Come Home for Christmas ~ Advent with Janyre Tromp

Erica here. I am SO very excited to have my friend, fellow author, and editor as a guest on Seekerville today! Janyre Tromp is a multi-talented lady, writing historical fiction, AND acquiring fiction and non-fiction for Kregel Publications.

You're in for a treat today!

Hi there, Seekerville. It’s an honor to join you all for Christmas memories! Despite the frigid temperatures here in Michigan, December has always been one of my favorite times of the year.

I’m fairly certain loving Christmas is in my DNA. It’s a fact proven by how much my kids love Christmas. Every year we host cookie decorating parties, wear matching Christmas pajamas (even my teen!), sled the hill on the side of our house, drink gallons of hot chocolate, and laugh at all the wonderful (and terrible) Christmas movies.

When my daughter was a blonde-haired, two-year-old cherub (who hit the terrible at three), her favorite December activity was to touch the “magic” snowflake and turn on the Christmas tree. Every morning she’d wake up, toddle down the steps, and light the world with wonder. And every night she’d touch the snowflake and “tuck” the tree in before she’d snuggle into her own bed. It was as adorable as it sounds.

That Christmas Eve, my husband and I pulled out all the presents I’d wrapped, and we stacked them carefully around the tree. It would be the first Christmas our daughter would remember. I think we were as excited for Christmas as any kid on the street. We were sure our girl would love the presents sparkling under the lights.

The next morning, I was around the corner from the tree, making traditional Christmas donuts when I heard my girl toddle down the steps.

I couldn’t wait to see her face light up when she saw the presents, so I turned, fingers dripping in icing.

Instead of excitement, my girl burst into tears, wailing, “All those things are in my way!”

I couldn’t help laughing, and my husband said, “That’ll be the last time she ever says that.”

He was right of course, but one fact from that day stands out for me:

All the presents were in the way of her Christmas.

And boy does that ever hit home . . . this year especially. A few months ago, my hubby started his own consulting company, and I have to admit that, while it’s nice to have him home more, the Christmas budget has me nervous. I have a list and I’m checking it twice. And it doesn’t matter who’s naughty or nice, there’s just not the same amount to go around.

 

And I’m struggling with that. Part of the Christmastime fun is finding the perfect present and seeing the laughter and joy it brings. But Christmas isn’t about me giving gifts. It’s about the one true gift. The gift of a holy God stretching down to us and extending his forgiveness and inviting us into his family. And somehow all the sparkly holiday things tend to get in the way of the real Christmas.

I’m not sure how we’ll celebrate Christmas this year. Things are still a little up in the air. But I’ve already pulled out the nativity scene my mom painted on a simple rock and it’s sitting on my mantle as a reminder of the one real gift of Christmas.

I think we’ll keep the cookie decorating and game playing and I’ll still make the traditional Christmas morning donuts, but maybe there will be a little less of everything else. And who knows? Maybe without all the presents we’ll find the best Christmas we’ve ever had.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” ~2 Corinthians 9:15

And since I’m thinking about the real meaning of Christmas, I might need some new traditions that help keep my family focused. What are some of the things you do every year that help you remember what Christmas is all about?

Janyre Tromp is a traditionally published author/photographer and book editor who has worked in the book industry for more than twenty years. She writes about the beauty of people and the world—past and present—even when it isn’t pretty. You can sign up for her quarterly newsletter here for updates, freebies, tips and more; or join her writing and editing discussions on Twitter and Facebook.



And just for reading this far, you can pop over here and download an original Christmas coloring page designed and drawn by Janyre herself.

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Advent Day 21 - When Christmas Takes A Snow Day

When Christmas Takes a Snow Day - by Carrie Schmidt

Happy Saturday before Christmas, dear Seekerville! 

I hope you're enjoying our Coming Home For Christmas advent posts this month. I've loved the memories, the recipes, the photos, the traditions, and just seeing a bit more into the hearts of such cherished friends.

Grab a mug of hot chocolate or a Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks (the only thing I get there since I don't like coffee or tea... i know, i know) and settle in for a harrowing tale of Christmas past. 

