The Giving Season

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We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and I’m still wondering where June and July went. It’s been crazy busy here, but I’m trying to enjoy the holiday season. I took a minute to reflect on gifts as I was standing in the check-out line at Target (No, I don’t do self-check-out. I get the worst customer service.) I was thinking about the things I’d given over the years.

When my nieces were little, (much to the dismay of my BIL), I gave the girls a karaoke machine. I was the aunt who didn’t give practical gifts. I bought the flashy splashy outfits and shoes that mom wouldn’t normally buy. I also gave them a photo book each year. (Thank you, SnapFish. I no longer have to pull out the scrapbooking supplies.) When I moved out after college, I didn’t have that many pictures from my childhood, so I made the decision to give them a photo book with their yearly highlights. They’re all grown up now, and I got to make a wedding book this year.

Now that all the nieces and nephews (and their spouses) are awesome adult human beings, I struggle with what to get them. I don’t get to shop in the hot pink toy aisle or chase after Ninja Turtle or Power Rangers action figures anymore. I’ve kinda turned into the giftcard-giving aunt. This year, I did find something fun, and I hope they like it. Funko Pop (I am such a fan of their pop culture figurines.) had an offer to create your own one-of-a-kind character. Here are the ones that I had made for Stan and me. His holds a camera and a pickleball paddle. I have a bottle of poison and the skull of my enemy. (You can see why we’re such a match.)

My parents, grandparents, and extended family always made the holidays special and magical. I love the LiteBright, the Easy Bake Oven, my sparkly blue bike with the streamers, the bright orange ride-on Corvette, all the Barbie gear, and my first brand new car. Stan and I got a puppy once for Valentine’s Day.

The gifts are awesome, but the time with family and friends is the best. I hope you and yours take the time to share each other’s company and to make some new memories this season.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?

Christmas-Themed Mysteries for Your #TBR List

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In January, my Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries launches with Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones. While it’s not a Christmas story, it is a mystery series set in and around a Christmas store in the fictional little beach down of Mermaid Bay.

Here’s a sampling of Christmas-themed mysteries (in no particular order) that you may want to add to your holiday TBR list.

  • Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

  • The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

  • The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P. D. James

  • The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

  • The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

  • The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

  • Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson

  • The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

  • Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen

  • Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia Manansala

  • Candy Cane Murder Joanna Fluke

  • Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews

  • Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

  • Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs

  • A Gift of Bones by Carolyn Haines

  • He Sees You When You’re Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

  • “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” by Arthur Conan Doyle

  • Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

  • Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt

  • Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

  • Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

  • The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis

  • A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

  • Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany

  • Dying in a Winter Wonderland by Vicki Delany

  • Six Cats a Slaying by Miranda James

  • A Merry Murder by Kate Kingsbury

  • A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

  • An Eggnog to Die for by Amy Pershing

  • Christmas Cocoa Murder by Carlene O’Connor

  • A Puzzle in a Pear Tree by Parnell Hall

  • Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman

  • Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem by Diane Kelly

What would you add to the list?

My Funny Christmas Moments...

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Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year. The season is full of sparkle, lights, magic, and the goodness of humankind. My grandmother Ruth loved the holiday season too, and as a little girl, I always spent Thanksgiving weekend with her to help her decorate, bake, and make Christmas candy.

I was the kid who stayed wide awake all night every Christmas Eve, and much to my parents' dismay, I was always up at four or five in the morning to open presents. One year when I was about four, I was so excited to see Santa. We waited in line for at least an hour at Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach. When it was my turn, fear took over, and I had a tearful outburst. I didn't get to give him my list. I fretted for days that he was going to skip our house that year. I was shocked and SO relieved on Christmas to find out he came through for me.

When I was almost five (and the only grandchild on all sides), I wanted a puppy. I got a sister that year. She came home on Christmas Eve, and things haven't been the same since. I'm just kidding, my sister is my best friend (but I was a tad disappointed that I didn't get the puppy and that she was too big for me to carry around like a doll.

This time of year is chaotic, but it's fun. Here are some of my humorous holiday moments.

I Have Proof - One year before my sister arrived, it snowed late on Christmas Eve. It rarely did that in Virginia Beach. I didn’t know which was more exciting, Christmas or snow. We opened the front door, and there were real, honest-to-goodness reindeer tracks on the front steps. I couldn’t believe it. I had proof. I saw them. That’s where the reindeer waited while Santa unloaded all of my loot.

