12 Books of Christmas: THE EXPECTANT FUTURE CHRISTMAS by Sheryl Holmes

There are just some questions that are too big to answer.  Every year at least one of my nine children asks me,

“What do you want for Christmas, Mom?”

Inevitably, I sigh, and deflect, and say,

“Well that’s something for me to think about….”

I never really give an answer to that question…except once – a few years ago, I said:

“Peace. I want Peace for Christmas.”

That year, I got a decorative pillow with the words P. E. A. C. E. embroidered on it.

Every year, I contemplate what I should say – how much do I tell? I know the kids want a tangible answer like, a new pair of slippers, or lipstick, or bottle of lotion…something easy to search for and obtain at the local mall.  Yet, what I really want can’t be found at Target.

Even to this day, I have never given voice to the words that express my deepest desire.

I do believe it is what every Jesus-loving mother wants in her heart of hearts. The desire that God places in a mamma’s heart the moment He begins to knit inside her womb.  The desire that grows stronger and more intense as the years go by and the child grows taller.

Dare I whisper it?

Child, it is love.

Child, it is salvation.

This is what I want for Christmas.

I want it for you.

There is nothing I want more than for my child to know he is loved, by me, by his father, and even more so, by the Father.

I don’t desire to get anything for Christmas 

except to know,

you, my child, know you are loved by the Author of life.

I want you, my child, to take that gift of salvation 

that was born to us all on that first Christmas.

Is this not exactly what God wants for each of us?

Is this not why He gave us Jesus in the manger?

Ask me again this year, my child.  Ask me:

“What do you want for Christmas, Mom?” 

I think, this year, I will not sigh.  I will not deflect.  I will speak an answer definitively louder than a whisper.

“Child, I want you to know you are deeply loved.”

Until you ask me, I am praying, expectantly.

IN hope, I wait.

About the Author:

Sheryl Holmes, a daughter of the King, enjoys a loving marriage with her husband of twenty-six years. She is a devoted mother of nine, currently home educating five of her children. You can learn more about Sheryl and her book, TOWDAH, at her author page on our Write Integrity Website. And below, you can enjoy her recipe for her mother-in-law's special cookies.

Grandma's Christmas Cookies:

In love, my mother in-law made these every year for Christmas. When she passed away, I continued, in love, to make these for my husband and my children every year since.  It’s the only cookie they care about having; it’s just not Christmas without them!

This cookie bar is made in three layers:

1^st layer - beat ½ cup of better, 1 egg yolk, 2 TBS of water together.  Add in 1 ¼ cup of flour, 1 tsp. of sugar, and 1 tsp. of baking powder.  Press into a 13x9 inch greased pan & bake at 350 degrees for 10 minute.

2^nd layer - sprinkle 1 bag of mini chocolate chips onto the hot crusty bottom layer and return it to the oven for 1 minute. Take it out of the oven and smooth the chocolate out with a frosting spreader knife.

3^rd layer – beat 2 eggs, ¾ of a cup of sugar together and add in 6 TBS of melted butter, 2 tsp. of vanilla, and 2 cups of finely chopped walnuts and mix til smooth and creamy.  Pour onto the chocolate layer (optional: sprinkle with colored sugar) and bake for 30 minutes.

Cool, and cut into squares using a plastic knife.

12 Books of Christmas:

You can win a copy of Sheryl's book, TOWDAH, along with 11 other books (US residents only) by commenting below and leaving your email address for us to add to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) Here's a question you can answer: What is some special or traditional that you or one of your family members share each year?

Oh, and don't forget that tomorrow this book along with 9 others will be available for 99¢. So if you don't win the contest and get them all for free, you can still enjoy some Christmas reading at deep discounts! But the price is only good tomorrow, December 13, for our Turquoise Tuesday sale!

12 Books of Christmas: DECKING THE HALLS by Marji Laine

Marji Laine is a romantic-suspense
author and the new executive
director of Write Integrity Press.
Learn more about her at her author
page at www.WriteIntegrity.com

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Family, laughter, food, decorations, lights - I love it all. In fact, I was married in December. Sweet hubby and I celebrate 30 years in a couple of weeks.

