Share Your Joys With Christina Hollis!


 I invited Christina Hollis to share her joys with us for this upcoming festive season.
Christina Hollis writes Modern Romance for Harlequin Mills and Boon, which appears as Harlequin Presents/Extra in the US. Her current release, Weight of the Crown, is available from Amazon.com and http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/pages/searchres.htm
And on the web you can find Christina on all these places!
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GET READY...
With Christmas less than a week away, I hope you’re looking forward to the festive season. This is a lovely time of year, but too often worries about the weather and family arrangements (or the lack of them) can cast a shadow over everything. Time seems to whizz by so quickly these days. There’s so much pressure on everyone - whether it’s to buy more than we can afford, or to work harder for fear of missing out on promotion.  It’s a shame when life is so busy we don’t have time to enjoy the real meaning of Christmas. If you live in the Northern hemisphere, the image of feasting and light enlivening the shortest days and darkest nights is a very powerful one, whether or not you are a Christian.
            As part of my Big Blog Tour to promote my most recent Mills and Boon title,  Weight of the Crown, I asked for readers’ favourite hobbies and crafting websites. Co-incidentally, at around the same time I read a newspaper article which said people watch too much TV. That struck a real chord of recognition with me. I tend to slump down in front of the idiot lantern as soon as the last meal of the day has been cleared away. With a collection of good crafting ideas, I’ve got no excuse to do that any more, so I’ve cut my watching time down drastically. Thanks, blog commenters! This year I’ve made marmalade and lemon curd to give as gifts along with jars of honey from our generous bees. I’ve also bought myself an early Christmas present - a new sewing machine (it was either that or a replacement food mixer, but that luxury can wait for a while). When we first moved into this house, a long time ago now, I made all the curtains. Now they desperately need renewing, so that urgent job is going to keep me busy for the rest of the winter. I shall enjoy choosing new fabrics in what passes for the January sales, but until then I’ve been getting used to my new machine by making bits and bobs to give as Christmas presents. My little nephews are all getting bright red fleecy hats, so everyone will be able to see them coming! Time is getting short now, but I’m hoping to make a few simple fabric ornaments for the Christmas tree, as well. They’re easier to store than fragile baubles. After my hat-making exploits, I’ve got plenty of festive red scraps lying around, too.
            I’ve been so busy with writing projects this year I haven’t had a chance to grow our own Christmas dinner, as I usually do. We don’t even have any home produced eggs at the moment, as our last hen (who must have been the equivalent of a centenarian in human terms) passed away in the summer. Instead, all our food will be coming from the local farms and shop. I love cooking, and although it’s the ultimate thrill to manage everything myself from seed sowing to presentation, the next best thing is local food. Will you be sitting down to a traditional roast meal on Christmas Day, or something more unusual?
            Finally, if you’re going to be rushed off your feet for the next couple of weeks, spare a thought for my sister. For her, the fun never ends. Look what she had for Christmas recently - triplets!

33 comments:

  1. I ride horses. That's what I love to do. I homeschool my kids so there isn't any time for any crafts. I write take care of the family and ride like the wind! But I never let myself get too busy. My Lord comes first, my family, our farm and my writing all kind of coexist together.

    Wonderful post, Christina. *waving* to Riya.

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  2. You are so right...It seems that we are so rushed and pressured to buy buy buy that we forget what Christmas is about.

    I hope that you and Christina (and everyone else) have a very blessed Christmas. :)

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  3. I just saw I left out couple a commas. It has been a long day! :-)

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  4. Congrats to your sis on her 3 bundles of joy!! Her Decembers will never be the same - triple the love :)

    Enjoy a wonderful Christmas season! :)

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  5. OH wow - Christina Hollis - you are super duper multi talented! Writing, sewing, cooking, chicken rearing...! Good grief! LOL! Well done you and yay for your sister and her amazing triplets!

    Thanks Romance Reader for hosting fabulous Christina! Take care
    x

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  6. Great post! Love hearing about others' crafts. I've been knitting, but not often enough! Didn't get a chance to make ornaments this year...

