Wednesday Writers–The Christmas Color by Tori Higa

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Children's books, Christmas books for Children, Christmas traditions, The Christmas Color, Tori Higa, Wednesday Writers

Welcome to Wednesday Writers! Today’s guest is Tori Higa, author and illustrator of The Christmas Color (picture book). Tori will be talking about the story behind her children’s picture book. Just in time for Christmas you’ll get a peek at the reason red is a Christmas color.  Welcome, Tori!

Thanks, Catherine.

Years ago, when my son was little, I was volunteering in his kindergarten classroom during the holiday season when his teacher explained the reason for the color of red at Christmastime – it reminds us of the blood Jesus shed on the cross for us. 

I am blessed to have grown up in a Christian household, but I was never told of the symbolism for the popular Christmas color.  I learned this as an adult and I felt inspired and encouraged.  I want all children to know from a young age about the symbolic meaning of red at Christmas.  And for that simple reason, I wrote The Christmas Color. 

As I wrote the book I did some research on the history of the color of red, which is the color most associated with Christmas.  I learned how hundreds of years ago many different cultures decorated for their winter festivities with holly leaves and red holly berries because it was a readily available plant during the cold and dark months.  Christians then gave it symbolism and used it as a teaching tool.  They explained how the sharp holly leaves represent Jesus’ crown of thorns and the red berries symbolize His shed blood on the cross for our sins. 

Today, we see traditional red everywhere during the Christmas season (from Santa’s red clothes to Rudolph’s shiny red nose, and everything in between); but it all points back to the symbolism of the red holly berries starting centuries ago.   

I wrote The Christmas Color because I have a deep desire for kids to know about the reason we see so much red at Christmastime today.  I want them to notice and enjoy the color and all of the festivities, but I also want them to think about the important symbolism and be encouraged in it. 

During the holidays especially, it should be at the forefront of our minds that Christmas red is meant to remind us of Jesus’ ultimate loving sacrifice.  We should not only ponder His birth during this time of year, but His life, death, and resurrection as well.  The simple and powerful color of red can help us do just that.

The Christmas Color

By Tori Higa

Have you ever wondered why the Christmas color is red?

From Santa’s red clothes to Rudolph’s shiny red nose, from the berries we pick to sweet peppermint sticks, the color of Christmas is red! But why do so many of our favorite traditions come together in this particular hue? Debut author-illustrator Tori Higa has an insightful answer that will warm your heart and remind readers young and old of the true Reason for the season.

Do you want share the story of The Christmas Color with your children or grandchildren? You can find Tori’s book at

Amazon

About the Author:

Tori Higa is inspired by her faith, family & friends, coffee shops and people-watching, and all things vintage. She has always loved making art and recently began pairing her hand-crafted pictures with the stories she writes to share with young kids. She considers it a high honor to make books to inspire kids and encourage their faith journey. She currently lives in California with her husband, two kids, and a puppy named Edie.

Connect with Tori on her Website, Instagram, Facebook   social media sites

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Wednesday Writers Christmas Reads–The Texan’s Surprise Return by Jolene Navarro

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Christmas reads, Christmas traditions, Jolene Navarro, Tamales, The Texan's Surprise Return, Wednesday Writers

Welcome to Wednesday Writers.

Christmas is coming and there’s nothing I like better during the holiday season than a good Christmas romance (or movie). So, on Wednesdays and Thursdays I’m filling out the year with a variety of Christmas romance book posts. Today’s guest is Jolene Navarro. She’ll be sharing her book The Texan’s Surprise Return and a bit about her family’s Christmas tradition.

BTW, Jolene, you’re talking about one of my favorite foods–TAMALES!

Hola from the Texas Hill Country. I’m Jolene Navarro and I’m honored to be visiting today. As a writer I love pulling from family traditions. My stories are a celebration of family. In my current release, The Texan’s Surprise Return, not only do they eat tamales on Christmas Eve, they make dozens upon dozens on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

It’s one of my favorite scenes. The hero is trying to reconnect with his family after a near death experience that created a brain injury.

