Winter Blogfest: Christy Nicholas

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free ebook of my timeslip romance, Past Storm and Fire. 

December Celebrations

Ah, December. The ringing of jingle bells until you want to smash the little buggers whenever they appear, the mad dash for holiday gifts, the dreaded anticipation of hordes of relatives appearing at your doorstep.

And yet, it is a time of serene beauty and joy. It is a time of solitude and dark nights, a time to contemplate the love in your life, and all your blessings. One of my favorite things to do on snowy evenings is to sip a cup of coffee while the weather covers the outside world in a blanket of white splendor, at least in the northern hemisphere. To sit and read a new book during this time is part of the season’s enchantment.

How can we keep from singing?

Nights are made bright with blankets of pristine snow sparkling in the sublime moonlight. Days are made sweet with the ringing of children’s laughter in the snow. And the food… oh, so much food! Candies, cakes, roasts, and eggnog. 

Last year, my husband, who loves anything to do with the Norse and Viking warriors, got a cookbook based on traditional Norse recipes for Yule. He roasted wild boar for our Yule meal, with rosemary and a cherry glaze. He added several root vegetables, such as turnips, rutabaga, carrots, and beets. Now, I’m never a big fan of beets, but these were lovely in a mix with the roast boar juice. 

No matter what your beliefs, no matter what your religion, December is a month of peace and joy. So, Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Joyful Yule, and Happy Kwanzaa. Enjoy those things in life that you hold dear, now and throughout the year. 

Normally, I would implore you to hold them tight and fierce, for tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities and possibilities. However, this year, we must be content with electronic greetings and long-distance hugs. However, while we deal with the strictures of this chaotic time, we can hold in our heart the hope of a more intimate season next year. Be of good cheer!

Why do I say ‘happy holidays’ rather than ‘Merry Christmas?’ Not because I hate Christmas or Christians, or want a war on any of them. I say ‘happy holidays’ because there are many different holidays in this time, holy days observed by many different religions. Here are just a few of them!

Some December festivals:

  • Advent (Nov 29th-Dec 24th)
  • Boxing Day (Dec 26th)
  • Chanukkah (Jewish Festival of Lights)
  • Christmas (Dec 25th)
  • Hogmanay (Dec 31st)
  • Hogswatch (From Discworld – fictional)
  • Jolabokaflod (Dec 24th Icelandic tradition of gifting books and reading them all night)
  • Krampusnacht (Dec 5th)
  • Kwanzaa (Pan-African Festival)
  • New Year’s Eve (Dec 31st)
  • Saturnalia (the Roman Winter Solstice)
  • St. Lucia’s Day (Dec 13th)
  • Yule (Pagan winter festival/Solstice)

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So, brew yourself a warm cup of cheer, grab a brand-new book, and sit by that magical window to read on a cold midwinter night as the world’s liminal enchantment commences.

A transatlantic journey, a quest for lost family, and a magical brooch.

Wealthy Valentia has the perfect life—except for the nightmares that plague her, foretelling disaster if she doesn’t find the brooch her grandmother lost decades ago in Ireland. The night her family’s hotel burns to the ground, Valentia knows she can no longer wait. Risking a perilous Atlantic voyage, she heads to Ireland to discover her heritage.

But the journey exacts a terrible toll, and her health deteriorates. Struggling to navigate a new country, cope with the desperate poverty, and untangle a complicated web of family secrets, Valentia fears she’ll never find the brooch in time to save her sanity—until she discovers a clue which sends her on a desperate trek across the Irish countryside, despite the dangers.

As the clock ticks down, her grasp on sanity slips through her fingers, forcing her to fight for a centuries-old legacy or lose everything.

Celtic Fairies, Fables, and Folklore! Bestselling author (top #100 Amazon)

Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with ‘A’, and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Compulsion, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels.

Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she’s a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were.

She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth, writing magical realism stories in both historical fantasy and time travel flavors.

Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. She does local art and craft shows, as well as sending her art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad.

 

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Comments

  1. Christy Nicholas says

    Thank you for hosting!

  2. That roasted wild boar sounds amazing. I hope you both had a lovely Yule.

  3. I am going to look for that Norse cookbook. It sounds wonderful. Thank you for such a sensory post – it was very comforting to read.

  4. lots of festivals

  5. Wow- a whole boar! And all those veggies! I’ve never eaten turnips, rutabagas before. Parsnips is the only exotic root vegetable I’ve tried. That meal sounds like waaaay too much work – and a labor of love. I think it’s awesome that your hubby did all that for your holiday meal.

    I’ve often though about saying Happy Holidays because of that very reason, so many during the same short time. But when it’s THE day. it’s easily “Merry Christmas.” I hope your time of holiday celebrations was happy and fun, even though it’s probably totally different this year. Let’s hope 2021 is filled with in-person joys.

  6. Loved the Viking celebration. I’m thinking a British Christmas for next year… complete with crackers. I’m already looking for ideas! Nothing like getting a head start on things, right?

  7. Marilyn Ott says

    I haven’t read any of the books yet but I am looking forward to reading the whole series.

  8. I love all the options you shared for celebrating. I say Merry Christmas, because it’s what I celebrate, but don’t care what anyone else wishes me… never did understand the drama about it…

  9. Christy Nicholas says

    We have a winner!

    Judith: You are the winner of an ebook for Past Storm and Fire! Let me know where you would like me to send it!

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