LUCY BURDETTE: Today I'm pleased to welcome Leslie Budewitz, a blogmate from Mystery Lovers Kitchen and Sisters in Crime, and a well-known and admired writer in the cozy mystery world. Today she's talking Christmas...no, really! And her brand new book, AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES. Welcome Leslie!
LESLIE BUDEWITZ: I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas lately.
No, I am not one of those people—let’s call them women—who start planning for Christmas months ahead. Who beat the lines and take advantage of the toy sales in February, even if that means checking off their list long before the kids clamor for this year’s Cabbage Patch doll. (But you know those women. They’ll say they’ve saved time and money by ignoring the gift fads—or that they’ve saved themselves the time and money to indulge in the fadness if they want to.)
They are the women like my sister-in-law (and I love her dearly) who throws a cover over her tree in early January, hires a handyman to cart it down to her basement storage room, then calls him in late November to haul it up again. (“Nice tree,” Mr. Right says every year. “Looks familiar.” And yes, she swats him. He is her younger brother, after all.)
They are the women who bake their Christmas cookies in October, as soon as it’s cool enough to leave the oven on for hours at a time, and freeze them. They have their address books set up on a label-making program and write their cards the day after Thanksgiving, because they’ve already finished their shopping.Some of them, heaven forbid, are like my across-the-hall dorm neighbor eons ago, who played the Carpenters’ Christmas album in May because she liked it. With the door open and the volume cranked up. (Unlike my high school pal whose temp job at a downtown bank included changing the cassettes for the music that played on the hour, and didn’t realize she’d accidentally grabbed a tape of holiday tunes, in mid summer, until the bank started getting calls.)
I’m more the Nordstrom’s type. The retailer famously refuses to decorate its windows for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, although they do set up holiday displays in-store and will happily help you check off your gift list any time of year. The only decorations out before December 1 at my house are the ones I forgot to put away and left out all year. (You’re laughing, but you’ve done it. You know you have.)
We often cut a tree in our own woods or on the neglected land across the road—we’re simply helping the anonymous owners maintain their property with selective pruning—and it doesn’t go up until the second weekend in December. That way, it’s nice and fresh for our holiday brunch and can safely stay up until Epiphany.
I rarely buy a gift before December first—the local merchants love seeing me during the Christmas Art walk because I’m not just browsing. I’m buying!
And I don’t dare bake or make other holiday treats too soon—I’d only have to make them over again if I wanted any for that magical time between Solstice and the New Year.
So it’s been—well, curious—to write a book set at Christmas in the spring, and a year later, plan its launch. Mr. Right did not mind off-season recipe testing one bit. I’ll confess to sitting in my office shivering with cold as the characters threw snow balls at each other only to realize that it was seventy degrees out and the mock orange was in bloom.
Thank goodness the village gift shop celebrates Christmas year-round in the basement. I got some great deals on holiday-themed cocktail napkins. (For the book launch party. They’ll be long gone by December.)Although maybe I’m pushing this Christmas-in-spring thing a bit far. As I was trimming the holly plant in our woodland garden last weekend, “Deck the Halls” lodged itself firmly in my brain. (It’s in yours now? You’re welcome.)
But the antique mercury glass ornaments in the cocktail glasses on the sideboard? Some things are always in season.
What about you, friends? Do you plan for Christmas all year, or
Leslie Budewitz lives and writes in NW Montana where, contrary to popular opinion, it is not cold and snowy all year long. As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles, the 5th Food Lovers’ Village mystery, will be out June 8 from Midnight Ink. Kirkus Reviews says of Cookie: "Budewitz's finely drawn characters, sharp ear for dialogue, and well-paced puzzle make Jewel Bay a destination for every cozy fan."
Congratulations on the new book, Leslie . . . a Christmas story in June sounds absolutely perfect to me.
ReplyDeleteI remember when stores never displayed Christmas decorations before Santa’s sleigh hit Herald Square and passed Macy’s in the Thanksgiving Day parade, but, sadly, those days seem to be long gone. I try to shop early; nevertheless, it’s usually an on-going task. But wrapping is a whole different story and I never seem to get that done until the very last second.