Four generations (including his triple sons) gather in the kitchen to create an assembly line as they make each tamale. This is a common holiday event in the Navarro house.

Growing up my family didn’t make our own tamales, but when we gathered for Christmas Eve the main attraction was the tamales. Growing up, I thought everyone celebrated Christmas Eve with tamales.

Since then I learned it was more of a Texas thing. But I still take our traditions and customs for granted. That was brought home recently when I created a potluck list for my writing group, I included tamales (by the dozen) to sign up to bring. They are listed as such: Tamales doz.

One of our new members asked what that meant. She is from far up the east coast. This is the answer she received from another member: “1 dozen tamales…it’s considered a holiday food around here. Forget drugs. A good tamale maker/supplier is worth their weight in gold. LOL (Although, HEB works in a pinch).”

This is true. The best tamales I’ve ever eaten were made by my husband’s family, led by his mother. She made spreading the masa onto the corn husk look easy (it’s not). They made them with a mix of beef and pork (Fresh from the ranch). They can come stuffed with chicken and bean too.

The best and the most fun way to make them is with generations working as a team and lots of laughter.

Do you have a custom or tradition that you family celebrates that the rest of the country is not aware of? Maybe you are from Texas. Do you celebrate with tamales?

 

The Texan’s Surprise Return.

by Jolene Navarro

His greatest Christmas gifts…
“Is that you? You’re…you’re alive.” An unforgettable family reunion for the holidays.
For three years, Xavier De La Rosa’s family thought he was dead. Now Xavier is back home in Texas for Christmas and finds a wife he can’t remember and adorable triplets he never knew existed. Can Xavier reclaim his memories and the love he left behind…before he returns to the job that nearly killed him?

 

 

 

You can find Jolene’s book at Amazon

 

About the Author

Jolene, a seventh-generation Texan, knows, as much as the world changes, people stay the same. Good and evil. Vow-keepers and heart breakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who showed her that dancing in the rain never gets old.
Her life, much like her stories, is filled with faith, family, laughter, dirty dishes and all of life’s wonderful messiness. She loves spending time with her four kids, and can be found at jolenenavarrowriter.com

https://business.facebook.com/jolenenavarrowriter

https://www.instagram.com/jolenenavarro

Home for the Holidays with Author Catherine Castle

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Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas traditions, Home for the Holidays, nativites, pictures of nativities

A Nativity Collection Tradition

 

Today marks the end of the Home for the Holiday blog series. I hope you’ve all enjoyed meeting new authors and finding out how they celebrate the Christmas holidays.  I’m closing out the series with a photo display of a few items from my Nativity collection. Every other year they go up on the sideboard I inherited from my mother. Opposite years get the Christmas village collection. The sideboard is getting quite full, and it takes me a long time to unwrap and arrange the Holy Family.

 

I especially love the unusual nativities, like this Celtic stone nativity.

And the American Indian nativity.

This next set was made by my sister and sister-in-law. I received it for Christmas in 1970.  It has a lighted stable, which you can see in the background. Don’t you love the expression on the little shepherd boy’s face? The small items in front of the manger are the wisemen’s gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.  I picked the gold nugget up on a trip out west. I don’t remember where the other gifts came from.

Here’s another favorite of mine-a Southwest design. The arms above the birds are three candleholders.

 

This is the oldest nativity I have. It’s a matching set of bookends painted by my husband when he was in grade school, and yes, I do display it.

And I can’t forget the needlepoint set crafted by my mother-in-law. The stable has “wings” on each side so it stands upright on its own, as do the Holy Family pieces.

These are just a few of my assortment of nativites. I have dozens more of all sizes and shapes, from Lennox china nativities to paper nativities. When we travel, I’m always on the hunt for them. Santa and his reindeer may be fun, but, to me, a nativity embodies the real spirit of Christmas.

