The Season of Giving
by Jacquie Rogers
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Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series
Hearts of Owyhee series
by Jacquie Rogers
Do you love to watch others open the gifts you bought for them? I do! It's so fun to know that you've given not just a present, but a bit of joy to that person. Of course, I rarely begin shopping until along about December 20, and it looks as though that's the way it'll be this year.
Some years are tighter than others. A few years, we were lucky to get dollar store gifts. But it was something. In those lean times, we had a lot of fun finding unique and fun things to give to our family members. In some ways, it meant a lot more than a fancy gift from the Zon with two-day shipping.
My brother remembers a propeller that our dad carved for him to use on his paper airplanes. It worked great and he played with that thing for five years. One year Santa brought me a set of sheets with a matching pillowcase. That was awesome. Another year I got a Shetland pony that turned out to be the spawn of the devil. Mostly, though, Santa brought whatever S&H Green Stamps would buy.
Remembering the lean times does put me in the mood to help out families that Santa will miss if someone doesn't help out. That's why I'm participating in the CMWAS VIP Holiday Extravaganza on Facebook. It's great--all you do is buy a number off the board and you get whatever donated prize is under that number. A fun five bucks. And every nickel of the money goes to two families who are having a rough go of it right now.
I bought three numbers, and I'm excited to see what I get. Of course, I donated three prizes so there is a possibility I could end up with my own stuff. Hahaha.
There are still lots of unpurchased numbers on the board, and not only that, there are enough prizes to create a second board if this one sells out. So please, go the CMWAS VIP Holiday Extravaganza and buy a number or five. These families truly need your help.
Another project of which I'm happy to be a part is Christmas Caring II: A Christmas Charity Anthology, along with two other Smart Girls Read Romance contributors: Carra Copelin, and Rain Trueax. It's spearheaded by USA Today Bestselling Author Kirsten Osbourne, and all proceeds will be donated to Legacy Initiative of Utah.
All stories are new--never before published--and are sweet, so appropriate for any age. Buy on Kindle or, if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, read it for free!
About Christmas Caring II
First I'll tell you a little about the anthology and list the story titles and authors, then I'll talk about my story, Holly Jolly Courtship, which is near and dear to my heart, and why.
This anthology, full of fun Christmas short stories by bestselling writers and new-comers alike, is bound to get you into the Christmas spirit. All proceeds will be donated to Legacy Initiative of Utah. This book includes:
1. A Christmas Masquerade by Kari Trumbo
2. All I Want for Christmas is a Zombie by Steve Pantazis
3. A Matter of Kin by Jenna Eatough
4. Today I Am Santa Claus by Martin L. Shoemaker
5. All the Swears by Alyson Peterson
6. Wings for Christmas by Kevin L Nielsen
7. Golden Moments by Linda Carroll-Bradd
8. A Bride for Christmas by Carra Copelin
9. Just in Time for Christmas by Annie Boone
10. Christmas Angels by C.S. Martin
11. Kaitlyn’s Christmas by CJ Samuels
12. Fireballs for Christmas by Lorena Dove
13. Merry Molasses Mayhem by Danni Roan
14. The Christmas Doll by Kay P. Dawson
15. Holly Jolly Courtship by Jacquie Rogers
16. His Christmas Rose by Peggy L. Henderson
17. Red Rock Christmas by Rain Trueax
18. A Cowboy's Christmas by Amanda McIntyre
19. Magical Memories by Kirsten Osbourne
And now about Holly Jolly Courtship.
Yep, it's based on the true story of how my parents met. Only thing is, they met 70 years after this story is set, and instead of driving a new buggy, my dad was driving his first new car. Another difference is that Mom lived with another sister who wasn't enthused about a 15 year-old girl dating a 20 year-old man, so Mom moved to her other sister's house. The story takes place over a few weeks and ends at Christmas, but the real story took over a year to get to that point, and another year before they actually married.
I've wanted to write my parents' story for a long time but didn't because it seems so implausible. Yet, it really did happen, along with a few more incidents that I didn't have room in the limited word count to include that were just as implausible.
I never tire of hearing family stories. They're always so fun and so special. I hope you enjoy this story and the 18 others in Christmas Caring II: A Christmas Charity Short Story Anthology. And thank you for supporting the Legacy Initiative of Utah.
About Christmas Caring II
First I'll tell you a little about the anthology and list the story titles and authors, then I'll talk about my story, Holly Jolly Courtship, which is near and dear to my heart, and why.
This anthology, full of fun Christmas short stories by bestselling writers and new-comers alike, is bound to get you into the Christmas spirit. All proceeds will be donated to Legacy Initiative of Utah. This book includes:
1. A Christmas Masquerade by Kari Trumbo
2. All I Want for Christmas is a Zombie by Steve Pantazis
3. A Matter of Kin by Jenna Eatough
4. Today I Am Santa Claus by Martin L. Shoemaker
5. All the Swears by Alyson Peterson
6. Wings for Christmas by Kevin L Nielsen
7. Golden Moments by Linda Carroll-Bradd
9. Just in Time for Christmas by Annie Boone
10. Christmas Angels by C.S. Martin
11. Kaitlyn’s Christmas by CJ Samuels
12. Fireballs for Christmas by Lorena Dove
13. Merry Molasses Mayhem by Danni Roan
14. The Christmas Doll by Kay P. Dawson
15. Holly Jolly Courtship by Jacquie Rogers
16. His Christmas Rose by Peggy L. Henderson
17. Red Rock Christmas by Rain Trueax
18. A Cowboy's Christmas by Amanda McIntyre
19. Magical Memories by Kirsten Osbourne
And now about Holly Jolly Courtship.
Yep, it's based on the true story of how my parents met. Only thing is, they met 70 years after this story is set, and instead of driving a new buggy, my dad was driving his first new car. Another difference is that Mom lived with another sister who wasn't enthused about a 15 year-old girl dating a 20 year-old man, so Mom moved to her other sister's house. The story takes place over a few weeks and ends at Christmas, but the real story took over a year to get to that point, and another year before they actually married.
I've wanted to write my parents' story for a long time but didn't because it seems so implausible. Yet, it really did happen, along with a few more incidents that I didn't have room in the limited word count to include that were just as implausible.
I never tire of hearing family stories. They're always so fun and so special. I hope you enjoy this story and the 18 others in Christmas Caring II: A Christmas Charity Short Story Anthology. And thank you for supporting the Legacy Initiative of Utah.
Pickle Barrel Gazette!
As a child, I didn't know my parents were poor. In fact, I thought we were middle class until I was in college and took sociology and found out the wage scale for socio-economic classes. Wow, we were at the bottom. I came home and told me mom. She said she already knew we were poor. LOL I always got what I wanted (except a pony, a dog, and a piano). Guess I was lucky I never asked for too much.
ReplyDeleteWe had a blast on Christmas, but we had to wait in the bedroom until Dad came in from milking the cows to see what Santa brought. Mostly, I was just glad I got a day off from milking. LOL. But we always had a good time.
DeleteNice post. It's interesting to see what we remember about Christmas from our childhood. I always remember we had real trees with tinsel and lights set in cardboard star reflectors with real mirrors on each point.
ReplyDelete