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Takeout for the Buchanans

Enjoying a meal of Chinese food on Christmas Eve is a tradition hardly unique to the Buchanans. Jewish families in New York City have long seen the wisdom in a December 24th feast of General Tso’s chicken, beef with broccoli, and egg rolls with duck sauce. So it may seem strange that a crew of small-town North Carolina Methodists would dial for take-out as we awaited Santa’s arrival. But we do.

It started my freshman year of college. My parents had recently moved to Asheville, and between their new jobs, unfamiliar house, and empty nester status, they were a bit overwhelmed. I was home for Winter Break and that Christmas Eve, my Dad suggested, “Why don’t we just go out for Chinese?”

I was all for it, and to my surprise, so was Mom. She grew up in a house that valued home-cooked Southern dishes at the holidays, and plus, her frugality is the stuff of legend. Why eat out when you can make a meal at home for less money?

But she agreed to an outing at the Dragon Palace this Christmas Eve. The three of us had such a nice time that we went back the following year. And the year after, etc.

Over time, the center of our celebrations shifted to my home in Greensboro. My son—their only grandchild—proved a sufficient draw to bring them down Interstate 40 for the holidays. In lieu of going out on Christmas Eve, we found a tasty Chinese take-out spot. My wife, realizing how important this tradition was to me and being a fan of hot and spicy beef herself, gladly joined in the celebration. Each year, Dad and I would drive to secure those white-and-red cardboard cartons, whose aromas tempted us on the short return trip.

A photo from Christmas Eve 2019 is stored on my phone. Parkinson’s had ravaged Dad’s mobility and taken a fair amount of his cognitive abilities. But his love for his then-thirteen-year-old grandson shines through in that picture, moments before we dig into our annual Chinese food feast.

This December 24, my son will be home from college, and Mom will be visiting for the holidays. We’ll order out from our familiar spot, the Golden China in Greensboro. The four of us will enjoy good food and even better memories. It’ll be a fine Christmas Eve. But at some point, my eyes and mind will flicker to the empty seat and the wonderful father who started this family tradition.

Bok Omat thought his place in the Kingdom of Imarina was settled. The 19-year-old served as his rural community’s healer and helped in his family’s blacksmith’s shop. It was an unremarkable life in Imarina’s peasant class, but as long as his parents, sister, and young nephew were safe, a fine one under the protection of the Inishari royal family.

But when an ancient spell threatens Bok’s family and the safety of the entire kingdom, he answers an unlikely summons from Princess Isabella to join her in protecting all they cherish. Despite their vastly different pasts, Bok and Isabella become close friends as they race to counter this deadly incantation and the mysterious mastermind behind it.

Bok learns secrets that force him to reconsider all he has ever known about the world and his place in it. But will this knowledge come at the price of his life, Imarina’s freedom, or even his burgeoning friendship with Isabella?

Bruce Buchanan is the author of the new adult fantasy novel, THE BLACKSMITH’S BOY (2025, Wild Ink Publishing). His next two novels, both set for 2026, are signed with Wild Ink as well. He also is the author of a non-fiction book that recently was acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing. Beyond the keyboard, Bruce lives in Greensboro, N.C., with his wife, Amy Joyner Buchanan (the author of five published non-fiction books) and their college student son, Jackson

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