What about you? Do you have a favorite nativity that you display at Christmas?

Thanks for sharing Home for the Holidays with me and my guest authors this year. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

 

Home for the Holidays with author Bonnie Engstrom

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A Santa Tree, Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas traditions, Her Candy Cane Christmas, Home for the Holidays with author Bonnie Engstrom, The Santa House

Three Engstrom Family Traditions

Thirty+ years ago I started buying three ornaments the day after Christmas when they were on sale. These would be a surprise for my three children next year when we decorated the tree. Since we had two boys and a girl, I had to be sure I found matching ornaments that represented each. My favorites are skiing bunnies, two boy bunnies (one dressed in green and one in blue) and a girl bunny dressed in red. These and their companions are now in storage in a box labeled Family Ornaments.

The Santa house is born!

When our first grandchild, Mookie, was born 10 1/2 years ago I wanted her to know the magic of Christmas. I wanted something she could understand at a young age. I wanted it to be bright and festive, so I focused on a Santa theme for our home. I never felt Santa took the place of Jesus, just added a bit of frivolity. So, my tree is decorated entirely, yes entirely, with Santas – many representing family members: a fishing Santa for Grandpa; a surfing Santa for one uncle, and a techie Santa for another; a baseball and golfing Santa for the kids’ dad; even dog and cat Santas for the pets. My entire house is decorated with Santas, even Santas representing the colleges we all attended. This year Mookie and her three siblings helped decorate the tree and enjoyed asking  which Santa represents whom.

  

Blessedly, my grandchildren attend Sunday school and I talk with them often about Jesus and His birth. Their parents and I have beautiful Nativity scenes in our homes. Perhaps when the children get a bit older, I will retire my Santas and decorate only with Nativity scenes (harder to find, though). Or, I may unwrap the family ornaments and use them. I’m not sorry I decorate with Santas. I’ve talked with God about this, and I think He’s okay with it. He knows my heart.

I have six grandchildren now. God has truly blessed me. And, it’s so exciting to see their faces light up seeing all the red Santas on the tree and the others in my house. I want them to remember Grammy’s house as the Santa house. Then, I will remind them about Jesus’ birth and the true story of Christmas. Santa is just fun, Jesus is what life on this earth is all about. Yet, both are givers of gifts. One the silly, fun gifts, the Other the gift of precious life.

Perhaps my very favorite tradition happens when we have our semi-annual holiday party between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The invitation requests each guest bring a wrapped ornament with a tag explaining its significance to their family. As guests enter the party they drop their ornament in a big basket by the door, and as they leave they take one from the basket. It’s a fun exchange and almost always results in a perfect surprise. One year a neighbor who is a pilot brought a tiny airplane ornament. By pure chance our son who had recently purchased his own airplane got it! Now that’s serendipity! The Day family in my novella Her Candy Cane Christmas^* shares this tradition. Read the story to find out what ornament Noelle picks. And, like our family, they serve Honey Baked Ham soup; but unlike ours, they skip the tradition of Swedish Glögg, my hubby’s specialty.

 

About the Author

BONNIE ENGSTROM, is a freelance writer, former newspaper columnist, wife, mom and grandmother. She lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with Dave, her psychologist husband of over fifty years, and Sam and Lola, their dogs. Her favorite genres are romance, mystery, and ‘fun’ animal stories.  You can learn more about Bonnie at her website http://bonnieengstrom.com/  Her Candy Cane Christmas is available at Amazon on Kindle or in print.

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Donna Alice Patton

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Author Donna Patton, Catherine Castle Holiday Blog, Christmas traditions, Holiday Sightseeing, Home for the Holidays

 

 

Over the River and Through the Woods

A Holiday Tradition with Donna Alice Patton

 

Over the river and through the woods . . . to the big city we go!!

