue Caribbean skies, anything can happen.

Team Macachek Christmas
Sparks fly from a Christmastime reunion of motocross racer Jesse Brewster and his ex-girlfriend Lauren Cooper. Being thrown together to plan the race team's Christmas party reignites a flame Lauren thought she'd extinguished when she broke up with Jesse six months earlier. But will Jesse's well-meaning secret Christmas gift—meant to help win her back—compromise the independence Lauren is fighting to establish? Is it, as she maintains, the wrong time for their love?

Christmas Pizza to the Rescue
Jilted at the alter two weeks ago, motocross champion Royce Evans plans to make an appearance at the Team Macachek Christmas party to show the guys he’s just fine. Then he’ll hunker down alone at the team barracks for the rest of the holiday season. Out-of-work investigative reporter turned pizza delivery person Samantha Linder needs money for her younger sister’s special school tuition and needs to re-establish her cred as a reporter. When a freak winter rain storm strands them alone at the barracks, they strike a bargain that benefits them both. But after Sam appears to break that bargain, can even the spirit of Christmas save their blossoming love?

BUY: Amazon ~ Apple Books, B&N, or Kobo

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A heartwarming Christmas novella
on sale for 99¢. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

As a Union sniper, killing has become easy for Captain Christmas “Chris” Haley. After four long years of fighting against his own countrymen, the once naïve farm boy is now a war hardened soldier whose faith in God is shaken. Chris is ready to set aside his rifle and return to his Kansas farm. But will his family accept the man he’s become—angry and unsure if he still believes in God?

Chris struggles with being home. His mother's pretty caregiver catches his eye and begins to give him a reason to go on each day. In spite of his bitterness, his heart is softening. But what happens when he learns the secret Hannah is keeping?

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KPQC3C4

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Christmas in Shellwater Key

Kristin Wallace

Spend Christmas in sunny Florida. No ticket required! A new Christmas Box Set featuring three holiday tales filled with laughter, tears, and the magic of Christmas. 

Christmas in Shellwater Key…

- Finding You At Christmas - A preacher's daughter who thought life & love had passed her by…

- Falling For You At Christmas - A single mom-to-be without a room at the inn…

- Loving You At Christmas - A lonely widow who learns she can find a second chance at love…

FREE in Kindle Unlimited - AMAZON