My brother & I, probably Christmas 1984
(no idea what i'm doing lol)

When I was growing up, we lived in Northern Illinois (almost in Wisconsin) and my paternal grandparents lived in East Tennessee (in a secret city... but that's for another post). Christmas 1983 had us packing up the car one evening after my dad got home from work & hitting the interstate for a much-anticipated holiday at Mamaw & Papaw's house! What we didn't anticipate was being caught in a history-making weather event instead. The amateur weather buffs & people with great memories may remember exactly what I'm talking about in Christmas 1983, but for the rest of us....

We intended to drive to a hotel in Indiana for the night and tackle the rest of the 14 hour trip the next day. However, when my dad opened the hotel room door the next morning, instead of gazing out on the parking lot where we'd innocently left our car the night before, he was met with a wall of snow. Car? What car? No idea where it is. No idea where the parking lot is. Everything was buried in snow upon snow upon snow. Interstates were closed north and south. No snow plows were coming through. There would be no rescue.

What was only meant to be an overnight hotel stay became several days long. Wind chill was 100 below zero. Yes, you read that right. In fact, that Christmas has the auspicious title of coldest Christmas in North America - a title it still holds to this day. Of course we ran out of food fairly quickly. My dad would battle the treacherous elements to walk across the road and grab burgers from the truck stop, wrap them in motel room towels and my book bag (because of course I had one, even at age six lol), zip them up in his coat, and cross the road again ... only for them to already be stone cold. 

My 18-month-old brother was on meds for an ear infection and spiked a fever of 103 at some point during our stay. I read all my books. So what else is there to do? Well you act out the Christmas story from Luke 2, of course. Over and over and over again. I was in my element (always a bit of the dramatic in me, i'm sure this is shocking to all of you LOL) but needless to say my baby brother did NOT want to be swaddled over and over and over again. And my mom was trying to keep his fever down so swaddling him wasn't really the best choice. But he was the only baby Jesus we had, so I swaddled. My poor parents. 

As I think back now on this particular Christmas, with the eyes and the cognition of an adult, I realize how scary it must have been for my mom and dad. In their early 30s with two small children, no certain supply of food, no way for an ambulance to reach us if my brother had gotten sicker, separated from deathly frigid temperatures only by a thin-walled motel room and its please-keep-working heater unit. No way to really celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense that children consider Christmas - all our presents were in Tennessee. Running out of money (a several day hotel stay was not in the budget). I know they trusted God, that is one of the greatest legacies they've given me. But in their humanity, how could they not have been even just a little bit afraid?

One of my favorite Nativity sets

Yet, in the next thought, my heart unpacks a whispered reminder of that "first Christmas" that I reenacted so many times that stranded week. Mary and Joseph were even younger than my parents, most likely. Stranded away from home. IN LABOR IN A STABLE. So many unknowns. Strange visitors. A baby who may not have wanted to be swaddled any more than my brother did. I don't know what they had planned for when they got to Bethlehem, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't any of that. It's clear Mary & Joseph trusted God too, but how could they also not have been even just a little bit afraid?

Into all of the uncertainty that accompanied that pivotal night in history, into all of the uncertainty that accompanied that long ago Christmas for my own family, into all of the uncertainty that may accompany you this Christmas, the angel's message to the shepherds still resonates... 

“Don’t be afraid!” he said.
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
And you will recognize him by this sign:
You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

God. Come to earth. Meeting us where we are. It's easy to gloss over it in the familiarity of the story. And sometimes it takes an unexpected change of plans to remind us of its profound impact. Emmanuel. God with us. God with you. 

One of my favorite Christmas songs from recent years is "Christmas Changes Everything" by Josh Wilson. These lyrics (below) in particular hit my soul every time. 

 Hallelujah, love has found us

Hope in a manger our Savior is setting us free
This is rescue, Christ has come to make us new
Oh, Christmas changes everything

The snow changed all of our plans that Christmas of 1983. We ran out of money & days off work for my dad and had to go back home as soon as the roads were clear (and we could find our car). But all of that was so minor. Many people lost their lives from the extreme cold and snow that Christmas, but we had shelter, safety, warmth and each other.

What really mattered had already been eternally altered when the birth of a Baby defeated death forever.

Do you need rescue this Christmas? In your heart, in your family, in your health or your bank account? You may feel stranded even in a room full of people who love you. May I leave you with the tender reminder today of that Hope in a manger, of our Savior who is setting us free?

This is rescue. Christ has come to make us new.

And, my Seekerville friends, that changes everything! 