As a country girl at heart, it’s not often you’ll find me in any city. . .  except at Christmas. Once a year, my family (whoever can come on a certain date) follow a tradition Grandpa Corbin began over forty years ago. We meet in downtown Cincinnati to welcome in the season with a little holiday sightseeing.

When we went with Grandpa, the main objective was to watch the lighting of the gigantic Christmas tree on Fountain Square. Now our trip has evolved more to Sunday afternoon family time.

Our first order of business is always taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city.

The carriage ride in downtown Cincinnati

True, the lights aren’t on during the day, but we can see the store windows with clever decorations. Sometimes we sing “Jingle Bells” and wave at people passing by. More often it becomes a time of sharing family stories. Many of my grandparents and great-grandparents left the farms in Kentucky to settle in Cincinnati. The carriage ride is a way to ‘tour’ some of the places relevant to our family’s lives. Our younger members – rural kids every one – find it unbelievable that people could LIVE eight stories up as their great-grandma did.

Next stop is our traditional visit to the Westin Hotel. Every year they put up a decorated Christmas tree in the lobby, complete with Santa and eight flying reindeer.  We gather in front of the white picket fence for photo ops, and then ride the escalators (a real novelty) to the second floor. The Westin advertises Cincinnati Theater’s play of “A Christmas Carol” with life-sized figures in clever, Christmas decorations. It’s fun to stand by Scrooge or Tiny Tim, take pictures and pretend to be part of Dickens’ classic tale.

Then it’s on to Macy’s. In a rural area where we waited ten years to have Wal-Mart, a real department store is a novelty. The little girls adore the perfume counter with all the free samples. The Santa-believers in the bunch love the department store Santa. If the line is reasonable, we wait for the littlest family members to share their wishes with the Jolly One.

After Macy’s, we might head off to Eden Park and the live Nativity, or maybe to explore a new part of the city. Weather permitting; we stop at Fountain Square for some ice skating on the seasonal rink. If it’s too cold, we may all end up somewhere warm and cozy for hot chocolate. Although it might seem uneventful to many people, our Christmas City Day has become a cherished tradition. It’s a time to celebrate the holidays, our family and a way to share memories with the younger generation. Somehow, I think Grandpa would be happy to know what he started.

 

About the Author

Donna Alice Patton is a freelance writer and editor who lives in rural Ohio. Christmas is one of her favorite times of the year – even with the necessity of keeping the wood stove filled! Reading books with a Christmas theme is a favorite activity for any season of the year. Visit her at her Amazon Author page.

Home for the Holidays with Author Jodie Bailey

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candy canes, Catherine Castle's Home for the Holiday blog series, Christmas stocking stuffers, Christmas traditions, Home for the Holiday with Author Jodie Bailey, Lifesaver Story Books, Quilted by Christmas

This week we have another line-up of holiday memories and traditions from some great authors. Jodie Bailey will be leading off with a holiday stocking tradition that’s dear to her heart.

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Life Savers Story Books and Giant Candy Canes

By Jodie Bailey

 

Life Savers Story Books and giant candy canes.

I’m pretty sure Christmas morning wouldn’t be the same without them.  You see, I am a Daddy’s Girl, all the way.  God blessed me with an incredible father, and if this blog post was a novel long, it wouldn’t be enough to tell you why he is the amazing dad he is, but here’s one reason…

Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, there has been a giant candy cane and a Life Savers Story Book in our Christmas stockings.  There have been years Dad has had to go to dozens of stores to find them, and the story of the search is the best part of the day, but there they are… always there.

When I married my husband, the Army saw fit to move us 13 hours away from home right off the bat.  Yeah, Daddy’s Girl had a hard time with it.  My family had been bruised and beaten over the previous two years, wounded by cancer that attacked my dad’s older sister, stole her husband, and robbed us of his baby sister.  My grandmother had faced emergency bypass and a stroke.  We’d lost family friends we’d thought would be around forever, and we woke up every day wondering what was coming next.  It was rough.

