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Welcome to my blog! Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and read what's on my mind. I've a vicious sense of humor, an apprecation for romance and a mad addiction to writing.

Monday, December 3, 2012

On Your Mark, Get Set, UNWRAP! Holiday Traditions with Michelle Miles.

Only twenty-two days left until Christmas! Welcome to A Writer’s Mind’s, WHAT EVERY WOMAN WANTS BENEATH HER CHRISTMAS TREE blog event. Today I’m thrilled to welcome over talented author, Michelle Miles. Sit back and enjoy your favorite festive drink while Michelle shares some holiday traditions. Be sure to answer her question in a comment for a chance to win an eCopy of her latest story, Only For A Knight.

YULETIDE NOTE: I encourage you to leave a comment for a chance to win each featured author's given prize (Include email addy). Their individual winners will be announced in a comment after their post. In addition, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter provided after each post as often as you like for a chance to win the grand prize, three $30 Amazon Gift Cards, 12+ ebooks and over six print novels. Three winners drawn and announced December 26th, 2012. Click on 'Ready to be Served?' at the top of this blog to find the itinerary.

Let’s hear from Michelle…

It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again! Christmas is here. And it seemed like we just got through with summer. It astounds me at how fast the time flies. Even more so when I look at my son and how fast he’s growing up. Wasn’t he just born, like, yesterday?

But anyway. This post is about Christmas. The day after Thanksgiving is the day my husband and I have designated as Decorate For Christmas day. We’ve started collecting the little Victorian village buildings and our new thing is to buy a new one each year.  He also likes to buy a Waterford crystal ornament every year. I think it’s these little traditions that help make the holiday so magical.

But what I love most about Christmas is getting together with my large clan. We’re a horde. I have two sisters and a brother, they’re all married, they have children and their children have children. There are nearly thirty of us and that’s just my immediate siblings, nieces and nephews.

So as you can imagine things can get kinda crazy around the holidays. It’s darn near impossible to get us all together on the same day. We usually end up having whatever the holiday is AFTER the official holiday. Like this year, Thanksgiving for us is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Then we all converge on my mom’s house because she’s the most centrally located (we’re all spread out). And we all bring a covered dish and have WAY too much food and stuff ourselves silly.

In recent years, because we’ve grown so big and most of the kids aren’t little anymore, we’ve started drawing names. The rule is anyone over the age of 18 gets their name thrown in the hat. This is great fun actually and it saves a ton of money because there is just no way everyone can buy for everyone. We’re not independently wealthy (not yet anyway).


And since we’ve grown so big and there are so many of us who have to go two and three places on the holiday, we’ll celebrate Christmas after the day and before New Year’s. You should see everyone rip into their gifts all at once. It’s a hoot. And the kids love it. You hear shouts of “I got THIS!” and oohs and aahs and it’s just great fun. I think that’s my favorite part of the holiday.

The ripping into presents has become somewhat of a family tradition. There is no waiting your turn at our house. We just go for it all at once.

Oh and there’s always a ton of food. I’m the resident cheesecake baker.

What are your family holiday traditions?

Only For a Knight by Michelle Miles
Sequel to One Knight Only.

Blush Sensuality Level: This is a sensual romance (may have explicit love scenes, but not erotic in frequency or type).

After saving her love, Princess Elyne returns to the Otherworld by order of her mother. But it’s not the homecoming she expects. Furious Elyne has meddled with humans, the queen imprisons her and strips away her magic. The only way Elyne can get it back is to perform one selfless act.

When Queen Maeve sends Derron to find the Guardian of the Sword of Light, he can’t leave without releasing Elyne. After all, she altered time to save his life. But freeing the princess comes with a steep price—he must take her with him on this dangerous quest. And the two must deal with feelings of past hurt and the love growing between them.

Their search becomes more than a pursuit for the missing Guardian as Lord Kieran rises to dominate the Unseelie court. He will stop at nothing to gain control of both the Otherworld and the human realm. Even with the help of Elves, dragons and their human friends, the odds are stacked against Derron and Elyne.

Purchase the eBook version of ONLY FOR A KNIGHT at Ellora's Cave, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Visit Michelle Miles at her Website, Facebook and Twitter.

Sky here. What a great post, Michelle! I can just envision everyone ripping into those presents. That's got to be crazy fun! Much like your Victorian village, my family started a tradition when my son was born called 'Santa Central.' Though it started in a nook in our kitchen, it's taken on a life of its own over the past seven years. Let's just say we didn't stick to adding one unique Santa each year but several. LOL. I'm afraid by the time he's an adult you'll no longer be able to find my house. It'll be covered in Santas!!! Thanks so much for joining me at A Writer's Mind this holiday season. Wishing your and yours a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Readers, don't forget to answer Michelle's question in a comment for a chance to win an eCopy of her latest release, Only For A Knight. Her question was... "What are your family holiday traditions?"

After that be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win even more!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c587a91/

 

2 comments:

Cathy McElhaney said...

Sounds like a ton of fun and the Christmas' we used to have before we moved 1200 miles from our families!
I started a tradition with my kids that my oldest and his wife are continuing. The kids get 3 gifts because that is what baby Jesus got. It keeps the holiday from getting to materialistic. My grand kids get 3 gifts from mommy & daddy and 1 from Santa. I was buying 3 gifts, too until this year, when I decided that the kids have too many toys already! I bought them each 1 expensive thing...the boys are getting Kindle Fire's and the girls are getting age appropriate tablets.
I am glad my kids are keeping the tradition of 3 gifts!

Sky Purington said...

Oh, I love the idea of not letting things get too materialistic, Cathy. In today's society, it's too easy to go that route. Thanks so much for sharing! :-)