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Anna DeStefano | What's Your Christmas Memory?
December 26, 2012
What's most important for me this time of year is feeling that rush of memories
and smiles and hopes for another holiday season like my favorite ones from
before. I've heard a lot from readers who're enjoying CHRISTMAS
ON MIMOSA LANE, and one of the most comment reviews or emails I get is about
past and present phenomenon. Yes, folks are loving the book. But more than that, they're feeling the
characters experiences—dealing with Christmases past, dreaming of perfect
Christmases future, and embracing the hopeful holiday they want to embrace
today. Because we're never really feeling only now this time of year. We're also
sensing those idealistic holidays we've had before and wishing for even better
memories to come. 
In CHRISTMAS
ON MIMOSA LANE our characters deal with their memories (both good and bad)
so they can focus on the beautiful holiday they're making now. This is the only
way for them to have their chance to be happy. Some of us struggle with being
happy, too, this time of the year, while the rest of the world seems to be
celebrating non-stop. Pete and Mallory and little Polly's story is about realizing that you
can make your holiday now whatever you want it
to be--make it look however you want it to look--no matter what you or
anyone else has been saying should make you happy. First,
though, you have to decide--for yourself--exactly what that happy will look
like, instead of assuming it will look like everyone else's holiday. 
What we want is usually a combination of before and now, with a sprinkle of what
we hope could be. It's often a confusing rush of emotion and longing that
doesn't feel entirely comfortable, so we don't look too closely at first (like
my characters) for fear that we can't have it, or it's not the right thing to
want, or even that we'll have to let go of past holidays (even
not-so-good-ones), and that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. But right this time of year is our individual ideal to
define. We shape how we'll live and love during
this season. And once me make the decision to live, and not just get by or
endure or make do, then the sky's the limit. There's no joy or dream
holiday too fantastic--and no simple, quiet moment too fragile and perfect for
us to savor--that we can't make real. 
What will your past, present and future holidays mean to you this year? How will
you grow from where you've been, live and love and revel in where you are, and
take the steps you must to grow in the direction you want to take in the
upcoming year. Take a moment to answer them, when you can, just as I challenge
me characters to. That's your Christmas present to you this holiday! Share your memories in the comments for your chance to WIN a $10 Amazon gift
certificate! *** "Christmas
on Mimosa Lane celebrates the resilience of not only the holiday
spirit, but the human spirit as well. You won't regret being part of that
celebration." —Kathy Altman, USA TODAY, Happy Ever After "Christmas
on Mimosa Lane is a charming, tender delight with unforgettable
characters. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you
feel as if you've come home yourself to a magical place where Christmas dreams
do come true. Anna DeStefano is a treasure!" —Teresa Medeiros,
New York Times best-selling author of Goodnight
Tweetheart "Christmas
on Mimosa Lane is one of the most emotionally powerful tales I have
read in a long time." —Romance Junkie Reviews, 5 Blue
Ribbons "A deeply emotional story that furls around your heart like a Christmas
ribbon." —Lori Wilde, New York Times best-selling
author
Comments
47 comments posted.
Re: Anna DeStefano | What's Your Christmas Memory?
My husband and I move around a lot, so every year we tend to happily think of some of the wonderful places that we've lived and celebrated Christmas.
We also talk about how each year seems to keep getting better and better, and it makes us wonder where we will be and what we will be doing in a few years! =)
(Kathleen Conner 2:30pm December 26, 2012)
This year i got to spend Christmas with my grand daughter i
didnt see her last year cause of personal problems with her
mother an my son so this year was the best
(Debbie Lord 2:44pm December 26, 2012)
We had a good Christmas Eve and Christmas with the kids and grandkids, but it was in separate groups over the two days. We are really hoping everyone's schedule works out for one big gathering next year. Merry Christmas.
(G S Moch 2:55pm December 26, 2012)
Christmas was great this year with having our Son Daughter-n-law and three grandchildren and our Daughter son-n-law and our Granddaughter under 1 roof this year..We ate,talked,and opened presents..Love watching the Grandchildren when they open a present and there eyes get so big and they are so excited. Loved it..
(Tina Myers 3:06pm December 26, 2012)
Every year we get together at my older brothers house for breakfast Christmas morning and then we exchange gifts.
(Chelsea Knestrick 3:23pm December 26, 2012)
This year we got together with aall of our kids (adults, now)
and most grandkids on Dec. 23 because our daughter-in-law had
to work Christmas eve and day. Love having all the family
around.
(Mary Hay 4:02pm December 26, 2012)
Getting up Christmas day and running to the tree to see what Santa had left.
(Jean Mitchell 4:16pm December 26, 2012)
Every year my best friend and I would take our sleds and go to the woods to get our fresh fir branches to make our own wreaths for our front doors.
(Jean Benedict 4:19pm December 26, 2012)
Merry Christmas belated and New Year.
(Kent Cook 4:38pm December 26, 2012)
LOVE TO WIN NEVER WON ANYTHING IN MY LIFE WOULD LOVE TO WIN
THIS CONTEST.