And then the move.  Here I was pulled from all of my traditions:  my grandmother’s birthday on Christmas Eve Eve, oyster stew on Christmas Eve, grits and eggs and country ham for breakfast, the rounds of family visits, and “the game” my family always plays with their gifts.

I was so happy to be with my husband and his family, but I was hurting and missing what had marked the first 24 Christmases of my life.

I was on my way to the grocery store and stopped at the mailbox to grab the mail on the way.  In the parking lot, I tore open a small box…

Two giant candy canes.  Two Life Savers Storybooks.

And love.

From my dad… still looking out for his baby girl.

 

 

About the Author:

Jodie Bailey is a Carolina girl who is glad to be settled back there for all of her Christmases.  She’s a big believer in big family meals and Christmas Eves full of laughter and oyster stew… even though she won’t touch the stuff.  She’s the author of CBA Bestseller and Selah Winner Quilted by Christmas, from Abingdon Press and five Love Inspired Suspense titles including Smokescreen, an RT Reviewers Choice winner.  She lives in North Carolina with her husband and her daughter, and she still gets a giant candy cane and a Life Savers Storybook for Christmas every year. Learn more about Jodie and her books at www.jodiebailey.com

Home for the Holidays with Author June Foster

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Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas Memories, Christmas traditions, HOme for the Holidays with author June Foster, Jesse Tree

Christmas Memories—Then and Now

 

Times have changed. But I still remember one Christmas tradition our family enjoyed. We gathered in the dining room for a luscious meal then adjourned into the living room where our Christmas tree, bare except for lights, stood ready for our homemade ornaments patterned after the Jesse Tree.

First we read the story of the Jesse Tree which tells, through the use of symbols, the Biblical story from creation to the birth of Christ. We learned that in Medieval times, when the  tradition of the Jesse Tree first began, people created  large carvings, tapestries or even stained glass windows to place in churches for members of the congregation who were illiterate.

Nowadays, the cutout symbols represent Bible stories we know so well. For example, the earth represents the Creation, a picture of an apple is the Garden of Eden, and a rainbow is symbolic of Noah and the flood—and many more.

So, now it was time to get creative. Each family member chose a couple of symbols for ornaments they wished to construct from the variety of materials I had accumulated and set out on the dining room table. When the ornaments were completed, we hung them on the tree. The next week we gathered again and told the Christmas story. In the correct order, each person removed their ornament, relayed the Bible story and replaced the cutout on the tree. Afterward we prayed and asked the Lord to help us keep Christmas in our hearts every day of the year.

But alas, those were the wonderful days when our children were home to celebrate. In the last ten years, we’ve traveled in our RV and our tree morphed from a six-foot pine to a two foot plastic tree small enough to fit in our coach. But we still remembered the real reason for the season as we celebrated with our Florida friends in a room full of white-haired Christians instead of boisterous children. I suppose we’ll head on to Florida again this year.

 

About the Author:

Christmas has always been a special time of year for June. As a child, the celebration was about family, food, gifts, and fun. Now as an adult, June loves the season because we celebrate the birth of our Savior. An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. Find June and her books online at Amazon or at www.junefoster.com

 

 

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Julie Arduini

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Blue ice village pieces, Catherine Castle's Home for the Holiday blog, Christmas collections, Christmas pajamas, Christmas traditions, Home for the Holidays with author Julie Arduini, navitives

Expanding Christmas Traditions

By Julie Arduini

 

We were the family that received pajamas each Christmas Eve. It was a tradition I should have looked forward to and been grateful for, but by my teenaged years my sister and I made fun of it so much that one year there were no pajamas under the tree.

When I started to receive blue ice village pieces as a college student, I made sure I expressed my thanks. My mom’s desire was to start a tradition that I could bring with me to my own home one day, and even have the choice to add to it. Not only do I still have a blue ice collection under one tree, I have a nativity collection my parents also started that I continue to add to under a second tree.