_________________________________

Today, I'm giving away one of my favorite Christmas re-reads. AND it includes an adorable scene with kids reenacting the Christmas story that will leave you laughing and teary-eyed. For a chance to win An Endless Christmas by Cynthia Ruchti tell me about any memorable Christmas trips you've taken. (Or anything else you'd like to share - I just like chatting!)

_________________________________

Carrie Schmidt is an avid reader, book reviewer, story addict, KissingBooks fan, book boyfriend collector, and cool aunt. She also loves Jesus and THE Story a whole lot. Co-founder of the Christian Fiction Readers' Retreat and JustRead Publicity Tours, Carrie lives in Kentucky with her husband Eric. 

She can be found lurking at various blogs and websites (because she can't stop talking about books) but her main home is the blog she started in 2015 - ReadingIsMySuperPower.org.

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Advent Day 20 - One Memorable Christmas (and what it taught me)

Hi, Winnie Griggs here. Today I want to tell you about one very memorable Christmas.

I've lived well over half a century (wow, just writing that is surreal) and I have spent every single one of those Christmases (if not the day itself then the day chosen for our family Christmas gathering) with my mother and extended family, every one, that is, with one very memorable exception – Christmas 1985. 

The summer of 1985 I discovered my then current pregnancy involved twins. To say my hubby and I were caught by surprise is an understatement. At the time we had a daughter who was almost four and a son who was almost two. But we were also excited – twin blessings!

However, my doctor prescribed complete bedrest for my last six months. So by mid- August I was on medical leave from work and stuck in bed and only allowed up for absolute necessities – not easy to pull off when you have two little ones under age 4!  But my husband was a real trooper and really stepped up to handle the childcare challenges. I figured I’d make the best of it by taking it easy and catching up on my reading. But those next six months proved to be a true testing for me.

Almost immediately after the start of my "confinement" my mom was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The out-of-the-blue diagnosis threw the whole family for a loop. Since I lived over three hundred miles away from her there was no way I could slip away for a quick visit. Fortunately my Dad was still alive at the time and my other four siblings all lived close by so she had lots of support. Still, it was difficult to not be with her and only get second hand reports.

Then there was a second shattering event – in early December my grandmother passed away. Again, I couldn’t be there for the funeral or to grieve with the rest of my family, and had to do it from afar.

When Christmas Day rolled around, I thought I’d prepared myself – after all I’d known from the outset I wouldn’t be able to go down to spend it with my folks and siblings. But it hit me unexpectedly hard. I did my best to hide it, for the kids’ sake if nothing else. I escaped my bed for a few hours that day when we went to visit my husband’s mother who lived nearby – all-in-all a nice quiet Christmas day with many sweet moments to cherish. Lovely and enjoyable but not the crowded, boisterous, extended family gathering I was used to.

The rest of my period of bedrest was uneventful and on January 12^th we welcomed two beautiful baby girls into the family. And my mother's health issues had a very happy and healthy outcome as well.

Later, looking back on that period, I realized that God was honing me, teaching me patience and reliance on Him, helping me to see that He is enough and is with me even when I can’t be with loved ones through life's trials and festivities. And that the season is not about family and celebration, though there is nothing wrong with family celebrations,  but it is about His birth, His grace and His love and those must have priority.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

Psalm 73:26 

And this year we will again be spending time with my large, exuberant family. There will be about 33 of us gathered at my mom's with lots of food, stories and joy at being together. But I hope I never lose sight of the lesson that was driven home to me that long ago year by a loving God.

This year I wish you peace and blessings however you spend your Christmas.

And as a special Christmas gift to you, I’d like to offer  to three of our commenters a copy of any book of their choice from my backlist. (You can find the complete list on my website at www.winniegriggs.com/books.php) 

Just leave a comment about what your favorite part of the Christmas festivities are.

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Those less-than-perfect Christmases with Seeker Myra Johnson

by Myra Johnson

Greetings, Seekerville! I’m so grateful to Missy for inviting me to join you again this Advent season to share Christmas memories.

I couldn’t decide on a single memory, partly because the Christmases that most readily come to mind aren’t necessarily the happiest. But perhaps those are the times that eventually mean the most because of the lessons they teach us about ourselves, our faith, and our God.

