I know it’s a bit too soon, but I have Christmas on my mind already. My newest romance, It Happened One Christmas, is being released this week and so I’ve been thinking about the most wonderful time of the year a little earlier than usual.
And because my Christmas romance is set in Victorian era England, I can’t help but long for simpler times when gifts were not the main focus of the holiday. Back in Victorian times families spent the holidays in each other’s company and gifts were small tokens. Children were content creating homemade decorations for the tree and finding a delicious orange and a shiny coin or two in their stocking. Today we are bombarded by commercials to start our gift shopping even before Halloween. The message being that only by purchasing the biggest, brightest, and most expensive presents will we be able to make our loved ones happy on Christmas morning.
Choosing the right gifts for people is a tricky business and not one I particularly enjoy. I stress about it too much. There is always the worry that they won’t like what I’ve given them… What if they hate it? Or already have it? What if they think I’m clueless for choosing this gift for them? Does the gift not show that I know them well enough? Oh, the pressure to give the perfect present!
And it’s because we love our families and friends so much that we want to please them with special gifts. Who doesn’t want to hear an exclamation of delight when your sister cries, “Oh, I love it!” upon unwrapping the framed photo of the two of you as children? Or the shout of joy when your son tears open the new Lego set he so desperately had to have?
I love to give perfect gifts but it’s very hard to do every time. I’m a planner by nature and hate doing things at the last minute, so I’ve already begun making my gift list. (But that is mostly because I have a very strong aversion to shopping in crowded stores and standing in long lines to pay for something.) Oh, I haven’t bought anything just yet, but I’ve started getting ideas for what to get for whom. There actually was one year when I had my all of my holiday gifts purchased and completely wrapped before Thanksgiving. Yes. I know. It was amazing. And a feat I have yet to accomplish again. (I still hold out hope, almost twenty years later, that one day I will have the wherewithal to be that organized once more.)
But I realized something today as I stood in a shop filled to the rafters with pretty things and wondered what my family would want. This commercialized version of Christmas that is crammed down our throats each year doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t have to live up to the idealized perfect Christmas and the giving the perfect gift… I don’t have to do this to myself every year. Although I love the spirit of Christmas: the mood, the decorations, the traditions, the scents and sounds, I don’t love the expectation of gifts.
But I could try a simpler version of Christmas this year. Instead of the emphasis being on giving presents, I could just enjoy being with the people I love and the season itself and not worry so much about the gifts.
That would be the perfect Christmas present to myself after all, wouldn’t it?
Or I could just give everyone a copy of It Happened One Christmas…
What would be the perfect Christmas for you? Comment to enter to win an autographed copy of IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS. 🙂
I love Christmas novels & novellas, I look forward to reading regardless of the contest 🙂
Honestly Bev,
I’d like to see my family. Ever since I was a child, my father traveled. Never had the time to be together on Christmas. Now I’m the one who travels, of course, I’m never near my family during Christmas. We see more of each other during Halloween. Funny huh. It’s probably why I love those scary little creatures that come to my door on Hallows Eve. Being with my family. Yelp, that would be my Christmas wish this year.
Nothing beats a Christmas themed romance novel! Two of my favorite things tied neatly together in a perfect book!
Thanks for the chance to win, It Happened One Christmas!
My perfect Christmas would be to have all my family from England and my husband’s family here, all get together for a rocking Christmas party. I’m torn every year of where to spend Christmas, last year, England won out. Just for once, I would love for both familes to be reunited.
Thank you for this opportunity of a chance to win “It Happened One Christmas”. I do love the cover, it’s very English looking.
I love reading Christmas books. The perfect Christmas for me is just spending time with my family and having a great dinner. Which is something we do every year, we do have gifts but its the time spent together that means the most to me.
I think just being with my entire family is a great Christmas for me!
Of course, I love gifts, but all I want is to spend some time with my family in Latvia (which is quite far from Italy where I live now).
My perfect Christmas is having family together at our home and sharing time, a meal and probably watching a game or playing board games. Just spending relaxed time together is gift enough!
I like the cover on your book. The holidays are coming fast.
The perfect Christmas for me is spending the day with family.
My perfect christmas would involve my husband finding a job here instead of 5 hrs away. It’s hurting our marriage, but staying home & not working was hurting it more. It can’t take the strain of both back to back like we’ve done for the past year. So my perfect christmas would also have us on the road to working things out and not the opposite.
