Happy Holidays and a FREE book!

Dec 5

Posted by


Osiyo~

I was inspired today to get into the holiday spirit. Next week we might even have snow to up that inspiration.

The tree is up and decked, the nativity arranged on the coffee table and Christmas shows are on the Hallmark channel. I love this time of year! Not only because it’s my birthday month and all the presents, but because of the spirit it seems to bring out in people.

A lot of people grumble that Christmas is too commercialized to enjoy anymore. Maybe that’s true. I am one of those people who refuse to let that commercialism dampen my spirit. I am a true believer in Santa Claus and the reindeer and all Christmas stands for!

So…I thought I’d spread a little cheer by decorating my website some too. Now for the presents…

I’ll give away a copy of Home, my vintage historical to someone who shares their favorite Christmas story! It can be funny, sad, poignant–whatever you want to share. I’ll even begin.

Some of you may know my birthday is three days after Christmas– also the anniversary of my first book, Home coincidentally– so I often got birthdays ON Christmas. Not fair! Not fun, either since I felt cheated each year. But on my fifteenth birthday I felt cheated worse than any other year. My parents were divorced when I was eleven so Mom would send my gift from Washington state and I looked forward to that package (even if she did send it C.O.D. a few years later). My dad had remarried and it was our first Christmas with a new family, lots of presents for Christmas and Mom’s gift was late, which meant I’d get a gift AFTER Christmas! WOO HOO!! 

Oh- sure, let that be the year I finally got a tape recorder from her I’d wanted for-EVER! I would have been so much more excited had I not come down with what my dad called the Russian flu. I don’t know why he called it that, but I suspect it was because it just sort of rushed in on me. 🙂 He had a weird sense of humor like that. So there I was all wrapped up in a fever and my cozy blanket holding my shiny new recorder and…no voice. Yup. I had laryngitis with my flu and couldn’t speak for the better part of a week after getting my prize. Somehow, it didn’t seem to matter. It was the best birthday ever because I got what I wanted and it wasn’t on Christmas! 😆

Would you believe all these years later I still have that tape recorder? Oh, and since marrying Mitch 29 years ago, I haven’t had a birthday on Christmas! It’s a win-win. 😀

Okay, your turn! And Happy Holidays!!!!

Dodadagohvi~

About Calisa Rhose

I'm a mother of three daughters and wife to a wonderful man of 35+ years. I'm also an avid seamstress, polymer clay artisan and die-hard crafter, always coming up with things to make with, and for, my six granddaughters and two grandsons. Check out my craft site https://lisasfancifulallure.wordpress.com/ when you have a moment. I'm also a small online business owner of Okie fLips on Etsy and Poshmark (eBay/Merkari coming soon), https://www.etsy.com/people/cmselfridge and https://poshmark.com/closet/okieflips I'm a published author of sensual romance. I write about stubborn men and women who don't take no for an answer, and there's always that golden HEA. Cowboys and first responders are my favorite contemporary heroes to write about. My light paranormal heroes are strong men ready to protect their women--not that they need protecting, since they are capable of caring for themselves.

Posted on 12/05/2012, in Contests, family, inspirations, Life As We Know It, Pen of the Dreamer and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 22 Comments.

  1. Calisa Rhose | 12/18/2012 at 10:12 AM

    Donna Michaels you won HOME! Contact me for your PDF!!!!!!!

    Like

  2. lisarayns | 12/06/2012 at 8:15 PM

    My mom’s birthday is two days after Christmas so you’re not alone. Happy Holidays!

    Like

  3. Lisa | 12/06/2012 at 7:43 PM

    Love Christmas and love your blog.

    When I was a kid, we lived in the desert – also known as desperate for a white Christmas. My grandparents lived in the midwest and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary two days after Christmas ..

    Would you believe right after our plane landed, the temperatures reached record highs for the season? Who knew southern Indiana could get to 85F on Christmas Day?

    We brought our weather with us … haven’t had even close to a white Christmas since.

    Like

    • Calisa Rhose | 12/06/2012 at 8:29 PM

      We lived on the Mohave desert when I was young. I remember well how starved we were for a winter wonderland, Lisa. I’m sorry even chasing the snow didn’t work for you. 🙂 When we moved back to OK in 2006 we got a record ice storm on Dec 9th. That just happened to be the day my dd and granddaughter were supposed to fly back to California. The airport closed and she had to leave the next day and even then got routed down through San Antonio.

      Like

  4. Katherine | 12/06/2012 at 3:46 PM

    I love the Christmas look of your blog. I love the Christmas season though I have to admit I’m not a big fan of putting the lights on the Christmas tree which could be why I haven’t put our tree up yet.

    Like

    • Calisa Rhose | 12/06/2012 at 8:25 PM

      Hi Katherine. We actually started cheating last year when hubby got a prelit tree on sale. LOL I can’t even find my outside lights since the move so I suspect they got left at my sisters in our storage. lol Thanks for coming by.

      Like

  5. Callie Hutton (@Calliehutton) | 12/06/2012 at 1:04 PM

    Nice post, Calisa. I shared my most memorable Christmas story on my blog, if you remember. We’re supposed to get snow??? Eeek, Hadn’t heard that one. See ya Saturday.

