Focus on Christmas with Trish Perry and Debby Mayne.

Please welcome Trish Perry and Debby Mayne co-authors of Love finds you on Christmas Morning. Today I am starting my Focus On Christmas series and come December there will be two posts a week. Thanks for being on my blog today and I hope my readers enjoy reading about your experiences.

1.   What do you most associate with Christmas where you live?

Trish: My family members are always so busy all year and simply don’t get enough time together. But at Christmas we drop everything to be together. Those who need to fly home, do. Even at my age, I’ve only experienced one Christmas when a sibling couldn’t join us. So I associate Christmas with family time—and never enough of it!

Debby: Like Trish, I associate Christmas with family, no matter where I live. We've had some additions to the family over the past few years with my daughters getting married and grandchildren coming on to the scene, so the joy is compounded.

2.   Do you have any special family traditions you do at Christmas time?

Trish: My immediate family always tries to attend the evening Christmas Eve worship service at church, after which we go out for dinner at a lovely restaurant. And on Christmas morning, up until recently my father has always played “Santa,” in that he handed out each present under the tree, one at a time, with great fanfare about who was giving the gift to whom. A few years ago, my son took up that mantle, which I assume he’ll wear for years to come. And not a single gift is given without the receiver getting up and giving a hug and a thank you to the giver. (We really know how to spread out the event.)

(Jenny here My dad use to give out the gifts under the tree also and when he died my brother took over)

Debby: My family attends Christmas Eve services, and then we go home and have pizza. Most of the time we open at least one gift before bedtime. It's getting increasingly difficult to maintain traditions with one of my daughters living so far away and the other likely to move soon.  

3.   Do you have a favourite Christmas Carol and if so do you know why?

Trish: “O Holy Night” makes me want to cry every time I hear it or sing it. The emotion and drama at that first chorus—“Fall on your knees”—just blows me away. Such a perfect image of how best to react to the birth of Christ.

(Jenny again this is one of my favourites also ever since I first heard it on Young and The Restless many years ago)

Debby: I love "Silent Night" because it's such a peaceful song.

 (Jenny again I love this song also its special)

4.   If you could spend Christmas anyway you could how would you celebrate?

Trish: On a selfish level, it might be fun to relax and be catered to by a full kitchen staff, freeing me and my siblings up from dashing about preparing food and trying to time everything well. On a more philanthropic level, I remember a few decades ago when I belonged to a young professionals civic group. We raised funds from local businesses to give toy-shopping certificates to kids whose fathers and/or mothers were in prison—they wouldn’t otherwise receive anything at all for Christmas. I’d love to do that again, to get a chance to watch their excitement on Christmas Day.

Debby: I would have all my family together in a secluded cabin or on a cruise, without the distractions of work or anything else that pulls people's attention from what's really important.

5.   Do you have any special memories of Christmas?

Trish: I had a sister who passed away nearly 24 years ago. As a child she had a lot of physical health issues, and when she was nine (and I was six), she had a serious surgical operation shortly before Christmas. We thought she would spend Christmas in the hospital, but they let her come home just for the day. She was so frail, but she was so happy, as were we. When she passed away as a young adult, it was mere days before Christmas—she had even bought us gifts. Those two Christmases are my most memorable and poignant ones.

Debby: My favorite memories are those from when my children were small and with my granddaughter who was one and a half last year.

6.   What is a typical Christmas Eve and or Christmas day for you.

Trish: My parents still live in the house they bought when I was an adolescent. We all gather there, most of us bearings not only gifts but partially prepared contributions to the big meal, as well as fun hors d’oeuvres we’ve each experimented in making (or, for the cheaters, in buying). Both of my kids have other places they need to be after our celebration, so our tradition has become a late-morning celebration that stretches into the late afternoon, followed by a relaxed unwinding while people slowly depart for their other obligations. I’m always amazed at how quickly it’s over!

Debby: We attend church on Christmas Eve and eat without worrying about diets. The children play with their toys, and we watch Christmas specials on TV.

7.         Do you have any Christmas movies or Christmas books you like to see

or read each year?