(I’m such a downer this monday, but it would Make my christmas)
on a lighter note : I’d want a new wardrobe since I’ve lost 30lbs so far this year & plan to keep going!
After reading your message, my heart ached for you. Life can be a bummer at times. I know, I’ve been there. Unfortunately, my life went the opposite direction. Just be there for him, or make him aware that you need him to be there for you. It’s what I needed everytime I had to leave for my job that wasn’t just 5 hours away. It is love that will help you both through this bit of darkness. Take care, Blonde. God Bless!
I think Christmas is for spending time with family. There’s quite a brood of us and we all have children of our own now so we don’t get to spend very much time together generally, but we do make an effort to get together at Christmas. It’s hectic, raucous and loud but mostly it’s fun. *g*
What makes Christmas special for me is spending time with family. I love the cover to your book. 🙂
My perfect Christmas would be to have my family enjoying the holiday without any arguing over who’s house we are going to to go and what is going to be served and who is buying who gifts. It really has become so commercialized and it would be nice if we could just go back to a time period when we all sat at the table remembering happy times and the people we love who can’t be with us. Thanks for the giveaway!
Hi Kaitlin! Early congrats on your latest release. This is my favorite time of year too, especially when it come to romance books. The holiday themed ones start rolling out. 🙂
My perfect Christmas would be just spending time with family and hitting up all the holiday light displays.
A Christmas without family just wouldn’t feel right. I’m one of those annoying people who get shopping done early and I’m completely OCD about making lists, and what not, to make sure I have everything covered. I have to do it for my own sanity because I can’t handle huge crowds and traffic and all that goes with the holiday rush. Being with family is always what makes Christmas special. I would love to get in touch with all my close girlfriends for the holidays. We’ve all scattered around the country and it would be wonderful to spend some time with the friends I consider family.
The perfect Christmas for me is just being around my family and to have all members in good health. I can goof off, and simply be myself and know that they will be right there with me. We could have a feast, watch movies and just talk. I like to avoid the malls and crowded places during the holidays and stay cooped up indoors with a handful of good books.
“It Happened One Christmas” has a stunning and festive cover. I like to read holiday-themed books all year round because they tend to be heartwarming.
A perfect gift for myself would be finding all the presents I’d like to give family and friends (1) online (2) with free shipping (3) on sale and (4) all before 12/1/11. That would be miraculous and lovely!
Does anyone else think the heroine pictured on this cover strongly resembles the author?
Well, thank you, Susan! I’m flattered that you think the heroine on the cover looks like me. I’m sure it wasn’t Kensington’s intent when they designed it though.
I hope you get all your shopping done by December 1st!
… You are right! She does resemble the author, and they are both lovely!
I love the Christmas that I have…a slow morning of coffee and cookies while my family slowly opens gifts. Then a full family dinner with all of the extended relatives coming into town. 😉 Can’t wait!
Hi Kaitlin!
Such a lovely cover for IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS, so eye catching!
Yes, I was also thinking along the lines of Susan L., ~ Lisette/Kaitlin?? Maybe? 😉
I’m pretty easy to please, so my favorite Christmas present to me would be ::
1. pj’s all day!!
2. fun family day!
3. cookies, cookies & more cookies!
Best wishes on your new book & thank you for the give-away!
I love staying in my pj’s all day, Dalila! I try to do that at least one day a month. It’s good for the soul!
So glad you like the cover. I love snowfall scenes!
The perfect Christmas for me would be to be snowbound with my family. We’d play games, watch movies, read books, eat food. Of course, after awhile we’d probably get on each others’ nerves, but that’s alright. I like togetherness.
Molly
A perfect Christmas is celebrating with friends and family.
A perfect Christmas for me would be to celebrate with family and friends, both close and far. I remember as a child, it was a really big deal. Both sets of grandparents, lots of aunts and uncles, and friends would all gather at our house to celebrate. Really miss those who aren’t with us anymore.
A second great Christmas would be able to get a badly needed new car.
Some nice Christmases people are hoping for!
Mine would have my sister (and brothers too but I see them more), she lives far away and I do not get to see her often enough and not always at christmas because of work. Any of you who lives close enough to your sister to see her every now and then and do things together, you are blessed so enjoy it. =)
Oh and we would have to make cream wafer cookies!!
Congratulations on the new release!
