Category: Holiday Blog Event

Holiday Blog Event: Cate Ashwood – All I Want For Christmas Is You

Andy, thank you for having me today, and thank you even more for organizing this holiday event. Christmas can get so hectic and it’s nice to take a minute or five to reflect on what a special time of year it is.

Christmas has always been the most important holiday for my family. We have all sorts of traditions that make it wonderful, but this year I will be missing out on most of them. This year is the first year I won’t be going home for Christmas. I am sad to be away from family over the holidays (although they are coming down to see me on Boxing Day, so I can’t complain too much). And this year marks the year that our little family is growing. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Cate Ashwood – All I Want For Christmas Is You

Holiday Blog Event: Chris T. Kat – Christmas Rituals.

Christmas Rituals

My own memories of Christmas are very fond ones. I grew up in a large family (my parents have four siblings each) with lots of cousins, and on Christmas Eve everyone met either in my grandparents’ flat or ours. It was always crowded, as well as a lot of coming and going, but I loved the bustle as a kid. Everyone talked, and laughed, and of course ate too much.

My husband’s family celebrated Christmas very differently. It was only him and his parents and everything was quiet and done in a completely different fashion. So, when we celebrated our first Christmas as a family, we had completely contrary feelings on how to deal with everything. Add to the mix that the grandparents all wanted to see their grandchildren on Christmas and things grew hectic. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Chris T. Kat – Christmas Rituals.

Holiday Blog Event: Cia Nordwell – Christmas Cookie Tradition

Growing up in blended families meant I didn’t have the traditional family holiday. It’s only gotten worse as we grew and married. Through all the travel to attend the 4-5 Christmas ‘present events’ we go to each year, finding the time to do fun things together with two kids can be a challenge. We have a few rituals that we always do together but the hustle and bustle can get the better of us.

Christmas-Tree-Farm_editedThere are 2 we never, ever fail to do. Bundled up in boots and warm, waterproof coats, armed with cocoa… we brave the elements to find the perfect family tree. No rain, mud, sleet, snow, or this year’s holy crap my face is frozen wind chill keeps us from exploring a local tree farm to find just the right one. My favorite tradition involves heat, though.

From the first year my daughter was 10 months old and sitting in her high chair playing with cookie cutters, we’ve baked Santa fresh, homemade sugar cookies every year on Christmas Eve. It doesn’t matter where we are, I haul along the ingredients and schedule in a few hours for the kids and me to shape, bake, and decorate. We have a special plate and mug too. After the kids decorate two dozen cookies into iced, sugared, and sprinkled ‘masterpieces’ they each pick a cookie and put it on Santa’s plate. Daddy doesn’t get in on the baking tradition, other than as an admirer, as far as they knew… until last year. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Cia Nordwell – Christmas Cookie Tradition

Holiday Blog Event: Wade Kelly – My Joy

Hello all you wonderful people who have stopped by Andrew Gordon’s wonderful blog to read all about how Christmas has effected each of us in a special and unique way. I am going to talk briefly about my son. On this day, WK-1December 13, four years ago I met the sweetest, most adorable thirteen year old boy in the world and fell in love.

People I meet now often ask me to tell them how I came to the decision of adoption because it seems like such a wonderful thing to do for him and how giving I am etc… And I respond by saying it was a completely selfish thing I did, because I was only thinking about how I would DIE if he was not in my life. My love for this child was so intense I could not imagine another minute without him in my life or in our family. And I still fee like that. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Wade Kelly – My Joy

Holiday Blog Event: Lily Velden – Christmas Decorations

For much of my children’s childhoods money was an issue. I was a single parent and though I earned a decent living, that income had to pay a mortgage for a home big enough to house us all. It had to feed, clothe, and educate three little people – oh, and me too! Can’t have a naked bookkeeper balancing your ledgers! We weren’t on the poverty line, by any means, but I had to be careful and plan for Christmas months in advance. That planning usually started in the post-Christmas sales!