My husband and I started the second tree tradition because of the ornaments our kids have received. I also grew up unwrapping a Christmas decoration each year. When I left home and had my own tree, it wasn’t bare. Their gifts over the year created memories and gave me a great start. That’s what we’ve done for our kids. My mom and sister also followed suit, so between our two kids, they already have their own tree full of decorations. More than that, we were intentional about finding an ornament that summarized that year for each child. My daughter has a Dora the Explorer ornament, a dance one, a High School Musical ball, and more. Our son has VeggieTales, Polar Express, and The Grinch, to name a few.

Our son is seventeen and already talking about his first Christmas when he leaves. He has a snow globe collection, nativities, and snow men of his own ready to take with him. Because those collections started with me, there will be plenty of those left long after he expands his decorations and starts traditions of his own.

Although I never kept up with the pajama theme, I’m so glad when it came to decorations that I not only was grateful for them, that I maintained the tradition and expanded it to our family’s memories.

How about you? Do you have a collection that started with your childhood?

 

About the Author:

Julie Arduini calls Christmas her favorite holiday and starts decorating the day after Thanksgiving. She is the proud collector of nativity scenes, snow globes, Santas, trees, Christmas bears, blue ice village pieces, but not Christmas pajamas. She lives in NE Ohio with her husband and two children. You’re invited to follow her at her Amazon page

 

A Christmas Romance Reading List

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best selling Christmas romances, Catherine Castle author, Christmas romance books, Christmas traditions, Debbie Macomber, Kay Stockham, romance authors

photo by Catherine Castle (c)

I began a new tradition last year when I bought my Kindle: reading a Christmas romance at the start of the holiday season. Last year I read Kay Stockham’s The Crash Before Christmas. Her book, which I enjoyed, was one of the first I downloaded on my new Kindle last year.

To start my search off this year I checked for Christmas romances on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for our e-book readers.  I found 1,634 Christmas romances listed for the Nook and 2,678 Christmas romances for the Kindle. Granted, some of those titles probably crossed over, but still that’s a lot of Christmas books. It would take the whole month of December to sort through the lists.

So, to narrow the choices down, I went to the internet and looked up some of this season’s best selling Christmas romances on Publisher’s Weekly, USA Today Top 100, and Amazon’s and Barnes and Noble’s Top 100.  Here’s what I found, listed in no particular order.

• 1225 Christmas Tree Lane  by Debbie Macomber
• My Kind of Christmas by Robyn Carr
• A Winter Wonderland by Fern Michaels, Leslie Meier, Holly Chamberlain, Kristin McMorris
• Lawman’s Christmas by Linda Lael Miller
• Cowboy for Christmas: A Jubilee, Texas Novel by Lori Wilde
• A Christmas Bride by Susan Mallory
• Holly Love by Toni Blake
• The First Love Cookie Club by Lori Wilde
• A Family Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor
• The Christmas Sisters by Annie Jones
• A Perfect Holiday Fling by Farrah Rochon
• Christmas of the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller
• The Holiday Hoax by Jennifer Probst
• Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber
• The Christmas Cookie Chronicles by Lori Wilde
• A Christmas Bride by Mary Balogh

 

I apologize for not linking to all of these books. I think that would be overkill and might mark me as a spammer on WordPress. Also, for any inspirational and sweet romance readers who might be reading this blog, I cannot attest to the heat level of any of the above mentioned romances save Debbie Macomber, who I know writes sweet romance.  (If there were sensual scenes in Kay’s book I don’t remember them. All I remember is the clever story line which  is why I’d recommend the book.) My goal was to make a list of Christmas romances, not provide a testimony for each book I listed.

If you’ve read any of the above books and would like to leave a comment about them, please do so. It might help me make a second or third choice. For now, I think I’ll download Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber. I think her angels Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are a hoot.

Do you have a favorite Christmas romance novel?