This year, we decided not to go overboard getting gifts for our 2 kids — we did so last Christmas and we felt the kids really didn’t appreciate or understand what Christmas was about — for them, it was about, “where’s my gift?” —
We’ve decided to gift our entire family with one short family trip — I’m hoping the memories and the experience would make a better present for our children (and for me and my husband).
I would just like to have a stress free Christmas where we could just spend some family time together without worrying about making food or if they’re going to like their presents. Your book cover is pretty.
The perfect Christmas to me is spending the time with my family and friends – my sister and her family, and my friends are all in California. I moved to Florida where I have my son and his girlfriend. I’d love to have everyone together, that would be perfect to me.
I love Christmas romances, so I’m looking forward to reading It Happened One Christmas.
Hi everyone! I love hearing about all your perfect Christmas presents. There really are so many more enjoyable ways to spend Christmas besides being in a crowded store!
Thank you for all your sweet comments about the book cover. I think it’s pretty and very Christmasy, although I have to say that the art department made a big mistake. My hero has blond hair and the guy on the cover does not. It upset me when I saw it, but they said it was too late to change it. 🙁
Christmas is best when your family is with you. Great book.
The perfect Christmas for us would be to have all the family together to relax and enjoy each other. It would be great to be able to take them all to a resort in either the New England mountains or Colorado so we could enjoy the snow and not have to do the work.
We got away from going overboard with the gifts years ago. With the current economic conditions, a box of groceries or a utility bill payment means a lot and is appreciated more than something that will collect dust. We started that with my grandparents over 20 years ago.
The perfect Xmas would be to have the chance to spend time with my family. My 2 sisters live elsewhere, 1 in a different country & it’s not easy (the $$!!!) to be able to be together & just spend quality time.
Of course winning some awesome books, an IPAD, IPOD would be pretty cool too!
I would love to have all my family members to be together for Christmas. That’d be wonderful.
I’d love a white Christmas. Just once would be perfect. A roaring fire & everything that goes with it.
My perfect Christmas would be for my family to all be together. Love the cover of your new book.
Our family Christmas gatherings are more special now since I don’t live near my children (800 miles away) so when we get together at Christmas, it’s for 2-3 days! I also love holiday themed romance books and yours sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway!
A quiet Christnas with just a nice dinner.
The shopping for Christmas is only fun for me if done in a leisurely manner well before the holiday season. My perfect Christmas would be to avoid shopping centers during the holidays except to browse, to hold an all night baking session with family and friends over to play games or bake in shifts as the spirit moves us, and to indulge grazing on favorite holiday foods and sipping lovely beverages with said family and friends throughout the season.
It’s the perfect time to start reading holiday books. I am afraid I tend to stress about gifts because I too want to give everyone the perfect gifts. Gift cards are okay and necessary sometimes but I prefer they take a chance. Of course books are on the top of my list and it’s a great time to try something that maybe I wouldn’t buy for myself. But of course being around family is the best gift of all. I give a tree trimming party and I look forward to that as much as Christmas day lol.
I love Christmas stories, actually I love all holiday stories but Christmas ones are my favorite. I am fortunate every year to be able to spend Christmas Day with my whole family and that makes it the very best.
My perfect Christmas would be spent with family and my inlaws, enjoying lots of good food and good company.
Kaitlin, your new book looks really good, I love the pretty, festive cover! It’s a real stand-out!
I’d love to spend Christmas in England, just like the characters in your book!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. 🙂
I would love to take one Christmas holiday as a vacation. Just leave for the entire Christmas/New Years holiday, for a few weeks, and travel somewhere far away with my BF. I love my family (and his family), but I see them often, and I think that it would be a lovely change to visit someplace beautiful and have a special holiday vacation for just the two of us, full of delicious food, wine, beautiful holiday music and romance. 🙂
I do enjoy a nice Christmas story to get me in the mood for the holidays and, for me, I would love an ereader this Christmas.
My perfect Christmas would include spending time with my family and friends, going to mass to celebrate the birth of Christ, eating good food (and I don’t even mind cooking if someone else will clean up!,) and resting in the knowledge that my LSU Tigers would soon be playing for the football national championship.
A Christmas shared with people I love is perfection. I like getting shiny new books and pretty items to warm my home and time with. Having good food and drinks, very enjoyable. But if the distractions are gone, my heart is cold with loneliness. So yes the best thing I could “get” for Christmas is a big party with best friends. Creating wonderful memories to last a lifetime.