Despite thinking about the next Christmas as soon as the current one was over, my gifts were rarely extravagant. I decided very early on in my parenting life that my children would benefit more from my spending time with them than spending money on them. Most of my gifts for each child centered around things we could do together or as a family. I made a lot of their gifts. Anything from writing and illustrating a story with them as the main character, to wooden toys, puzzles, and dress-up costumes complete with tiaras and capes! Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Lily Velden – Christmas Decorations

Holiday Blog Event: Joyfully Jay – Kids, The Holidays, And Pecan Pie.

bookHello everyone! I am so excited to be here today and thanks so much to Andy for inviting me over to his blog!

My name is Jay and I run a m/m romance review blog called Joyfully Jay.  In my real life I am a suburban mom of two wonderful girls, ages 10 and 12 1/2.  Yes, we are right on the cusp of having teenagers, and let me tell you, the view is scary from over here!  But they really are fabulous and my husband and I are so lucky to have them in our lives.

Andy asked me to share my thoughts about kids and the holidays with you guys.  I love the traditions of the holidays, the way we reach back to things we have done time and again and can look forward to every year.  I enjoy teaching my kids about the meanings of the holidays, and why they are important to us. I think it helps them not only to appreciate our own celebrations, but also to build the foundations for their own holiday celebrations in the future.  I love the opportunity to see family, to have a break in our regular routine, and to have something exciting to anticipate. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Joyfully Jay – Kids, The Holidays, And Pecan Pie.

Holiday Blog Event – Schedule

So I’m a few days late with the schedule. I meant to do it sooner, but there never seems to be enough time this during the holiday season.  That made me a bit behind in confirming with everyone their dates, so I held off until now.

The theme of the Event is Parents and Christmas. The participants are all all parents – or soon to be parents, some are even grandparents. Those posting are practice different religions, live in many different countries, and run the gamut of orientations. The goal was a diverse group so I could get a wide variety of posts. I think I’ve achieved that mix.

Here is the list of everyone participating and the days their post will appear. There will be no Holiday Posts on Wednesday as that is my Flash Fiction day. The exception will be Christmas Day.

If you follow my blog you’ll get email notification when each post goes live. Or you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.  I’ve also created a tab at the top of my blog for easy access to every post.

 
December 1  – Andrew Q. Gordon
December 2  – Anne Tenino
December 3  – M.A. Church
December 6  – Anyta Sunday
December 7  – Nephylim
December 8  – Lena Gray
December 9  – JJ (Joyfully Jay)
December 10 – Elizabeth North
December 12 – Lily Velden
December 13 – Wade Kelly
December 14 – Alicia Nordwell
December 15 – Chris T. Cat
December 16 – Cate Ashwood
December 17 – Shira Anthony
December 19 – Amy Lane
December 20 – Melanie Marshall
December 21 – Lorraine Fico White
December 22 – Rick R Reed
December 23 – Festivus Special
December 24- Becky Condit
December 25 – Andrew Q. Gordon
 

Holiday Blog Event: Lena Grey – Memories of a Christmas Past

Memories of a Christmas Past by Lena Grey

The Christmas season is a magical time of year, when we allow ourselves to suspend our disbelief and let the spirit of our childhoods reign. It presents us with an excellent opportunity to put aside our differences and come together in peace and harmony. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Lena Grey – Memories of a Christmas Past

Holiday Blog Event: Nephylim – A Pagan Christmas

A PAGAN CHRISTMAS

Well, actually it’s called Yule and should really be celebrated on the 21st December, the Winter Solstice. However, I didn’t think it was fair on children to ask them to celebrate their festivities four days early. Children, being the ‘live in the now’ creatures they are, could easily have all their presents on the 21st and still get upset because they don’t have Christmas Presents on the 25th. So, we moved Yule on by a few days.

We still celebrate with a ritual on 21st, but so many of the rituals and symbolism have been ‘stolen’ by Christmas it’s really all blurred into one. Continue reading Holiday Blog Event: Nephylim – A Pagan Christmas