We have some decorations that no longer wait for Christmas to sparkle and stay out all year, but there would never be enough room in my freezer for making those holiday cookies ahead of time. On the other hand, I’m good with playing Christmas music no matter what the calendar says. Now if I could just find a way to be like that person who manages to get the Christmas cards out the day after Thanksgiving. Right now, I calculate I’m about two years behind on that little task . . . .
Times do change, don't they? I admit, I only send a handful of cards these days but I do still love getting them!
DeleteCongratulations, Leslie! Christmas in June sounds lovely as the mercury tops 90 here in humid SW Florida. I am so looking forward to getting back to the Maine woods! You've made me homesick. Looking forward to a great read and some early Christmas taste testing of my own.
ReplyDeleteHey, Kait! Summering in Maine sounds like the perfect antidote to Florida's heat and humidity!
DeleteAh, yes, but wintering there is my joy.
DeleteI know you loved it...
DeleteHi, Leslie! I'm right with you, girlfriend. December is the month for all of it. And I get that tree down by New Year's Eve, too. I want to start the year fresh and vacuumed! I'm picking up your new book at our indy bookstore this week and can't wait to settle in with it.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, there is something wonderful about that clean house for the New Year -- though it can feel awfully sparse after all the holiday hoopla!
DeleteCongratulations, Leslie! I always enjoy Christmas-themed books, no matter what the season.
ReplyDeleteI used to be one of those people who collected Christmas gifts all year round, partly because I had a much bigger list of people to buy for, and partly because I went to a lot of craft fairs and other places where I could find unique things cheap. I'd stash everything on an old table and then sort them all out over Thanksgiving to see where I had skipped someone, or been too generous and might need to redistribute the bounty.
These days, not so much. The big chunk of the list that was the Norwood side of the family has drifted away, and the nieces and nephews on my side of the family have informed me that their tastes are too arcane for me to understand, so cash is the better option. That's no fun to buy for! Now I buy cool stuff for myself and a few close friends because I still believe that time between the winter solstice and New Year's Day should be a time of wonder.
Thanks, Gigi! I'm discovering that readers fall in two camps: those eager to read about Christmas all year round, and those who save the themed books to savor in December. And yes to buying the cool stuff for yourself and a few lucky pals!
DeleteCongrats on the new book Leslie!
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a Grinch about Xmas these days. It's more of a thing for kids and those who have kids. I don't decorate either.
I am a big fan of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which was born out of my favorite heavy metal band SAVATAGE, but I refuse to really acknowledge the holiday season until December 1st when I play all three of their Christmas themed albums for the rest of the month (they have some non-holiday music albums as well).
I get gifts for the people I need to and I'm happy to do it, but the actual "joy" of the holiday season has long faded for me. That wide-eyed look at the holiday scene in the shop window kind of reaction.
My co-worker plays Christmas music off and on all year long. I'll walk into the front office and it is jingle bell rocking in August.
I've recently begun dating a woman that I've known since we were both 13 and she does her holiday cookie baking like it is prepping for the NFL draft. Also, she loves Trans-Siberian Orchestra but has never seen them live. Does it count as planning too far ahead for sanity's sake if I'm thinking of getting tickets for the concert if things work out and we are together for the holiday season?
Oh, and despite my only lightly passing interest in the holidays in real time, I do enjoy a good Christmas themed murder mystery.
that sounds romantic and lovely Jay. Fingers crossed it works out for you!
DeleteDo it, Jay! Glad you're happy.
DeleteTSO plus a meticulously prepared array of Christmas cookies? That sounds like enough to shake the Grinch right out of anyone! Hope it works out, too. As you already know, I think, their live concerts are spectacular. She will surely thank you for that experience!
DeleteBuy the tickets, Jay. Give them to her tucked inside a cookie cookbook -- I'm thinking Dorie's Cookies by the fabulous Dorie Greenspan -- because even the Grinch likes cookies and TSO! (Good luck -- we're rooting for you!)
DeleteLucy/Roberta - It is funny that you say it is romantic and lovely. Two terms that are not generally associated with me.
DeleteEdith, it is strange to feel that kind of happy since I do not typically go looking for it.
Susan, I'm a big fan of TSO as I said. I've seen them once in concert and it was fantastic. My favorite song from them is "Old City Bar" from their 1st album Christmas Eve and Other Stories. Have you ever heard the story about how their song "Christmas Eve/Sarejevo 12/24" became a hit?