Like the first Christmas when neither of our daughters could be with us. One was married and spending the holiday with her husband’s family. The other, in college a few hundred miles away, chose to stay on campus and have Christmas with her best friend’s family. I was deeply immersed in self-pity that year, which I’m sure made the holiday a little less pleasant for everyone around me. 

Since then, we’ve had more than a few occasions when distance combined with other circumstances prevented us from spending the holidays with our children and grandchildren—and it’ll be that way again this Christmas. Lonely holidays are one very big reason we made the decision this past year to move back to Texas, where we now have siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews nearby. Reconnecting with our extended family has been an ongoing blessing of support, companionship, and just plain fun!

God sets the lonely in families… (Psalm 68:6, NIV)

Another Christmas still strong in my memory happened two years ago, when we came home from the Christmas Eve candlelight service to discover our sweet elderly Shadow-dog in heart failure. We hurried him to the emergency veterinary hospital, then waited and prayed until early into Christmas morning. The doctor finally told us to go home and check back in several hours. Later on Christmas Day, we brought Shadow home, and though he was very weak, with medication and lots of TLC, he slowly improved over the next two weeks—until a sudden devastating setback sent us rushing to the vet clinic. We knew it was time to let him go, but I cherish our memories of this special rescue dog and thank God for the blessing of having him (and all the pets we’ve loved) in our lives.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4, NIV)

Though the Christmas of 2017 brought heartbreak, it also came with a symbol of hope. For several years I had been asking my husband if we could plant a redbud tree in the backyard. That Christmas, he surprised me with one. The blooms were sparse the following spring as the tree took root, and before I could see this year’s blossoms, we made our cross-country move from North Carolina to Texas. I missed my little tree, so earlier this month, we brought home another little redbud and planted it in our new backyard. As I anticipate those lovely magenta blooms, I’m reminded of the hope that only faith in Christ can offer: Reconciliation. Renewal. Rebirth. (I like those “3 Rs”!) 

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior… (Titus 3:4–7, NIV)

Have you faced a difficult Christmas season that brought unexpected blessings and helped you grow in faith? Tell me about it in the comments. And no matter what your holidays bring this year, may you dwell in Christ’s eternal promise:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18–19, NIV)

Today I’m giving away this beautiful Tree of Life cross (U.S. shipping address only), as well as a copy of my latest Love Inspired release, Their Christmas Prayer (ebook or print edition as available). To be entered in either or both drawings, mention your interest in the comments.

Have a blessed Christmas, my Seekerville friends!

* * *

Native Texan Myra Johnson writes emotionally gripping stories about love, life, and faith. Myra is a three-time Maggie Awards finalist, two-time finalist for the prestigious ACFW Carol Awards, winner of Christian Retailing’s Best for historical fiction, and winner in the Inspirational category of the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. After living five years in Oklahoma, then eight years in the beautiful Carolinas, Myra and her husband are thrilled to be back in the Lone Star State enjoying wildflowers, Tex-Mex, and real Texas barbecue! The Johnsons share their home with two very pampered rescue dogs who don’t always understand the meaning of “Mom’s trying to write.” They’ve also inherited the cute little cat (complete with attitude) their daughter and family had to leave behind when they moved overseas.

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Advent Day 17 - A Christmas Eve to Remember with Guest Laurel Blount

by Laurel Blount

Oh, what fun to be visiting Seekerville at Christmastime! Happy sigh. The very best part of the Christmas season is the time I get to spend with my favorite people!

I just love this time of year. I have to say, though, the day I love best is actually Christmas Eve. There’s something special about the last day before Christmas. All the work and preparations are done, the family has gathered close, and yet there’s still the hushed sense of sweet anticipation hanging in the air. For many years now, we’ve finished this beautiful day by attending a candlight service.

The Blount Family Christmas tree 2019

When I was growing up, my family attended a very small, very sweet church in rural Georgia. Our minister traveled from a long distance to preach each Sunday, and it just wasn’t feasible for him to do a Christmas Eve service. I had never attended one.

A few years after I married, though, I experienced my very first Christmas Eve service. The gray stone church my husband and I went to that night reminded me of an Old-World cathedral. It was draped with green garlands for Christmas, and it was breathtakingly lovely. I thought the solemn candlight service held inside its echoing walls was the most beautiful and meaningful thing I had ever experienced, and attending the annual event became a Christmas Eve tradition.

