This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed print copy of “Winter’s Embrace” signed by Jae El Foster. 

It’s Not About Santa but About Believing in Something

Everyone knows the holidays are for family, friends, feasts, and festivities, and one Christmas tradition is Santa Claus. While Jolly Ole Saint Nick is a staple for the season, popping up in malls and stores, online, and with call-in numbers to hear his voice, sometimes as kids age, his magic begins to fade.

When I was nine, I was playing hide-and-seek at home with my siblings, and I was going to hide in my parents’ closet. When I opened the closet door, I found a ton of toys meant for boys my age. I didn’t want Mom and Dad to know I’d discovered their secret stash of holiday gifts, so I closed the closet and went about the game. A few days later, Christmas came, and Santa had filled the space beneath the tree with wrapped presents for my siblings and me. When I started opening my presents from Santa, I noticed something extraordinary. They were the same presents that were in my parents’ closet.

I didn’t say anything. I understood the secret of Santa then, but I didn’t want to ruin their fun – and I still wanted extra presents at Christmastime. So, for the next few Christmases, I continued to go along with the Santa tradition, feigning excitement when we’d visit him at the mall and acting as surprised as I could through each unwrapping of every gift during Christmas.

Then, when I turned fourteen, and I was the only kid left living at home, Santa paid his last visit to us. I knew it would be the end of the tradition. Santa brought me socks, underwear, and a new backpack. Those definitely were not Santa-type presents.

The following summer, I began to work at the restaurant my dad ran. I earned money and saved it, not really needing anything because my parents provided whatever I needed. The followingChristmas came around, and Mom dropped me off at the mall to do my Christmas shopping. While there, I took the annual photo with Santa Claus, and then I shopped. I didn’t shop for gifts for myself, though. I had fallen in love with the tradition of Santa over the years, and so I shopped for presents from Santa for my parents and for myself.

I wrapped them in secret using different wrapping paper than we had at home, and on Christmas Eve, when my parents were asleep, I slipped the presents under the tree. The next morning, my parents were in shock, and I pretended to be too. They asked if I knew who brought the presents, and I told them Santa, acting ignorant. They let it go, but I didn’t let go of the tradition. Every year following, Santa left gifts under my parents’ tree, even after I had moved out of the house and gone off to live my life.

Even though my parents are no longer with us, Santa still comes, and he still leaves presents under the tree for my husband and me – a tradition I started at fifteen and have carried on for nearly thirty-five years. Surely, my husband knows it’s me placing the gifts by now, but like my parents, he never acknowledges it and lets me have the fantasy and tradition that I’ve known since childhood. I think he understands, just as my parents must have, that it isn’t about the gifts. It’s about the magic of the tradition.

It’s up to us to keep our family traditions alive, and whatever your Christmas tradition is this year, I hope it is celebrated with the magic of the holidays and the true spirit of the Christmas season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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.

When the muses speak, Jae El Foster writes, and he has been doing so for nearly twenty years, tackling some of the most intriguing genres out there. Delivering fresh, incomparable tales of horror, science fiction, and romance – sweet or spicy – he pens with seasoned skill the tales that his muses deliver to him.

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