I found out much later that my “reindeer” was the next-door neighbor’s German Shepherd JoJo.

What is That Smell? - One summer, I was driving back and forth from work, and I smelled this sickening citrus odor in my car. I checked my bags and the car. It kept getting worse, and I couldn’t find the source. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I pulled everything out of the car. Someone had given us a bag of potpourri the previous Christmas, and it had gotten stuck between the back seat and the trunk. It was ripe when I finally threw it out.

Invasion of the Short People - My husband volunteered to help the men’s club at church one year when they decided to sell wooden angels as a fundraiser. The angels were about four-feet tall with the name of the donor on the front. At Christmas time, they decorate the lawn of the church.

He cut about five of them and put them up against the wall in our garage. I went out to the garage in the dark and saw five figures lined up next to the wall. I got a start until I realized what they were. In the dark, it looked like a bunch of short people hiding in my garage.

The Terrible Christmas Cookies - One December after work, my husband met me in the garage. “These cookies are terrible,” he said munching on something hard.

“What cookies?” I asked as I tried to remember what kind I bought last time. He finished his snack and said, “These in the red bag.” They were the peanut butter dog treats my niece made for the pair of Jacks.

I Don’t Care About the *&^%* Carolers - One Christmas, I volunteered to bring four dozen cookies to the holiday party at work. Well, at my house, to get four dozen cookies that look good enough to share, I had to bake six or seven dozen. The malformed ones were for sampling, and the burnt ones went into the trash. About halfway though the baking, I had lost my holiday spirit and all desire for peace and goodwill.

My husband came bounding into the kitchen with the joyous news that we had holiday carolers outside. He wanted to know if we should take them some cookies. By then, the floor, dogs, and I were covered in flour and sugar. I gave him the look of death, and he slowly backed out of the kitchen.

What Happened to the Angel? - One year, my sister and I went over to my Grandmother Ruth’s house to help her decorate for Christmas. When we were unpacking decorations, we discovered a bald angel. Previously, she was a blonde. It seemed she fell off the tree last year, and Patton, the Boston Terrier ate her hair.

It's Awfully Humid in Here - My Grandmother Ruth always had candy at her house. She had an open dish in her living room for guests. During the holiday season, it was filled with all kinds of festive hard candy. I loved the assortment, but it was always stuck together. We had to break it off in chunks. Grandma always chalked it up to the heat and the humidity.

One day we discovered the truth about the sticky candy. We went in the living room, and Patton, her Boston Terrier, was standing in the chair licking the candy dish. I pass on the hard candy now.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I know there's a lot of activity, but try to squeeze in the moments to enjoy the magic and fun.

I Have Proof! Reindeer Tracks

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            One year, it snowed late on Christmas Eve. It rarely did that in Virginia Beach. I didn’t know which was more exciting, Christmas or snow. We opened the front door, and there were real, honest-to-goodness reindeer tracks on the front steps. I couldn’t believe it. I had proof. I saw them. That’s where the reindeer waited while Santa unloaded all of my loot.

            I found out much later that my “reindeer” was the next-door neighbor’s German Shepherd JoJo.

My Favorite Presents...

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I'm almost finished with this year's Christmas shopping. Hopefully, I'll wrap up the shopping and decorating by next weekend.

What was your favorite present?

I've had several through the years. These aren't in any particular order.

  • I asked for a puppy one year, and I got a sister.
  • My sister graduated from high school, and I graduated from college in the same year. That year for Christmas, Santa brought us cars. Mine was red (of course).
  • One year, I remarked that I never got a Snoopy Snow Cone Machine for Christmas. My sister gave me one (when I was in my thirties).
  • My husband gave me my engagement ring in an Easter egg one year at brunch.
  • We got our first puppy, Domino Phoebe, for Valentine's Day.

Random Acts of Christmas Kindness

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I've been challenged to complete 31 Days of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness in December. It's a pay-it-forward deal instead of counting down to the Advent Season.

I can pay tolls or tabs while I'm in line. I can hold doors and leave snacks or treats. Any other ideas?

I'm going to work on my list, and I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Let the holiday season begin!