How Many Did You Read?

Shelfari has informed me that I read 20 books this year while last year I read 22. Clearly, I am a slacker. I do have valid excuses. The first half of the year was a real trial. Plus I also write books, which includes revising, all that grammatical editing stuff, and tons of promotion. Nevertheless, I wish I had made a bigger dent in the stack of books I fully intend to read. I have ebooks waiting for me to read as well, but fortunately, they don't take up much room. :^)

The sad fact is there are so many books and so little time.

How many books did you read this year?

In Perfect Harmony

Dear Santa,

I haven't written lately because I thought I had all I need. However, this year taught me a few lessons because it was particularly difficult. I have discovered that there is one thing I would dearly love but it is beyond my capabilities to obtain.

I would like PEACE. I know that's a tall order, which is why I am writing to you. I know people have been fighting each other since the dawn of time. Unfortunately, I've found raging hatred isn't only a problem between different countries, there's a disturbing amount of hostility and bitterness in our own United States.

There are people in my community who have beautiful homes, plenty of food on their tables, and who drive much nicer cars than the one I drive and yet they hate their fellow Americans. What's worse is their total lack of compassion for those less fortunate.

They are scary. The land of the free and the home of the brave is beginning to resemble the land of the mean and the arrogant.

Can you soften their hard hearts? Can you somehow make them realize how blessed they are? Can you heal their souls and take away the hatred that is not only eating them up inside but poisoning our own beautiful land?

I know this won't be easy, but since you're magical maybe all it would take would be a sprinkling of enchanted glitter. Or maybe a song would do it. You know, the kind that gets stuck in your mind.

I sure hope you can help me out. I'll leave some oat shortbread by the fireplace. Give my best to Mrs. Claus.

Thanks.

Love,
Penelope

A Matter of Trust

The girls in the photo are my daughters when they were very young. The guy in the Santa suit is my brother-in-law. He dressed in costume one Christmas and stopped at our house to surprise the kids. Daughter #1 and Daughter #3 enjoyed the special visit. However, Daughter #2 was more than a bit wary about the situation. She did not like the strange man in the red suit with the white beard.

Santa can be a scary guy. While some kids are perfectly content to sit on Santa's lap with a fistful of candy canes, there are youngsters who think the guy is not to be trusted. There really isn't much anyone can do to change the situation. I am glad I am not a photographer who takes pictures of children with Santa Claus. Hubby and I were at the mall this week and watched a photographer try to elicit a smile from one very unhappy youngster. She did not have any success despite her use of a number of strategies designed to distract the child.

I found some good advice online about the situation. You should check it out if you intend to take a photo of a young child with Santa. Just click here.

I don't blame Daughter #2 for being suspicious of Santa. I think clowns are terrifying.

My Favorite Books

I read a lot and I read in a wide variety of genres. However, there are some specific books that I truly cherish. I know not everyone will agree with me on my selection, but these are books held my interest so thoroughly that I could not put them down. If you have a favorite book or two or three, add a comment to this post.

These are rather old books, which means some are now available for free. Some readers don't like antiquated language, but I am a patient reader and there are very few books that I have not finished, but I loved these books--despite the fossilized English. The characters are terrific!

These are not listed in order of preference. They were all great books for me.

Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

Ravenscroft, by Dorothy Eden

Ammie Come Home, by Barbara Michaels

The Crystal Cat, by Velda Johnston

Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

In addition, almost any book by Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Grace Livingston Hill, and Charles Dickens.

There are newer, more modern books that I have enjoyed as well and I'll have to put those into another post. However, the books above are what I read when I was young and they had a great influence on me as a writer.

Send a Real Card

Yesterday, hubby and I worked for a few hours signing our Christmas cards, stuffing the cards in the envelopes, and putting on the stamps. I’ve made the process very easy by printing out address labels. I also put together The Marzec Times, our annual newsletter, which briefly covers the highlights of our year. We put the newsletter inside the card.

Sending out Christmas cards is one of the traditions of the season I love. I haven’t seen Marie since college, but I send her a card every year. Our neighbors moved away twenty-five years ago, but we still keep in touch at Christmas time. It gives me a warm feeling to think about them and to know how they are doing. We probably won’t get together and visit each other, but it doesn’t matter. We remember each other and wish each other well and hope that next year another card will come.

Fewer and fewer people send out cards these days. Yes, the price of stamps keeps going up, but spending 44 cents once a year on an old friend is a far cheaper than buying them a drink.

Posting “Merry Christmas” or "Happy Holidays" on Facebook is nice, but it will soon be forgotten in a cascade of hastily posted greetings. A card in the mailbox is a special surprise, one that can be held and remembered for a long, long time after its delivery.

Over the years, I have removed people from my card list. I usually give them a few years, and then I reluctantly cross them off. However, I will often email the pdf file of our Christmas newsletter to them. I figure it is something they can print if they like—or send it to their ereader. It is my attempt to reach out and keep in touch. I find it very sad that in our modern society with all our amazing communication devices, all I ever get from many people are a bunch of forwarded messages that contain nothing about their personal lives.

Touch somebody in a special way this holiday season. Send them a real paper card in the mail. Give them a memory.