I remember the Christmas after our first anniversary. We had a little four-foot tree that we stuck in front of a window. We splurged on a box of twinkle lights and some assorted plastic ornaments. And we had a little, gold-dressed angel for the top. She didn't even light up, but she had such a sweet face, I couldn't resist.

We also had the hurricane lamps, adorned with poinsettias, that had been carried by my bridesmaids in our wedding. They became my dining table centerpiece for several Christmases.

Every year, sweet hubby and I added a little more to our decor. A NOEL sign hung beside our door, a stuffed Santa and reindeer, and a couple of new ornaments. Before our third Christmas, we moved into our first house and got to enjoy a "real" tree. We invested in some yard art the following year, a pair of singing mice, and of course continued to build our stuffed Santa collection.

With the addition of children, our decorations focused on them - a Santa calendar, a couple of ladders

and elves, a long shelf full of various festive items, and blue jean stockings. Our tree has grown and we've even gotten a second one to display in one of our front windows while our main tree graces our family room.

And no, the sweet little angel does not grace the top of this tree. She was simply too small for such a large tree and with no lights, she didn't show up. But she looks outstanding on the new smaller tree on display in my office.

And she still has the sweetest face.

About the Author:

Marji writes what she loves to read: mystery, suspense, and romance all with a deep thread of faith and hope. A home-schooling mom of four, she's nearing retirement with her youngest two, twins, in their senior year. In addition to her writing and editing, she  is also the high school coordinator and web designer of a large co-op, and works at her church as the children's music director, a teacher in the Sunday youth classes, an assistant in the youth choir, and an alto in the adult choir.

Learn more about Marji at her author page on the Write Integrity Press website: WriteIntegrity.com

Recipe for Christmas Toffee:

My twins have figured out the easiest way to make toffee - which is good because I'm a reluctant cook! Be careful, though. The toffee is terribly addictive!

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 sleeve (or so) Saltine crackers
1/2 bag chocolate chips
sprinkles, crushed peppermint, or M&Ms  for decoration

Apply foil to a jelly roll pan and spray it with baking spray. Spread the crackers across the jelly roll pan to cover it completely.

Heath's Point is a fictional small town
in Northeast Texas, but living there can
be ... well, murder. Book 1,  COUNTER
POINT, is available at Amazon in
print and e-book.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Continue to stir it as it boils for 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture over the crackers and coat them evenly. Put the pan in a 350° oven for 6 minutes.

As soon as you remove it from the oven, sprinkle the hot coating with chocolate chips which will melt fairly quickly. Spread the melted chips and decorate before storing the entire pan in a freezer for at least an hour to thoroughly chill the candy. Break the pieces apart before serving.

12 Books of Christmas:

You can win a copy of Marji's COUNTER POINT along with 11 other books (US residents only) by commenting below and leaving your email address for us to add to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) While your commenting, tell us: What is your favorite Christmas ornament, and why is it special?

12 Books of Christmas: THE MAN CAVE by Cynthia T. Toney

He’d always been a saver. Not of money but of things.

He’d saved broken fixtures, unrecognizable hardware, scraps of wood and plastic and fiberglass, every old nail, bolt, and fastener.

Now he had to save whatever scraps were left of his dignity. An unexpected layoff claimed his good-paying job with bonuses. Who was he without his career—heck, without even a minimum-wage job?

Everyone turned him down, even the home improvement centers where he’d spent much of his time—and money, back when he had some. They didn’t know what an expert in building and maintenance they rejected. “Overqualified,” they said. Sure, he had a good education, but he was more than his degree. He had once helped build a fine house with his own two hands. Not the framework, electrical or plumbing, but a good deal of the interior and exterior, using the finest materials.

Lately he searched the discard piles at those same centers for pieces of two-by-fours, fractions of plywood sheets, and sections of molding too short for most builders to bother with.

When friends heard what he was doing, they searched their garages and attics. Soon he had a door, a window, a ceiling fan. A garage sale turned up a scratched sink. A family member donated some used light fixtures.

He drew up some plans and framed up a small building, using an existing slab where a rusted metal prefab once stood.

The wife spotted a neighbor’s weathered fence boards piled at the street for trash pickup. Placed at a 45-degree angle, they became a contemporary façade for the front door and a hinged window over the counter top, which he tiled from mismatched surplus, politely requested from a local flooring supply.