SAVATAGE had the song on their Dead Winter Dead album. They sent it to radio stations but no one would play it. The next year, they reissued the song as it is, slapped the TSO name and a Christmas wreath on the packaging and sent it back out to the radio stations...BOOM! Big hit single and a new yearly succesful touring outfit with and East and West Coast company.
Leslie, thanks for the gift giving idea with the cookbook.
I say go for the tickets, and how do you not throttle your co-worker who plays Christmas music in August?!
DeleteIngrid, I'm usually in the warehouse pretending to do my job so I only have to go out in the front office where the Xmas music is playing when something takes me out there that is work related.
DeleteGet the tickets!!!
DeleteLike Jay, I've become a Grinch about Christmas. It used to be my favorite time of the year, and I would plan, and cook, and send cards, and buy gifts, and wrap them with great care. But Christmas has gotten so commercial, and so ever-present from before Halloween, even, and it turns me off. If a store has holiday music playing before Thanksgiving I have been known to walk out. I've gotten so disillusioned, too, thanks to the fakeness of the outrage over the supposed war over a word. Good grief.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, I just gift our kids whenever the idea strikes me, and we have begun giving more symbolic gifts than useless stuff that ends up gathering dust. And I don't need any of that, either. As a holiday, I much prefer Thanksgiving. Everyone gets together for the sheer pleasure of one another's company, and there's no crass commercialism around it. My family is much more likely to have the time to travel then, as well.
However. Last year my youngest daughter remarried, to a man who is Christmas crazed. He's been posting "XXX days until Christmas" on Facebook for months, already! His utter joy in the holiday season tickles me, and has helped stave off the Grinchiness a bit. So it's not just women, Leslie!
Looking forward to your new book. I will read holiday-themed books at any time of the year, if for no other reason than the recipes!
And Jay, what lovely news. I wish you well.
Oh, Karen, too funny -- Ms. Grinch gets a Christmas-crazed son-in-law! Mr. Right had one Christmas decoration when I married him, a sock with his name on it that his sister made when she was a teenager. But he has come to love setting out "the things" and sharing memories about them. And you're right -- the trick is to find the joy, which is often in someone else's delight.
DeleteKaren,
DeleteIs it wrong that when reading your message my first reaction was "yaaay! Someone in the Grinch club with me!" And thank you for the well wishes.
We can grumble together, Jay! And you are welcome. The world cannot have too much love.
DeleteThe Grumble Club Murders, a new Christmas themed mystery series featuring Grinches solving holiday murders without visions of sugar plums!
DeleteDIBS!
DeleteI love a Christmas tree when it is up and I do have a ton of beautiful ornaments. But I must admit that I hate all the work involved! But I love too when all of Christmas is packed away and my house is back to normal. Did anyone play Christmas when they were little children? I was thinking about that the other day how a floor lamp was our "tree" and we wrapped "gifts" in towels and doll blankets. What fun that was!
ReplyDeleteThat's really cute Judi! We're finding that it helps to scale back on decorations and expectations. Don't do things that stress us out. Christmas in Key West is so pretty and festive that it's hard not to enjoy it!
DeleteLove Lucy's comment about Key West. My town goes all out for the holidays, too. Strolling through the village, all done up, always makes me smile!
DeleteCongratulations on the new book, Leslie--I don't mind out-of-season books--but admit to lots of Grinchiness about Christmas stuff appearing in the stores Sept/Oct. I try to ignore it all, and Christmas prep has scaled way down over the years--a tree and a few other decorations, some of our very favorite baked goods--and a clean house that sparkles at night when just the Christmas lights are lit!
ReplyDeleteAnd Jay, buy the tickets!
Thanks, Flora! It's all about the sparkle, isn't it?!
DeleteI don't plan all year but I *love* my Christmas decorations. The outdoor lights go up the day after Halloween (when it's still warm) even though I don't turn them on until after Thanksgiving. The tree and my Christmas village go up the day after Thanksgiving and stay up until Epiphany. I love the cozy, cheerful look when only the Christmas lights are on.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is: I can't decide whether to read your book now or save it for December.
Yay, another vote for leaving the tree up until Epiphany! My brother used to march the figurines of the 3 Kings and their camels down the stairs and across the living room floor, until one accidentally lost his head and my mother declared a change in traditions.