I invited my parents the following year, and they loved it, too. As our children were born, they attended along with us. Every year, the service was moving and special—but I’ll always remember one year that had a little extra dash of magic.

We were savoring the final moments of the service. The sanctuary went completely dark, symbolizing the bleakness of the world before Christ’s arrival. The minister lit his candle from the Christ candle on the advent wreath and, with only his face illuminated by the flickering light, began reciting the famous passages from Luke. We were sitting in the pews, our own stubby white candles waiting to be lit, gearing up to sing Silent Night, as we’d done every year. I was anticipating the magical moment when each of us would be holding a little pinprick of light—but I admit, I was also privately wondering how I’d keep my eager children from setting each other or the sanctuary itself on fire.

Then my little son whispered, “Look, Mama!”

I glanced up—slowly, the giant, incredibly lovely stained-glass window at the front of the church began to glow with light. It started dim, then increased in brightness with every word the pastor read. By the time he’d finished the passage, the round, jewel-toned window was shining brilliantly against the darkness of the sanctuary. The whole congregation stared, slack-jawed until the minister, unaware of what had happened behind him, finally caught on and turned around. I’ll never forget the look on his face!

It turned out that the spotlight out on the front lawn had simply powered on as it did every night at a particular time, illuminating the front of the building. It wasn’t intentional, but the timing that night was absolutely impeccable. It was as if God had reached down and switched on the light Himself, just at the perfect moment.

We can no longer attend that stately old church, but I’ll always treasure the many beautiful Christmas memories we made there. So, for today’s “Georgia Christmas Memory” giveaway I’m offering a Georgia necklace, a “Merry Christmas” candle, an ornament featuring a sweet church, and a copy of my brand-new Love Inspired romance A Rancher to Trust—perfect to read beside a twinkling Christmas tree!

May all your Christmases be blessed, sweet friends—and sprinkled with moments of unexpected, amazing beauty!

Inspirational romance author Laurel Blount has been awarded the Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie award and has been a finalist for the Carol award, the Holt Medallion and the New England Reader’s Choice Award. Stay in touch by subscribing to her monthly newsletter, full of news, down-home recipes and fun giveaways!

Advent Day 16: Christmas Traditions That Tie Your Past to Your Present

by Jan Drexler

I've thought a lot about this post...exactly what does "Coming Home for Christmas" mean?

Jonas Weaver, the hero in my book "Sound of Distant Thunder," comes home in the third book in the series that is scheduled to be released by Revell in the fall of 2020. He has been in the army during the Civil War, and he longed for his home during the three long years he was gone. This is what he tells his friend, Aaron Zook:

“Family is important.” Jonas leaned back in the wagon seat. “Even when I was out East with the army, I knew my parents and the rest of my family were keeping me in their prayers. And home...”

His voice faded. He swallowed and then continued.

“Coming home wasn't to see the buildings and the farm, but to see the people. Katie, of course, but also my parents, my brother and sisters, the church family. That's what makes a home.”

Jonas' words remind me that even though I've lived in a lot of houses, the people and memories they contain are what makes them "home."

Traditions carried through the years become memories that speak of home.

The Christmas Tree is one of those traditions that we never neglect. From my first home in Ohio,

around 1960 in Ohio

to Michigan and beyond. Every year's tree is different (I've always had a real tree!), but the tradition is the same.

around 1963 in Michigan

Even though the family grows and changes...

1997 in Indiana

...the tradition of the tree ties the years and memories together. We have ornaments from both sides of the family. This one has been part of my husband's Christmas tree since before he was born...

And this one came from my family, always having a place of honor in every year's tree.

Every ornament tells a story and connects us to Christmases past.

The hunt for the Christmas tree is an annual event that has also changed over the years. I remember hunting for the 1963 tree in my great-uncle's farm field in Vicksburg, Michigan. I also remember going to Christmas tree lots like the one in Charlie Brown's Christmas - searchlights scanning the sky overhead made the familiar parking lots into Winter Wonderlands.

For the past several years, our Christmas tree hunting expeditions have taken us deep into the Black Hills National Forest, where we never fail to find the best Christmas tree ever.

Is there a tradition in your family that ties your Christmases past and present together? Tell us about it in the comments!