“What do you need for your building?” was the question from mother, wife, and children when Christmas, birthday, and Father’s Day rolled around. That got him the things he couldn’t find for free or on the clearance tables.

Each weekday morning after his wife left for her workplace, he walked out the back door of their home and traveled the few yards to reach what was now his full-time job. He found peace in the routine. 

“I’m afraid you’ll get depressed,” his wife had said at first. “You aren’t used to having so many hours to fill during the day. I don’t like the idea of you feeling sad or lonely.”

“I don’t want you to think about me while you’re at work,” he’d replied. He pointed to his project. “When I’m busy in there, I’m safe and happy.”

In his little building, he focused his energy, contained his worry, and sheltered his ego. Through hundreds of rejections of his resume, he pursued his endeavor. Each evening, he presented to his wife the small accomplishments of every stage of completion. Together they celebrated them.

The building became the place to go, whether he wanted to relax in solitude or entertain his wife, family, or friends.  It was his own creation, the nonliving thing he was most proud of.

When almost two years had passed, he received a job offer in another state. Of all the changes he had to make to take it, including a permanent move, parting with his man cave was the most difficult.

At Christmas, I look back at that period in our lives and think of that building. It reminds me of Joseph doing the best he could with what he had for Mary and Jesus. And Joseph was a carpenter like my husband.

Joy fills my heart, because God used the man cave to show me the kind of person my husband really is.

About the Author: 

Cynthia is a former advertising designer, marketing director, and interior decorator who holds a BA in art education with a minor in history. While employed by a large daily newspaper, she tried to rewrite some ad copy without permission and got into trouble for it. At that point, she knew she was destined to become an author.

When she’s not cooking Cajun or Italian food, Cynthia writes historical and contemporary teen fiction containing elements of mystery and romance. For more about Cynthia and her books, check out her Author page on our Write Integrity Press website.

And before you go, Cynthia has left a special recipe from her Christmas to yours! Enjoy!

SALMON PATTIES/CAKES

A Recipe (sort of... I don't use measurements) for holiday parties or when you’re tired of turkey and ham.

One can 14-16 oz. Alaskan Pink Salmon,  Drained but not dry
2 Eggs
Milk
Italian Bread Crumbs
Slice of Wheat Bread or some Saltine Crackers (optional...can use less bread crumbs if using either of these)
Zatarain's Fish Fry (or other seasoned cornmeal-based fish fry—Louisiana Fish Fry, Tony Chachere’s, Cajun Injector, Bootsie’s, Cajun King)
Flour
Chopped Bell Pepper (one large)
Chopped Onion, or onion flakes
Garlic, or garlic powder
Celery (optional...would be nice if you have it, but I used celery salt)
NOTE: If you use any saltine crackers or celery salt, DO NOT ADD EXTRA SALT to the patties.)

Mix some flour with a little fish fry to give the flour a pale yellow color, and set aside.  You will use

Cynthia's first book from her Bird Face
series is part of our giveaway! Leave a
comment for your chance to win. And
come back tomorrow for another entry!

this to dredge the patties in.

Pour about a half inch depth of vegetable oil in a frying pan, and have some extra oil ready for adding later.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, salmon, bread crumbs, bread/saltines (optional), a LITTLE  fish fry (Zatarain's is very spicy), the bell pepper, onion, garlic, celery (or celery salt if you like). When all this is mixed well, add enough milk to moisten and allow you to form a meatball in your two hands with the mixture. Test cook a small glob of the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds to see if you like the taste.

Heat the oil in the pan to medium. Form one meatball at a time and flatten it and coat it with the flour/fish fry mixture. (If you make the patties too big, they will crack.)
Place in pan and continue to form patties, dredge, and fry. Turn each one when bottom looks brown. Lower the heat so that the oil does not begin to burn.
Add more oil before beginning to fry your next batch. (This recipe will make 10 or 12 patties.)
Drain patties on paper towels on large plates or a long pan.

They freeze and reheat well. (and taste even better)
Good with ketchup or tartar sauce.

12 Books of Christmas: 

You can win a copy of Cynthia's YA book, 8 Notes to a Nobody, along with 11 other books (US residents only) by commenting below and leaving your email address for us to add to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) Here's a question you can answer: Grieving losses at Christmas is normal, but have you had a change in your life is stirred up in happy memories, like Cynthia's?