Holiday Cheer-Holiday Traditions

by Marie Higgins

There have always been traditions for me during the holidays. Growing up, my mother and maternal grandmother always used to bake a Norwegian Christmas Cookie called “Fattigman Bakkles”.   (no, it’s not pronounced like fatty-man, either, although I’m sure it adds to your waistline. hahaha)  Every year, my family was able to make and eat these expensive cookies. The ingredients in them were definitely not cheap! 

Another treat around Christmas time for my side of the family was the famous “Applesauce Cakes”. They looked like Fruit Cakes…but tasted sooo much better and only had chocolate chips and nuts instead of all those yucky fruits the other cakes had. Even now I’ll bake tons of Applesauce Cakes to give to friends and family for our ‘goodie-plates’. These cakes alone are the reason I gain weight over the holidays!

A new family tradition that we started a few years back was to take our grandkids to see Christmas lights. There is a drive-through park not far from our town that is full of Christmas lights and decorations. In this little Christmas village they have a Santa Claus tent where the kids can sit on Santa’s lap and get a candy cane. My grandkids love doing this, and afterwards we’ll come back to my house to have hot chocolate. This very tradition (lights and hot chocolate) is what I used in my Christmas Inspirational romance, “Dreaming Of You”. With this tradition in my story, it brings more depth to my characters and makes them more memorable.

Katelyn Palmer never believed any harm could come from using her college crush as the hero in her first romance novel—the novel that jumpstarted her writing career. However, when Shane Hunter storms into town, demanding to meet the writer who used his identity Katelyn is confronted with more than her long, silent emotions. If Shane takes her to court for invasion of privacy, her career would be over.

Shane doesn’t know how to act when his ex sister-in-law accuses him of having an affair while he was married—and then shows him the romance book as proof. Now he wants to know who this author really is and why she used his name, and most of the events in his life for her story. Desperate to know the truth Shane befriends Katelyn but he does not expect to be attracted to her, even more unexpected is the joy he finds watching his twins fall in love with the woman who is stealing his heart, too...

Purchase in Kindle - http://amzn.com/B00A6G5JO0

Purchase in paperback - http://amzn.com/1480234087  

For those interested, here is a recipe for my Applesauce Cake:

Applesauce Cake

½ cup butter                                      1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup sugar                                         1 cup nuts

1 egg                                                    ½ teaspoon cloves

1 ¾ cup flour (or so)                         1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon baking soda                  1 cup applesauce

½ tsp nutmeg 

Blend butter, sugar.  Add eggs.  Add applesauce with soda.  Mix well.  Add spices, choc chips and nuts.  Add flour.  Bake 350 for 50 minutes in greased and flour bread pan.

~Marie Higgins~
More than just a romance...my stories are an adventure!

http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/