And as a special Christmas surprise, one commenter will win a copy of The Sound of Distant Thunder, the first book in The Amish of Weaver's Creek series. This is the book where we meet Jonas as he leaves his home - not knowing if he will ever see it again. (Paperback US only. Kindle versions everywhere else.)

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com








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Come Home for Christmas ~ With Rachel McMillan

Erica here. I'm thrilled to host my friend and fellow author Rachel McMillan here on the blog today. You're going to love her, (and if you haven't read her stories, you're going to love those, too!)

Christmas in my Creative Home ~ Rachel McMillan

Christmas is by far my favourite time of year. My dad always told us that the season truly starts for most around the time Americans celebrate their Thanksgiving, but I always started playing Christmas music (my favourite part of the holiday) the day after Remembrance Day. I come from a small town in Ontario where snow is in abundance and the gorgeous redbrick Victorian houses near the lake frost their shutters and rooftops with glorious Christmas lights. Where the homey, old-fashioned coffee shop with its paisley table cloths is shadowed by a ginormous Christmas tree and the smell of constantly baking goodies seeps through from the kitchen to meet my nose as I sit with my notebook. The nostalgic Christmas lover in me still loves to listen to the same Christmas CDs and still loves to visit my hometown to escape the bustle of Toronto’s also magical urban Christmas lights. But as I have grown older, Christmas has started to look a little bit different. 

As a single woman, I have married my love of Christmas with my love for travel. While I still ensure I spend time with my family in my hometown, the past few years have found me carving out some Christmas-time research travel time in Prague, London, and the city of my heart: Vienna.

My love for Vienna is borne of a Christmas tradition I have kept since I was a girl. While some cuddle up with their families to read The Night before Christmas and others try British enunciation through the staves of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and others choose the holidays as a time to crack the spine on Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, I have read Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene every Christmas since I was 10 years old. I won’t give you the exact math but that is over 25 times. It’s a tradition I keep for myself. Yes, while curled up on my parents’ couch on a visit home to my small hometown. Sometimes even in Vienna as I research my own Vienna-set contemporary romances and an upcoming historical novel. While not technically a Christmas book, two of the major sequences of the novel—especially of the hero and heroine’s romance ---are set at Christmastime in Vienna. While most kids dreamed of Prince Edward Island, a step through a wardrobe or a trip to the Shire, from that first reading and through subsequent Christmases afterward, I knew that there was only one dream city for me. While my first time there wasn’t at Christmas, there is something amazing about returning to it while the dozen Christkindl Markets including those at Stephansplatz, Schloss Belevedere and Maria Theresien Platz fill the whipped cream city with constant music, the smell of roasting maroni (chestnuts) and the colour of tiny porcelain mugs filled with punsch and glühwein. It is nothing short of magical to see the Graben and Kärtnerstrasse as well as the city’s iconic Ringstrasse alive with Christmas lights that drape in the shapes of icicles, chandeliers, and because it is the city of music, tiny notes.

The magic of a Christmas read that fostered my imagination as a child and had me wishing on our Christmas tree helps cultivate what I write as an adult. I just returned from a trip to Vienna last week--- a glorious Baroque city that is so far from the Christmases of my Ontario childhood that it makes me blink in surprise. Yet, while there, I always feel like it, too, is my home. Maybe my home in that I spend so much time there fictionally ---in my Three Quarter Time series and in an upcoming historical romance releasing with Harper Collins in 2021. Maybe because it has long been my imaginative home as I sink into the resplendently described pages of Vienna Prelude every year.

The fabric of our lives is so carefully sewn by the experiences that spark our imaginations and creativity and as authors it is so wonderful to think we have the potential of fashioning a new home for someone. A new tradition. I bet when Bodie Thoene began the first draft of her impeccably researched pre-war series she didn’t know some Pastor’s kid in small town Ontario would spin it into a life-long love letter to a city opulent and ornamented and dripping with Christmas lights. I bet she couldn’t have foreseen that the same Christmas read would spark my lifelong passion for Classical music, my years of training in classical voice and my desire to write books of my own someday.

Because we, writer, wield a powerful ability to ignite passion, to inspire travel, to prompt a reader to try a recipe or sign out a historical tome from the public library.

Christmas can mean home in the literary sense, yes, but it can also mean home in the creative sense. The city I so fell in love with in the words penned by another is a huge muse of mine: as deep an integral a character to my writing life as the human counterparts I set against its backdrop.

