This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Winter’s Embrace, which I have two stories in.
Christmas and the Single Gal
Even Santa knows what I want for Christmas. Yep, it’s me – a single girl living in a big city in an apartment with a cat and a job that isn’t what I went to college for. My job is fine. My apartment is small and adequate. My cat is feisty and a great companion, but maybe – just maybe – this year, Santa will bring me a man for Christmas.
It doesn’t have to be a forever man. It can be a temporary man – one to spoil me, make spiced eggnog for me, maybe give me a back massage while watching romantic comedies and laughing at all the right moments. He can come dressed in a bow… where that bow is placed is entirely up to Santa Claus.
Okay… I’m not really that man-starved, but let me tell you, spending Christmas alone every year gets tiring. I’ve had boyfriends. A couple were serious, but most were not. Everyone knows the life of a writer is a life of insanity. After all, we sit at our computers having conversations with imaginary people while trying to help navigate their lives for them. I was once told I cared more about my characters than I did a former boyfriend, but that isn’t fully true. First, my boyfriend at the time was probably the worst I’d ever had – worked all day, came by after to sit in front of the television and watch ballgames or trivia shows, and would raid my fridge and then just fall asleep on the couch. So, yeah, I wrote while he was over because he and I had almost nothing in common. Plus – hello! I had deadlines.
Other boyfriends were attentive, kind, and at least pretended to be interested in the things that make me happy. Still, I’ve never had a boyfriend at Christmas. And honestly, I am okay with this. However, you know it would still be fun to untie that Christmas bow and unwrap a sexy guy for the holiday. The day after Christmas, however, he can go right back to the boy–toy factory.
Spending Christmas alone doesn’t bother me, because – wrapped man for the holiday or not – I know there is true love out there for me, and he is just waiting on me. When we finally find each other, lonely Christmases will be no more. I sure hope, if you’re alone and single this Christmas, you eventually find your Mister Right also and have that handsome, loving, warm body to snuggle up with on these cold winter nights.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Remember to smile every day and remember to keep on laughing! Life’s too short to not laugh.
Embrace the joy of Christmas and some yuletide cheer in this collection of five sweet holiday romances from four of today’s most entertaining authors! Featuring brand new stories from Pamela Ackerson, Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe, Cindy Lewis Smith, and Jae El Foster, this anthology will help you hold the spirit of Christmas and the magic of true love in your heart the whole year round.
Meant to Be by Pamela Ackerson: Single and starting over in tiny Lorman, Mississippi, teacher Faith Anjos dives into home renovations with tools in hand and a boat from her late dad’s fishing Sundays. Realtor Gabriel White becomes her unexpected ally, sharing lunches, family barbecues, and stolen kisses under patriotic park lights. But when a sassy ex-roommate stirs trouble and life’s curveballs hit hard, Faith learns that true love thrives not just in perfect houses, but in the messy magic of Christmas cheer and forever promises.
Window Shopping by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe: Single and sentimental, Whitney dives into downtown’s dazzling displays—animatronic toys, frosted windows, violin carols—chasing Christmas cheer alone after helping coworker Chad remotely. Fate intervenes with a literal bump into charming Chad, leading to diner laughs, Santa’s lap shenanigans, and hand-holding revelations. As they embrace kid-at-heart traditions amid bustling streets and Santa’s sly matchmaking, a parade invite blossoms into dinner-and-movie dreams. Proving the season’s sparkle uncovers love when least expected.
Mr. Hollister’s Christmas by Cindy Lewis Smith: Thirty-three and resigned to spinsterhood in Goldfield, Josie channels her Georgia Christmas memories into a perfect Eve nuptial for Rose and Hank, footed by taciturn rancher Clint Hollister. Their prickly partnership blooms amid pine boughs, fiddle waltzes, and whispered regrets from a saloon-fueled mail-order mishap. When a wheel-wrecked ride home unveils Clint’s hidden role in her arrival—and his lingering loneliness—snowy revelations ignite a romance as timeless as the stars above the Llano River.
What the Snow Blew In by Jae El Foster: Snowbound in Deerborne, Connecticut, during a record-breaking blizzard, editor Carina Whitaker hunkers down with wine, her cat Tom Boy, and cherished Christmas ornaments—until a shivering mailman named Jerry delivers a package and seeks refuge from the storm. As power flickers out and drifts bury her home, candlelit evenings spark unlikely conversations, shared meals, and cozy traditions that warm more than the gas fireplace. Amid reading aloud by firelight and piano carols, holiday magic proves that what the snow blows in might just be the love she’s been waiting for.
The Magic of Mistletoe by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe: Sarah’s winter break turns into survival mode: dodging doll-throwing dollops, sweeping glass shards, and sacrificing her office sanctuary for peace between battling children. Amid cold coffee confessions and contract close-calls with hubby Thomas, festive fumbles—from runaway pillows to reluctant photos—test their bond. Yet as grilled cheeses soothe tears and starry-eyed surprises arrive post-midnight, mistletoe weaves its spell, transforming holiday havoc into heartfelt harmony and impossible dreams come true.
Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe is an author of romantic comedy and anything quirky. She resides in Tennessee, just outside of Nashville where she shares a home with her cats. Ms. O’Keeffe loves to make the world laugh and to find humor and love in the least likely of places.
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