It should surprise no one by now that when it comes to Christmas, I love tradition. From the foods we make to the movies we watch, even the way we trim the tree, the things I've always liked to do have become the things my family has grown to do, and I know these traditions will last for generations. It's a beautiful thing.
I've always embraced these continuing traditions, even when I was a kid. I loved putting out the same decorations, or trimming the tree the way we always did. One of my favorite decorations happened to be a lanky Santa Claus who made appearances around my house throughout my childhood.
You can't tell to look at him, but he had a chiming bell in his torso, so he was a lot of fun to play with as a kid. And as you can see, he watched over us all from his faithful perch on my mom's old treasured china cabinet, just to make sure we Santa properly in his place.
I couldn't even tell you what happened to him, although I suspect a garage sale was to blame. I hope he brought lots of joy to his new family. Meanwhile, I do my part to add to my collection every year, buying ornaments that symbolize the important events of the year. Last year, I added Olaf to the tree thanks to an epic birthday trip to Disneyland with my entire family.
This year's ornament is inspired by a pretty epic story I'm in the midst of creating. All I can say is ... "stay tuned."
*Funfact: That Opus in the background is another one of my treasured decorations, one that I've had since the 1990s when my bestie gave me one to match the one on his tree. See? Tradition.
Another take on The Twelve Days of Christmas... one sure to be a big hit with those who are already tired of the holiday season...
Another holiday tradition that is brand new to my life, courtesy of my darling hubby Steven and, of course, the BBC: Doctor Who. Surprisingly, though I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, I'm fairly in love with this show, despite the way they systematically try to destroy Christmas. Sometimes this is done by introducing creepy aliens that take all our favorite symbols of Christmas and turn them into scary little nasties to terrify us. (Did you know that you could be attacked by a Christmas tree or a snow man? Me either.) Other times we get our hearts ripped out when we lose those we've come to love. For those who don't know, Doctor Who is based on a time-traveling alien named The Doctor, who is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. This alien doesn't carry a gun, has two hearts, and can "regenerate" into a completely new person at least a dozen times. Thanks to the sadistic storyteller Steven Moffat, we've actually lost two beloved Doctors ON Christmas specials.
Despite this, I can no longer imagine Christmas without Doctor Who, and neither can Jeff, who became a Whovian like I did thanks to Steven.
There have been 10 previous Christmas specials, so I decided to add those to the Whoovie list to lead us all the way up to this year's Christmas special.
If you want to watch along, we'll be watching "The Christmas Invasion," David Tennant's first full episode as The Doctor, tonight after 10pm my time. Keep an eye on my Twitter for details!
Part of the #BakeItForward challenge involves tagging other people so they can participate. Fortunately, I happen to live with a Christmas-loving elf who loves to cook.
My son's girlfriend Brittany provides today's treat: M&M Christmas Cookies!
You can find the recipe over on my Twelve Days of Christmas Pinterest board.
And finally, your free ebook download, available all day today, December 15th, MY IMMORTAL. I've talked a good deal about this paranormal romance in the past. This Gothic tale of blood, lust and destiny started me on my journey to become an optioned screenwriter, particularly my lead character, Adele. The story itself can be read as a standalone, with room to expand the story later. I mix horror and romance with this one, y'all, so all the normal warnings regarding my content apply.
If you need a warning to read it... you probably shouldn't. But if you want to, it's free for you today!
A big, big thanks to Hal Sparks, who generously granted permission to use of "Indian Summer," one of my favorite songs from his band, Zero 1, for the trailer. Honestly I could have used at least three or four from their debut album to tell this tale, the album is that atmospheric. If you liked the song, go give him a follow at @HalSparks on Twitter and let him know! (I personally think it's one of the sexiest songs that he has done, but judge for yourself. ;) )
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