This Christmas take extra time to look at how a favourite song is crafted: the simple lyrics of the Alpen Carol Silent Night, the majesty of Charles Wesley’s ability to construct the entire trajectory of the Gospel message in Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Pay attention to the resonant themes in It’s a Wonderful Life and how the story paints a deep picture of a small community unified by hope and goodwill. Think about the structure that continues to make A Christmas Carol a classic: even if your preferred version finds Gonzo in the role of Charles Dickens. Christmas for writers is a goldmine of themes, symbol and lush locales. Gatherings and parties and laughter and light. It’s a constant exercise in sensory description.

This Christmas make the holiday your creative home: who knows what small kid in some small town will have integrated your words as their longest held Christmas tradition.

Rachel McMillan is the author of The Herringford and Watts mysteries, The Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries and The Three Quarter Time series of contemporary Viennese romances. Her next work of historical fiction, The London Restoration, releases in Summer 2020 with Harper Collins and takes readers deep into the heart of London's most beautiful churches. Dream, Plan, Go (Harvest House) is her first work of non-fiction. Rachel lives in Toronto, Canada and is always planning her next adventure.

Erica here again: Rachel is giving away a kindle copy of Love in Three Quarter Time! 

Leave a comment here telling us of the city where you'd most like to experience Christmas! 

A winner will be drawn and announced in this week's Weekend Edition!

Here's a bit about Love in Three Quarter Time:

Evelyn Watt fell in love with Austrian marketing director Rudy Moser the moment he stepped into their Boston firm. With his ice blue eyes and chocolate-melting accent, he is as refined as she imagines his home country to be. When Evelyn finds herself unexpectedly unemployed right before Christmas, she is left with an unknown future until Rudy steps in with a job appraising, assessing and cataloging heirlooms, lending her American vernacular to the translated descriptions to give each item international appeal. Evelyn will live in Vienna for the months leading up to a grand auction at a party held in conjunction with the Opera Ball—on Valentine’s Day.

Vienna is a magical blend of waltzing, antiques, and bottomless cups of Einspanner coffee at the Café Mozart. When a secret from Rudy's family's past blows in with the winter chill, Evelyn is forced to confront how well she knows the object of her affection. Her café tablemate, the gruff and enigmatic Klaus Bauner might be the only person who holds the key to Rudy’s past. But could that key also unlock her future? In the days leading up to the Opera Ball, Evelyn finds herself in the middle of the greatest romance of her life…as long as she doesn’t trip over her two left feet.

Don't have a kindle? Don't worry! You can enter the drawing below for a chance to Win One! (If you don't win, don't worry there either. You can download the free kindle app for your phone, tablet, or laptop/desktop computer, too!)


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Advent Day 13: It's a Wonderful Life

What are your plans this Christmas season?

Every Christmas, we would typically travel to visit and spend time with family. Due to unexpected reasons, this year, we have to stay put at home. Yet, it has turned into more of a blessing because it gives us time to rest.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30 

It's been quite a year for us, both personally and professionally. So this time of rest is welcome, despite not being able to spend the holidays with family. However, our traditions will still continue, which includes watching It's a Wonderful Life together every Christmas season. Spending time together with our two miniature schnauzers and watching a Christmas classic sounds just about perfect.

  

Another seasonal tradition for me includes rereading classics and beloved stories. I've mentioned it in a past Seekerville post. My vision has been troublesome of late, so I'm not sure how much rereading I'll be able to do, but I'm adding audio book versions of a few favorites to my "to be listen" pile for this season.

With that said, I would love to give away a box of some great books that are worth a reread to one US winner. Just leave a comment below letting us know you'd like to enter. 

Be sure to enter our year-end giveaway to win an Amazon Kindle Fire via the Rafflecopter below!

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Annie is proud to be one of the founding stewards of the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat (CFRR), the first readers' retreat of its kind, and the cofounder of JustRead Publicity Tours. She loves all things book and bookish, and most of all, Jesus.  Next to reading, her other interests include spending time with family and friends, eating, playing with her miniature schnauzer pups, Gabby and Reagan, and somehow challenge her non-existent athletic abilities to improve (tremendously) her tennis and golf game. You can find her at @justcommonly on Instagram.