Making Magic: Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas

I was just talking to a friend about Christmas. When she asked if I was excited about the holidays, I grumbled a little. "The thing is, now that I'm a mom, instead of receiving magic, I have to make the magic," I said.

It's my job to pick meaningful gifts for everyone including my six year old. And I'm still like Santa's personal assistant. Like when is that man gonna come down the chimney already???

There's the decorating, baking and the race to get deals in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Don't get me wrong, I love doing nice things for my family. And seeing my kiddo light up is the highlight of the holiday, but I could do with a little less "stuff-ness" in Christmas.

And this friend I was speaking to, has hard holidays because of grief that comes around every December. I have some of that too.

But I will push aside my first world gripes and think of all the things I'm grateful for. We try to make donations during this season too. But I feel a little guilty that I have all I need and not everyone does. My New Year's resolution is to volunteer and try to help the community in new ways.

We just got a surprise from our neighbors. They left a gift on our doorstep. I was moved that despite having a brand new baby and big family and probably dealing with more chaos than I am, they thought to surprise us with a gift.

So, this holiday I wish everyone peace and good cheer. Even though a part of me is kind of dreaming of sleeping through it all and waking up on the 26th:)

P.S. Kiddo and I just finished a baking spree. If you need a hostess gift, try these awesome Split Second Jam Cookies

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

Comments

Limitless New Releases

My NA Contemporary romance Dating Maggie will be out Oct. 27th. It's about an actress who encounters a rancher; he threatens to turn her five year plan upside down. In the meantime, my publisher has put out some intriguing new releases and pre-orders over the past few weeks. If you are looking for a compelling read, check out the Limitless Publishing page and curl up with a page-turner this weekend.

My Friend Amber Roshay's Book: Reaching Prague

Amber and I met in college. Our common interests have included college theatre department rebellion, living abroad, creative urban dwelling and writing. She's one of the most talented writers I've encountered. Her writing is compelling, emotionally raw, it's simply spell-binding. She's just published her novel, Reaching Prague and will soon have her second title, How the fat girl got thin published. If you're in the market for a sweet spring read, check out the synopsis and the link to her website below: Reaching Prague is a darkly psychological tale of adultery set in contemporary Prague. Betrayed by her husband, Sarah Billings flees to Prague in an effort to cope his duplicity and to figure out the rest of her life. In Prague she meets Mikul, a handsome bar owner with mafia ties, who at first seems to be exactly what she needs. Soon they are conducting an illicit affair filled with erotic tension, painful awakenings and looming violence. Slo...

Nonfiction vs. Fiction...What to Write Next

My computer at my new writing desk. Over the past few weeks I have been typing out every book idea that pops into my head. There have been some fiction ideas, a premise for a sequel to Sarah Starting Over , some nonfiction pitches and a few log-lines for memoirs. They are currently living on a word document called "book ideas." It's been a struggle choosing just one idea to develop right now. I've recently finished a romance that I co-wrote with my writing partner Amber Roshay . That will make three romances written in just over a year. It's been a whirlwind of learning to craft love stories. And I have a lot more to learn about writing good fiction. Joanna Penn is an author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her assertion is that writing nonfiction is a palette cleanser after writing fiction, and that notion really clicked with me. I've also been inspired because I am reading a memoir, Meghan Daum's "Life Would Be Perfect if I Lived in That...

MJ Greenway

Search This Blog