DeleteAs for when to read COOKIE, I can't help, but weather is a factor in the book so if you're somewhere dreadfully hot and damp like Kait, it might help you cool off!
Leslie, welcome to Jungle Reds! I am one of these people who like to write Christmas cards on the first day of December and send them out to family and friends. Though some people dislike receiving christmas newsletters, I love receiving them because they are always interesting and fun to read! If I see something during the year that I think someone would love to receive for Christmas, then I put the gift in my Christmas closet with the gift wrappings and Christmas decorations.
ReplyDeleteChristmas is my favorite holiday. I wish I could keep my Christmas tree up until the end of January like some people in New Hampshire are able to do. We have to get them out to recycling by the first of January!
I'm not one of these who want to shop right before Christmas with the pushy crowds!
Diana
Oh, the art of the holiday newsletter -- sounds like a great topic for the Reds in a few months.
DeleteI didn't know about the New England tradition. When my mother was a child, the tree went up on Christmas Eve and sometimes stayed up, in an unheated room, until mid February!
Leslie, congratulations on the new book! Buying it now and saving it for Christmas to read. I love to read themed books during the Christmas season like Christmas Carol and your Christmas book :-)
ReplyDeleteDiana
Congratulations on the new book! A few years ago, we assembled the family in Houston for Christmas. I packed small gifts and flat gift bags and tissue and a file folder of favorite recipes. Wearing shorts, we had a great time exploring Houston by day and the lights in the Heights after dinner. Our first Christmas away from home and certainly not the last.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margaret. Your traveling Christmas sounds delightful, and I suspect there will be a few of those in our future.
DeleteHi Leslie!
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a Nordstrom's style girl. Christmas is a lovely, wonderful holiday. I enjoy all the aspects, from the decorating (on the first Sunday in Advent because we have an artificial tree), through cookie baking (also done mid-December so there are cookies left for the holiday), through New Year's and Epiphany. This year, we had The Girl's boyfriend over for dinner. His mother had just had knee replacement surgery and wasn't very mobile. Plus Christmas is his birthday; The Girl and I could not leave this poor boy in a minimally decorated house for Christmas and his birthday!
But if I'm randomly cycling through music on my phone now and a Christmas song comes on? Hit next! I'm just not ready.
Please note: Holiday-themed books are exempt from my "keep Christmas in December" approach to the holidays.
Mary/Liz
Hi, Mary! I'm with you on the random playlist. Enjoy the visit to Montana -- on the page!
DeleteI stick to the ecclesiastical calendar: Nothing goes up before the start of Advent, and then I slowly add bits and pieces (I confess this is due more to disorganization than design) in the following weeks. Tree goes up on the third Sunday -"Stir Up Sunday" so, like Leslie's, it stays fresh through Epiphany.
ReplyDeleteWe have one Christmas ornament that stays up all year round. It's a carousel of Rockettes in their glittery Santa outfits, legs poised to kick. When you spin it, it looks like they're doing their famous kick lines. We got it one December after seeing the show at Radio City Music Hall, and it tickled Ross so much he hung it from the reading lamp by his favorite chair. It hangs there still.
Julia, that carousel sounds like a hoot, and yes, of course, it must stay put.
DeleteI'm writing about interior designers in the WIP. I believe they grossly overlook the importance of disorganization to design. :)
We don't even decorate in home anymore with two big dogs, one of whom would say "Balls! For me! Shiny!" Plus I never got any help from the husband so one year I striked ... struck? ... And never started again. Last year, I DID decorate a small tree at our business.
ReplyDeleteI also used to do all my shopping at a local bookstore. Great gifts either in book form or otherwise. Now I do it all via Amazon. It's lovely having things show up at your door and not have to go anywhere.
One year, one job I had that was in a cubicle land, I had the radio turned to the Christmas channel (yes, it was Christmas). We overdosed. Badly.
Dogs do complicate decorating, don't they? I can still picture the border collie catching her tail on a string of lights and us catching the tree just in time -- poor pup never went near the Christmas tree the rest of her life.
DeleteBTW, I'll be at This House of Books in Billings on June 15 -- would love to see you there!
Woot!
DeleteHappy Birthday, Debs! Let me pass you the Christmas cookie plate -- got it? Oh, good! Happy happy happy!!!
