Holiday Traditions

by LaVerne Thompson writing as Ursula Sinclair

This is a very special time of the year filled with many different traditions. Most of which celebrate family and friends. Well in my house we’ve got a few Christmas traditions and I’d like to share some of our favorites with you.

This one was passed from my mother to me and from me to my girls. On Christmas Eve, after a nice hot shower, my kids find brand new Christmas PJs on their beds. Of course, over the years the types of PJs have changed from Onesie to pants and tops from Aerie or Pink. But it’s still a lot of fun for them to find. Afterwards we’d go downstairs and sit by the Christmas tree. If it’s cold out, we’ll have the fireplace going and my girls will sit on either side of me while I read ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. When they were little I read it to them, when they were able to read they’d take turns reading to me, now that they’re teens they’re back to having me read it to them. Funny how we’ve come full circle.

But one of our favorite traditions is our Christmas journal. When my oldest was five her teacher gave all the students a small journal. She told them about her family holiday tradition, which we’ve adopted. This is a special journal that’s kept with the Christmas things, and only taken out with the decorations and placed under the tree. We forget about it until Christmas morning. After all the presents are opened it’s the last thing under the tree.

I sit down, open up the journal, and write about the things my girls got for Christmas. It’s strange when you read about some of these things years later, how much it tells you about your children and yourself. I list the big family gifts too, but I also write about the high points of the past year, both personal to our family or larger world events that affect us all. Then we all take turns during the day reading about our Christmas’ past. It paints a clear picture of our lives, how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go.

My daughters a few years ago began another version of this. Instead of keeping a journal of the years past they write a future note to themselves and pack it away. They write about their hopes, fears, expectations for the coming year, and then they take it out and read it the following Christmas. Usually they smile or laugh while reading these notes to themselves. I love holiday traditions.Since it's so close to Christmas, I will give away a pdf download of White Wedding to a randomly picked commenter. Please leave your email in your comment so I can contact you!

Ursula Sinclair

White Wedding-The Guardian Agency

Coming soon Something Blue-The Guardian Agency

http://ursulasinclair.webs.com

http://ursulasinclair.blogspot.com

Meet Ursula Sinclair!

Ursula Sinclair

DP: Shana Stiles, your heroine in White Wedding, made a devastating discovery about her fiance’. In real life, how often do you think women are blind-sided by learning some terrible truth about their loved one?

Ursula: More often than we'd like to think, and sometimes they still continue in the relationship. Opting to live with things than without.

DP: If you were Shana, would you have handled the situation differently?

Ursula: I would have probably done what her mother did first, but I would have knocked him out, then I would leave. LOL!

DP: Shana owns a salon and spa chain. What is your favorite thing to do at the spa?

Ursula: Depends on which one, but I love the mineral baths then a nice body massage. If you ever go to the Hershey Hotel then you've got to try the chocolate bath.

DP: Here’s a hard one for you: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Ursula: Now that's really tough for me because there are so many of them and they are across the literary spectrum. So just to name a small few who have been influential I'll say Jane Austin, Robert Jordon, Anne McCaffery, Melanie Rawn, Julie Garwood, Christina Dodd, Iris Johansen, Hannah Howell, Octavia Butler, Sandra Kitt, James Mitchener, Stobie Piel. Okay I have to stop now, but see what I mean. I can fill this page. LOL!

DP: What does your family think of your career as a successful author?

Ursula: Mixed reviews. They are proud and love it, but when somebody needs something NOW, not so much.

DP: LOL! Sounds like there are teenagers in the house. How do you juggle your writing time with family obligations?

Ursula: I hide in the basement. No seriously, I do what all parents do, multitask and wish for more time in a day to get it all done. Then try not to beat myself up when I fall short.

DP: Besides writing, what do you do in your spare time?

Ursula: What's that? If I had it I'd read for pure pleasure, hike, shop for me for the heck of it and cook for fun.

DP: What dessert do you indulge in to get you in the mood for writing?

Ursula: Doesn't matter, never changes…pure unadulterated chocolate. You can keep the strawberries.

DP: You have Jimmy Thomas on your website banner, and Charles Paz on your cover. Any more Mr. Romances hiding up your sleeve?

Ursula: LOL! Love those guys…what sweethearts. As a matter of fact yes, I'm working on it.

DP: When you write a hero, does he spring from your imagination or fantasy, or do you have certain flesh and blood man you model him after?

Ursula: All of the above.

DP: What non-carnal activities do you find sexy watching a man do (ex. Cooking, cleaning the pool, building something)?

Ursula: Bush hogging, a man with a chain saw in his hand, or chopping wood.

DP: I can tell you like your men hot and sweaty:) What colors inspire your creativity?

Ursula: Purple, black, red, cobalt blue.

DP: Are you an early riser or night owl?

Ursula: Have no choice but to be both, otherwise nothing gets done.

DP: If you could make a movie out of White Wedding, who would play the characters?

Ursula: Shanna definitely Halle Berry, Ross- Huge Jackman, Eboni- Zoe Saldana, Simon I'm gonna have to think about, but Noah is Kellan Lutz.

DP: Thank you, Ursula. Oh yes, Huge Jackman would be perfect as Ross! All we'd need is some chocolate to go with that movie:)

Ursula Sinclair is the pseudonym for LaVerne Thompson, a multi-published, award winning bestselling author, an avid reader and writer of contemporary, fantasy, and sci/fi romance featuring interracial relationships where race is not a factor. Ursula is her alter ego who likes to push the envelope of relationships just a little more. Decadent Publishing is pleased and honored to feature her wonderful, interracial romance White Wedding for our readers’ enjoyment.