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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why Is Christmas My Absolute Favorite Time of Year?

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

I wrote this back in 2006 on my old blog. While some of the traditions have changed as our children have grown and moved from home, most of them stay the same. But this post has always reflected best what I love about Christmas, and I thought I’d share it.  It was edited for typos, and I tried to update with better wording… and couldn’t.  The passive writing will have to do.  It says it best.

Why Is Christmas My Absolute Favorite Time of Year?

Note: links are possibly affiliates that provide a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Christmas… where to begin…?

It is six weeks of build-up to my very favorite part…

Thanksgiving is over, the turkey deboned, the puzzle pieced, and the Hungarian Coffee Cake is gone. Everyone is satisfied after an unusually varied meal. Someone puts on a Christmas CD. Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas.”

Silver Bells
Adeste Fideles
Silent Night
Christmas in Killarney
O, Holy Night

Someone pulls out the ads and we plan Black Friday…

After lunch and a freezing morning shopping, we brave the crowds again for a tree… The scent of a fresh Douglas Fir. Heavenly.

Popcorn… hot cocoa… Peppermint and cranberries.

The voices of excited children singing “Away in a Manger” as they string popcorn and cranberries.

But that’s just the beginning.

Shopping in stores playing music to honor the Savior when usually I blush to hear the words sung. The Salvation Army a presence at every stop. People smiling… just a little more patient with lines and excitable children than four months ago when shopping for back to school supplies and clothes.

Pretty wrapping paper, colorful ribbons, perky bows. Packages piled all over our tiny living room giving it the appearance of a treasure trove.

Baking smells. Hungarian Coffee Cake. Peppermint Bark. Sugar cookies.

Bundling in warm jackets to sing at the convalescent home.

O, holy night… the stars are brightly shining…

The sweet older lady rocking her baby doll to the tune of the music. She is never without her baby doll. The sight of tears in my son’s eyes when he realizes she thinks it is her real baby. (I wrote a short story about her–you’ll find it in the free “A Short Week” short story collection for my newsletter subscribers).

Fall… on your knees…

The toothless man’s grin as he tries to sing along.

We three kings…

Their thankful lonely faces as we turn to leave. My kids’ voices, thick with emotion as they realize we’re likely the only guests they’ve seen that day…

We wish you a Merry Christmas…

Mrs. Brown’s delight at our stopping. Her son’s devoted attention to her. Pastor Neipp’s grin as we sing under their window. The love they show each other the greatest gift they could give us.

Candlelight service. Gifts for our friends. Our children are so excited. They rush home and change into pajamas so we can go look at Christmas lights. The northwest development with luminarias.

The house on Vicki Lane.

Our friends’ parents who dress as Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They can’t this year. Mrs. Claus went home to be with Jesus.

It’s been one of those years.

(and 2017 wasn’t any easier than 2006!)

Home again, unwrapping presents from friends and neighbors. Hot chocolate. singing. Sleepy babies. The tree lights on and the house lights off.

It’s quiet now. Luke Chapter two… “And it came to pass… and He grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man…” read by a gentle masculine voice always with a trace of awe that God would come for such as he.

Oh, how I love this season.

One thing this post didn’t mention back then, probably because I hadn’t written any yet, was Christmas Fiction.  I love it.  I even wrote a BLOG POST about that.

Merry Christmas!

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Comments

  1. patty-anne Lea says

    November 24, 2017 at 12:58 am

    When you post a book to Amazon com. Please remember Amazon.ca And Love Joy and Peace from my house to yours.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 24, 2017 at 3:45 am

      It’s here, Patty-anne: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B077Q621KD/ Merry Christmas to you, too!

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
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Episode 228: A Chat with Author Emilie Haney
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Episode 227: A Chat about the New Jewels of Kalispell Series
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