ReplyDeleteLeslie - howling! I'm using this, *I do a Nordstrom Christmas* - but the truth is I pick up gifts year round, bake RIGHT BEFORE the holiday and throughout it, and decorate NEVER. I might go to the yard and pick up pinecones to mound around a vase of flowers. And pin a swag to the front door. And c'est tout.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the book! Sounds like something to get now for... a Christmas gift!
Ah, yes, the swag -- so classy, who needs anything more?
DeletePersonally, I think a well-stocked library is the best decor!
Leslie, we have a gilded herald angel that stays up all year, over the door between our living room and hall. It drives my interior designer friend crazy but my hubby likes it, so it stays.
ReplyDeleteThe last couple of days we've had a respite from the heat, but when Texas summer roars back in full force, I'll be more than happy to read about Christmas!
We put our outside lights up the day after Thanksgiving, weather cooperating. The tree (a real one) doesn't go up until the first weekend in December, or sometimes the second weekend, and comes down on New Year's Day. And I admit to being a last minute shopper, wrapper, and card sender, no matter my good intentions...
Debs, your angel and Julia's carousel just reminded me that one of my parents clipped a wooden bird ornament they bought in Switzerland to their dining room chandelier. Thank goodness we remembered to pack it when my mother finally sold the house a few years ago! Designer friends aside, I think those are the touches that really make a home.
DeleteHappy, happy birthday, Debs!!
DeleteCongratulations...I can’t wait to read the new book. I have to admit I like reading Christmas-themed cozies rather than actual getting ready for Christmas. I usually put the tree up a couple of weeks before Christmas and take it down by New Year’s. I don’t bake Christmas treats much anymore. Over the years, my Christmas gift list has dwindled so I don’t buy a lot of gifts. I don’t actively shop for Christmas gifts early but if I find something in July that is perfect for someone, I’ll buy it. I do love Christmas music, though, and could listen to it year around.
ReplyDeleteOh, Chris, yes -- reading about the holiday can be much, well, pardon the pun, cozier than the reality, can't it?
DeleteSounds like a great book. Congratulations. I am a hybrid -- I buy things during the year, and think I am all set -- and then I panic in December when I decide that what I have isn't nearly enough . . .
ReplyDeleteLOL, Denise! When I was a teenage bookseller, we knew the day the Holiday Panic set in, usually about a week before Christmas, depending on what day of the week it was. Shoppers spent less time and more money! That's when we sold the big, illustrated coffee table books and fancy cookbooks.
DeleteCongrats on the book, Leslie! I think about Christmas in the summer because I have to make plane reservations before they are scarce or too expensive. In terms of decorating, the tree usually goes up in early December and down the first week of January. I definitely follow the Nordstrom approach!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ingrid! When I worked in downtown Seattle, there were people who waited outside Nordy's the day after Thanksgiving to see what they'd done with their windows -- always so tastefully unexpected.
DeleteI live in downtown Seattle, Leslie, so I get to witness that anticipation every holiday season!
DeleteI buy and review Christmas ornaments year round, but I don't start listening to Christmas music as early as I used to (October, not I often wait until mid-November). And I put up my tree and lights the weekend before Thanksgiving, but that's because I'm out of town for Thanksgiving. I'm single, so all the work of the holiday falls on me. I need some time to enjoy the fruits of my labor before it is time to undecorate again, right?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! As my mother always said about cleaning the house, she enjoyed sitting back for a bit just to enjoy it!
DeleteAre you kidding me. My sister, Ramona would disown me if I put up just fa simple mistletoe even a minute before Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteShe lives hundreds of miles away -- just don't tell her!
DeleteOur Christmases have gotten less and less involved over time. I put up lights outside after Thanksgiving. A few decorations in the living room and dining room. A miniature tree in the window. And that's about it. We have a tree and tons of decorations in storage but it's too much trouble to retrieve them. Because it would be me and me alone doing it! Our gift buying has been reduced also over the years. Kids grow up. I buy for out of town family only if they're going to be visiting during the holidays. My gift mailing orgies are pretty much done with. Just granddaughter in Ohio and very close friends and their family, also in Ohio. My mother-in-law would go full tilt: family reunion, big meals, homemade cookies and candy, house decorated to the nines. Lord, you should have seen all the Christmas stuff my husband hauled out of her house when he was emptying it to sell. That attic was packed! As for my family, we started celebrating very low key after Dad died. We'd meet at Mom's apartment with food and gifts Christmas afternoon and just sit around, eat, and enjoy ourselves. This coming Christmas will be quite different with Mom gone. Who knows? I might start baking cookies again!