    Like

    • Calisa Rhose | 12/06/2012 at 8:21 PM

      I do remember your story Callie. Loved it. It actually made me miss my gramma who died in Feb 2000.
      They were saying 20% chance Sunday into Monday but it’s Oklahoma so who knows? See ya Saturday!

      If anyone wants to read a lovely memory you should go here http://calliehutton.com

      Like

  6. Taylor Anne | 12/06/2012 at 12:50 PM

    Hey Calisa! I love the holidays! My favorite thing to do is curl up next to the fireplace with the Christmas tree lit, sipping on a mug of hot chocolate, and reading a good book, or enjoying a Christmas Lifetime movie. A favorite memory is when me and my two brothers were little kids, we always had a real tree and my dad made his own snow out of Ivory soap. It may sound silly, but I can still smell the sweet soap mixed with the rustic pine.
    Merry Christmas everyone! (And Happy Birthday, Calisa)

    Like

    • Calisa Rhose | 12/06/2012 at 1:01 PM

      I’m happy to see you here, Taylor! What a charming memory. LOL Silly or not, if it made you kids happy I’m sure it was well worth it. 🙂

      Like

  7. Donna Michaels | 12/06/2012 at 12:22 PM

    Wonderful post, Calisa. And I love your decorated blog!
    Love the story of your tape recorder. I know a lot of people whose have birthday’s close to Christmas. I always felt they got jipped.

    Happy birthday do you and congratulations on your first release! I look forward to reading Home!

    Like

  8. Alicia Dean | 12/06/2012 at 10:48 AM

    Beautiful decorations on your blog, Calisa….love it! I also love Christmas and I refuse to let the negative nellies who talk about its commercialism get me down. I have a lot of wonderful Christmas memories as a child, and with my children. Unfortunately, the one that sticks in my mind is a sad one. My dad passed away December 21st, 1994. My kids were small, and I hadn’t finished their Christmas shopping. My then husband went with me to help, but we were both in a fog of grief, so it was difficult and surreal. (It was the only time in our twelve year marriage he helped me Christmas shop ). Because of the holiday, we couldn’t have my dad’s funeral until after Christmas, so we spent our Christmas with the thoughts and dread of burying my dad. To make matters worse, my cousin, who I adored, came to town to see us the day after dad died to be with us and offer her condolences. On the way home that night, she was killed by a drunk driver. So, we had two funerals to attend.

    See…I told you it was a sad memory. It’s the one that sticks out in my mind, though. I don’t need to be in the drawing, since I have HOME already…loved it, BTW. Merry Christmas and early Happy Birthday! (My daughter’s bday is Nov 23, my son’s is Dec 11, my two nieces’ are Dec 7 & 11, two of my sisters’ are Dec 17 & 18…so, wow, December is crazy for us. My mom and dad’s anniversary was Dec. 8. Just an FYI)

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    • Calisa Rhose | 12/06/2012 at 12:58 PM

      That is a sad story, Alicia! I’m so sorry for your losses.

      Thanks for the b-day wishes! We have a busy Dec too. My niece is Nov 25, my sister Nov 28, niece had her baby (on Black Friday) Nov 23rd, sil is Nov 20. Then we jump to Dec and my cousin is the 13th, another the 21st, bil the 23rd his son the 13th, me the 28th and my dd is due to have her baby Jan 29th but we suspect little Mackenzie may be early too. 🙂 And I feel like I’ve skipped someone. I also have my bffs- twins- Dec 26th so we always try to go out before New Years but rarely make it. LOL Thanks for stopping by! Your support amazes and pleases me.

      Like

  9. Ally Broadfield | 12/06/2012 at 9:13 AM

    This isn’t exactly a Christmas memory, but my oldest was born on January 9th, which is still pretty close to Christmas. He insists we keep the tree up for his birthday every year so he can have his birthday presents under it. The problem is we have a family tradition of going out and cutting down our own live tree every year. It worked just fine when we lived in Virginia, but here in Texas with the drought and the odd types of trees that grow here, it’s really a challenge to keep a tree alive for that long. I’d love to put the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but we have to wait to make it last through his birthday. I think we’re going to get one this weekend. Fingers crossed. LOL

    P.S. Don’t enter me in the giveaway since I was lucky enough to win a copy during your blog tour. Awesome read!

    Like

    • Calisa Rhose | 12/06/2012 at 9:27 AM

      We always leave our tree up til Jan 1 and I try to put it up on the first, but fell four days late this year. 🙂 One year we got a live tree on the first and our friend who had a tree lot brought my a fresh one the week before Christmas because we lived in a mobile home and he knew I worried about fire hazard. LOL I got to decorate twice.

      Thanks for stopping by Ally!

      Like

  10. Mae Clair | 12/05/2012 at 9:29 PM

    I love how you’ve decked out your blog for Christmas. Beautiful. And I’m a sap the entire month of December. A romantic at heart 11 months of the yea,r I turn into a romantic, starry-eyed marshmallow the entire month of December. I ADORE the Christmas season.

    My birthday falls a month exactly from Christmas and THAT always seemed to close, LOL. Loved the story about the tape recorder. Definitely one to cherish!

    Like

  11. lorettawheeler | 12/05/2012 at 8:13 PM

    I love this time of year too, Calisa:) It’s my birthday month also:)…we’ll have to meet on the verandah and sip hot cocoa and share the spirit!:) Of course, a few hot toddies would be good too! Lo

    Like

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