Trish: I’m still a sucker for It’s a Wonderful Life. Considering how lonely people can get on holidays, I think that movie’s message—about the importance of every individual in the lives of others—is very uplifting. And my church’s Christmas Eve service usually involves a reading of parts of Luke’s gospel to retell the story of Christ’s birth through scripture. That, of course, is my favorite Christmas “book.”

Debby: I'm with Trish on It's a Wonderful Life, which has always been a favorite in our household. I also like to pick up the latest Christmas books and novellas to relax before I go to bed.

(Jenny again Debby I love reading the Christmas novellas also.)

8.         Do you have a Christmas message for my readers?

Trish: Answering your other questions has brought my mind in this direction: I pray that you all enjoy a blessed, beautiful Christmas, surrounded by loving family and friends. But I know all of us have times in our lives when holidays remind us of whom we miss; sometimes we can even feel alone. I pray that this Christmas you feel a strong, deep connection with our loving Savior who was born on this day. And I pray you know you are always loved, forever precious, and never alone.

Debby: I also pray for a blessed Christmas for all of you. Cherish your family and enjoy your children. Never take anything or anyone for granted, and stay focused on the Gospel as you enjoy this Christmas season.

Bios:

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written six inspirational romantic-comedy novels for Harvest House Publishers, as well as two devotionals and a nostalgic romance novel for Summerside Press. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology. Trish lives in Northern Virginia. She invites you to visit her at www.TrishPerry.com

Debby Mayne has published more than 30 books and novellas, 400 print short stories and articles, more than 1,000 web articles, and a slew of devotions for women. She has also worked as managing editor of a national health magazine, product information writer for HSN, a creative writing instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group, and a copy editor and proofreader for several book publishers. For the past eight years, she has judged the Writers Digest Annual Competition, Short-Short Contest, and Self-Published Book Competition. Three of Debby’s books have been top ten favorites by the Heartsong Presents book club. Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida received 4-1/2 stars from Romantic Times Magazine, and was named a Top Pick for the month of July 2009.

Blurb for Love Finds You on Christmas Morning: 

Deck the Halls (Debby Mayne): In 1925, the wealthy William Tronnier becomes smitten with the lovely but penniless Lillian Pickard. Not one to give up easily, William pursues Lillian even though she does everything in her power to resist falling in love with a man from a completely different social class. As Christmas descends on the picturesque town of Cary, North Carolina, William plans to make Lillian a proposal she can’t refuse.

‘Tis the Season (Trish Perry): When personal chef Nikki Tronnier moves back home to Cary, North Carolina, she plans to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy back the family home built by her great-grandfather for his bride. But before she is able to make an offer, someone else buys the house. Just as she prepares for a fight, she learns that the very person who stole her dream is the man who has also stolen her heart. Unaware, handsome new owner, Drew Cornell, seeks Nikki’s help in restoring the home to its historic beauty in time for Christmas.

(Jenny again I have this book on order and can't wait to read it. I think it would be a great book to give away as a Christmas gift.)

Other books by Trish and Debby.

A Walk Down Memory Lane with KCWC Authors and Staff

A Walk Down Memory Lane with

KCWC Authors and Staff

This year we've asked our clients to share their

favorite Christmas memory or traditions to share

with us. I hope you enjoy the memories.

Viriginia Smith's upcoming release, Third Time's a Charm, releases January 2010.

My Favorite Family Christmas Tradition

by Virginia Smith

On Christmas Eve my family will gather together to celebrate the first coming of the King of Kings. The evening will be full of traditions – food, games, caroling. But the best part comes when we hold hands in a big circle around the kitchen table. Someone will douse the lights. In the center is a birthday cake with a candle for every century since the birth of the Child in whose Name we gather. We’ll lift our voices together singing Silent Night, then without pause, we’ll launch into a joyful rendition of “Happy Birthday to Jesus!” I guarantee you, there will not be a dry eye in the house.

Shelly Beach's 2009 release of The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk helps readers understand the importance of godly thoughts and scripture in the Christian life.

Guessing Gifts

by Shelly Beach

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is “guessing gifts.” To stave off “Can-we-open-one-present-early?” pressure, Dan and I began buying one gift for our now-adult children and each other. Beginning two weeks before Christmas, we’re allowed two yes-no questions per night. If we guess the gift, we can open it. Q & A on Christmas Eve lasts until we guess correctly. When guessing gets frustrating, family members help out. (When our son was eight, Dan bought him a soldering gun.) Recent gifts have included “The Clapper,” kitchen gadgets, and dashboard sticky pads. The goal is to create laughter and anticipation.