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  7. Thanks, Robyn - I used to ride, but a bad accident put paid to that. It sounds like you have the perfect Christmas. Enjoy the celebration with your family.

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  8. Thanks for commenting, Sharon. There are so many amazing adverts on TV at this time of year (especially for food) it's difficult to resist temptation. To be honest I always find it a bit of a relief when the shops shut. There's no point in worrying then, so I can concentrate on my family, which is how it should be!

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  9. Hi Jemi - thanks for commenting. The silly thing is, I meant to send Nas a picture of the newborns to add to the post, but forgot. I'll try and send it now, but there may not be time to add it to my post. Such a shame, they looked so cute in their tiny (premature) Santa outfits!

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  10. Thanks Old Kitty! I love your picture. Our cat is eight years old now, but he still gets that same mischievous look in his eyes...

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  11. Hi Deniz, thanks for commenting. There are so many crafts and skills, and so little time. It's not fair, is it?

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  12. Congratulation to your sister, Christina. You're right. The lead up to Christmas is always hectic but I try not to let it overwhelm me. The most important thing for me is the family time together.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Riya and everyone.

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  13. Wow! So talented! And organized! (And huge congrats to Christina's sister.)

    Merry Christmas!

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  14. Hi, Kiru, thanks for commenting. This is such a lovely time of year, although I do sometimes wish for a bit of sun. We've been swaddled in low cloud all day.

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  15. Thanks for commenting, Peggy - a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too!

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  16. Nice articles. I'm just blogwalking and very happy to stop here. And also give you some comment and following your blog here.

    Dont forget to give us some your comment into my blog and following me back too.

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  17. Thanks for putting up the triplets pic!

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  18. Hi Christina, welcome and thanks for coming along to chat with all my friends here!


    Mum did post on the triplets photo. All the best to your sister!

    Merry Christmas!

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  19. omg! Triplets for Christmas??? Too much. But as for your question, nope. No traditional meal for us, but that's primarily b/c we're 800 miles from our family. Hubs likes to mix it up for Christmas dinner--once we had pork loin and cous cous... :D Not sure what we're having this year!

    Merry Christmas!!! <3

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  20. Congrats to your sister!

    My husband and I have always been sane about the holidays. Thank goodness. It's about spending time together more than anything else.

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  21. My mouth waters at the mention of lemon curd. MMMMMMMMMMMM.

    We worry about weather here, too, but for the opposite reason - it can be horribly hot!

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  22. I love the idea of handmade gifts. I'm quite crafty, so maybe one of these holiday seasons I'll create rather than buy.

    I'm also busy with curtains right now.

    Congrats to your sister. Yes, she'll be quite busy.

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  23. Thanks for inviting me, Riya, and to Nas for so kindly putting the picture up!

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  24. Hi LTM, thanks for commenting. A change is as good as a rest: for one day a year everyone gets to eat exactly what they want, traditional or modern. I like the sound of your OH's pork dish - I haven't eaten couscous since I was in Paris, years ago!

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  25. Thanks for commenting, M Pax. Once that door is closed on the outside world it's lovely to relish each other's exclusive company for a while, isn't it?

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  26. Hi Trisha, thanks for commenting. The name 'Lemon curd' always sounds a bit unappetising to me, although I love the stuff - especially on fresh homemade sourdough bread (another odd name for a delicious thing).

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  27. Hi Medeia, thanks for commenting. Busy is the word - my sister creates the nearest thing to perpetual motion in an endless round of feeding and cleaning, and they're toddlers now!

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  28. This was a lovely Christmas post. Merry Christmas to you all!

    Denise

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  29. Merry Christmas to you to, Denise - thank you for commenting!

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  30. Happy New Year! Best wishes for you!

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  31. Hi Daanish - thanks for commenting. I hope you've had a great start to the New Year!

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  32. Hi Olga, thanks for your good wishes. I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year, too!

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