ReplyDeleteOur celebrations do change over time, don't they? Bittersweet. (Though that makes me think of chocolate, which ALWAYS cheers me up!)
DeleteFirst of all, I absolutely love the cover of As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles, Leslie. That the book is coming out in June is for me a great reminder of my favorite holiday. Congratulations on this new book.
ReplyDeleteWhen the kids, now 34 and 31, were growing up, I did try to start shopping early for toys, especially the ones that would be hard to find in the Christmas season, but I rarely finished my shopping before December. I actually like shopping in the magical and festive atmosphere of Christmas. Now, there aren't so many gifts to buy, and I rather miss that. Few surprises, and I enjoy those. However, one of my best friends and I exchange gifts at Christmas, and we take great delight in surprising each other.
As for decorating, I used to get the tree up the day after Thanksgiving, but since we seem to have started holding Thanksgiving dinner at my house, I want the Christmas decorations up for that. It's mainly for the granddaughters that I want to have the decorations up then, as they enjoy them so much. And, it's a good opportunity for me to get the house cleaned up. I always used to joke and say that I didn't do spring cleaning, that I did Christmas cleaning.
Hey, ya gotta make the cleaning count! And I'm with you about enjoying a bit of the holiday hubbub. One year when I lived in Tacoma, which had no real downtown at the time but a great mall, my parents visited for Christmas and they wanted to go to the mall. I said it would be crazy. They grinned and nodded and said Yes -- that's what they wanted!
DeleteAnd thanks for the kind words -- this cover really is especially sweet!
Running in, running in! And you see if I can;t even make to the blog today until hours after I hoped to, I'm not gonna be a planner-aheader for the holidays. My problem: when I try to, like buy presents in advance, I always..put them somewhere. ANd then I totally forget. I have TWO Givenchy scarves, in white boxes, SOMEWHERE, They have been somewhere for two years.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the timing of the book--congratulations! ANd it's cold enough here in Boston that it seems quite timely. YAY!
Think what a surprise they'll be when you find them!
Deletexoxo
Congrats on the fun series, Leslie! I had a coworker once who changed over her entire house for the holiday - from Christmas plates and glasses to towels and bedding. The mere thought exhausted me. I'm definitely a put offer but I do enjoy the time spent with loved ones and the baked goods--always the baked goods!
ReplyDeleteThe bedding??? Oh, my. My SIL -- she of the tree so cute she keeps reusing it -- has Santa liquid soap dispensers, and holiday guest towels, and Christmas art. But it makes her happy, so it makes me happy. Even happier that it's at her house, not mine!
DeleteOh Jenn, I do Christmas bedding, too. It makes me feel so cozy getting into bed with the rustic Christmas bedspread.
DeleteI still enjoy my Christmas tree and decorations with all the memories. Also play my Christmas albums after Thanksgiving and send Christmas cards and letters. But my brother died last year so my sister-in-law and a few friends and I mostly exchange gift cards. When I shop on Black Friday, I buy for myself!
ReplyDeleteSorry for your loss, Sally. I am ALL FOR shopping for one's self, any time of year!
DeleteCongrats on the new book, Leslie! I'm more like you than your SIL, don't like to rush the seasons. The two exceptions we have in our house from Christmases past are the colored lights we've left up in the loft over the den (since 1999, no kidding,Y2K anyone?) that our friends and family love and fondly call our "party lights", and the Mexican woven-straw star, hanging from the chandelier over the kitchen table. Not really Christmasy, but just part of the house now! Can't wait to read your leatest! It's already so hot now your book will cool me off!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynn. Love the stories of the lights and star -- they are part of the year-round fun!
DeleteThank you, Roberta, Reds, and Red friends, for a terrific day. We've been talking Christmas, but of course, I wish you the happiest of Junes no matter what December holidays you do or don't celebrate. We're all readers at heart, and it's ALWAYS the season for good books!
ReplyDelete