Sandra Glahn's 2009 releases included Jonah with Kona and Frappe' with Philippians- 2 Coffee Cup Series Bible Studies.

Sandi's Favorite Christmas Traditions

by Sandra Glahn

• Wherever we travel, we buy an ornament to remind us a place we’ve visited together.


• We wait till Epiphany to place the wise men in the crèche. Throughout the season they inch their way across the living room toward the manger.


• On Christmas we gather around the table and work on a jigsaw puzzle after the big meal.


• Dessert between Christmas and New Years always includes my great grandmother’s recipe for steamed pudding cooked in a #1 coffee can, just like she made it during the Depression.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Kathy Carlton Willis, owner of the same named communications firm, can’t get enough Christmas. She takes the star off the top of the tree and makes it shine in the lives of her clients all year long. They aspire to reflect the true star of Christmas, Jesus Christ, every day.

Kathy’s Christmas Memory Album
by Kathy Carlton Willis

I imagine my fondest Christmas memories preserved in a family photo album. My mind recollects events and people who made each Christmas holiday an event to be cherished. As I leaf through this memory album, pages of special events appear before my eyes.

On the first page of my memory book, Grandma Mary makes chilled boiled custard served in punch cups with mounds of real whipped cream. She rolls the iced cakes in a choice of crushed peanuts or coconut to make the traditional blarney stones. Her gaudy Christmas tree light bulbs sag from mere size on the dried out pine tree. I can see her tree in my mind's eye, and it triggers another memory: Grandma Mary hoisting the decorated tree over the hillside, because she’s mad at Papa Pete. They argued over gift giving, and she showed him! After emotions cooled down, the tree is retrieved and propped up in the living room with more than a few pine needles missing.

On the second page I see my cousin, Keith, painting a Christmas scene on the picture window of their Missouri home, atop the sky lift hill. The window features the nativity scene, inspiring spectators to celebrate the blessed birth amidst the hectic pace of their busy schedule. On Christmas Day, the Kent home buzzes with excitement as cousins gather to catch up on important things like discussing their favorite schoolgirl crushes.

Turning the next page of the memory album, I see Mom working alongside our neighbor Elaine, cooking candies and nut breads. They dust off the gently used recipe cards with instructions for their annual specialties. Peanut brittle spreads across buttered wax paper, and the aroma of molasses oatmeal bread fills the kitchen. Mom and Elaine box up most of the treats for Christmas gifts, but samples remain to fill our tummies.

Next in the album, I see a group of carolers bundled up in sweatered layers, singing to shut-ins. As a youngster, I sing with my Girl Scout Troup, and later on, with friends. Our music fills the halls of nursing homes and hospitals. And just for kicks, we sing in our neighborhoods as well. Christmas means caroling!

On an adjacent page in the memory album I see another musical memory. Dressed in festive attire, my classmates and I sing Christmas choral arrangements for our school Christmas concert. Back when it could still be called a Christmas concert. Our school band performs several holiday tunes, and hearts are prepared for the holiday.

“Christmas Plays,” reads the headline of the next page. One photo shows me dressed as a princess, hand clasped in the hand of my prince. For our Christmas program at church, I memorize a Bible verse from the gospel of Luke. Trembling, I proudly quote God's Word to the packed sanctuary. Mom mouthed the words with me from her seat. I don't notice, but she trembles too.

Some of the favorite pages in my memory album feature our family sitting around the cut pine tree in our living room. With pride, we select just the right tree each year. The fragrant scent of pine fills the air. Mom reads 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. My brother's chest puffs with importance, as he distributes each gift. To top off the day, I perch on Daddy's lap, embracing my favorite dolly.

The memory album grows each year. There is always room in my heart for new Christmas adventures. But the fondest memories in the book will always be those from my childhood. The best gift of all was not a doll or toy, but being part of a family who loved me. They gave me the sense of belonging as a child, and as an adult, this sense of belonging is broader, encompassing the entire Family of God.