(Shelly Caggiano 4:40pm December 26, 2012)
We get together and have dinner and open presents and run wild ;-)
(Chelsea Brooks 4:59pm December 26, 2012)
Would love this fantastic Christmas book to read and I love the cover so much! Need a good story to relax with.
(Linda Luinstra 5:05pm December 26, 2012)
One good Christmas I had was when I was ten years old and got some Garfield and Smurf stuff. This year my mother ordered some books for us and she didn't think they'd arrive but they did on Christmas Eve, so we were very happy.
(Michelle Fidler 5:13pm December 26, 2012)
I was blessed with parents who (I know now) worked really
hard to make Christmas morning magical for me when I was
young. I worked just as hard to make Christmas special for
my kids, and now I see my children doing the same thing for
their children...
I've read a lot of the excerpts from Christmas on Mimosa
Lane and it sounds like a fantastic read!
Happy Holidays & thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
(Elizabeth Hyatt 6:12pm December 26, 2012)
BAKING COOKIES AND WATCHING THE SNOW FALL OUTSIDE.
(Debbi Shaw 6:17pm December 26, 2012)
My favorite Christmas memories are of my daughter's joy on Christmas mornings when she was a little girl. Now that she is grown and married, hopefully we will soon have little ones around the Christmas tree again.
Merry Christmas and thanks for the contest!
(Monica Vargo 6:43pm December 26, 2012)
My favourite Christmas memories have to do with visiting and baking.
(Cheryl McEwen 7:09pm December 26, 2012)
Fav Christmas memories... all of the ones spent with my grandmother... she always made everything feel so festive!
(Colleen Conklin 7:18pm December 26, 2012)
This year alot of friends called me ,to wish me a merry christmas, that was nice.
(Deb Pelletier 7:43pm December 26, 2012)
My favorite memory is when my mother married my da ( step - da , but he's my da)when I was five and we went up to his parents, my new grannie and pop's for Christmas. It was like walking into a child fantasy of Christmas. They had a beautiful tree all decorated next to the fire place and all the presents under made my eyes go big. They loved us as soon as they saw us, and grannie let me help her bake. There were pies and cakes and bowls of Christmas candy. And lots of new family to meet.
(Zina Lynch 8:06pm December 26, 2012)
My favorite memories are the first Christmas that my kids
had. They are the cutest when they get to rip open their
presents. Then of course every year after that how they are
grateful for what they receive when it really isn't all that
much. My favorite memory from when I was younger was with
my mom and grandma when my grandma was still alive. I
cherish those!
(Nicole Caroen 8:35pm December 26, 2012)
Spending a nice quiet day. Thank you have a great week.
(Holly Vanderhule 8:43pm December 26, 2012)
It's waking up early and opening presents with my sisters and cousins. We would be joking and laughing with one another. Those were the good times when life was just simple. Now it just hard to make time to spend with them.
(Kai Wong 9:19pm December 26, 2012)
Spending time with family this Christmas felt happier and more profound. It's the time spent with those you love that's ultimately important-- the moment is and will never be the same as any other moment and I can reflect on that quietly and feel truly lucky that I got to experience it. Hope everyone has moments to experience and cherish close to their heart!
(p c 9:19pm December 26, 2012)
I was seven years old and had just in September gotten a bedroom of my
own for the first time - which had meant new furniture. For Christmas, my
family managed to sneak past my bedroom window (right by where I slept)
and into the house the matching desk. What surprise I felt Christmas
morning!! I kept trying to sit in "my spot", and my family kept trying to get
me to turn around. My mom was waiting with her camera...it was
awesome!!
(Kelli Jo Calvert 9:24pm December 26, 2012)
Most of my best memories are when my children were young. I miss the
excitement from that time.
(Jo Jones 9:41pm December 26, 2012)
A new memory this year, a video of my 2.5 yr old gson waking up to
Christmas. He just walked around looking and then said "This is going to be
a nice day." :)
(Penny Mettert 9:44pm December 26, 2012)
My favorite is a cliche... my daughter's first christmas smile when she sees the chritmas tree!
(May Pau 9:46pm December 26, 2012)
When I was 8 years old my dad died on Christmas morning so I didn't have many good memories of Christmas as a child. When I got married and had children of my own I vowed that my children would always have a happy Christmas and I'd like to think that they have. We didn't always have a lot of money but they always knew that I loved them. Now that they are older with families of their own they are carrying on my tradition of a meaningful Christmas with their children. They have learned to share with those less fortunate and I think that is a very important thing for children to learn. My 7 year old granddaughter actually rang the Salvation Army bell representing her Daisy Girl Scout troop. She really enjoyed it. So Christmas to me being proud of how my daughter's turned out, and how they are teaching their children about what is important.
(Linda Henderson 10:20pm December 26, 2012)
The Christmas, when I was about 10, that my brother had to work all day. We waited for him to come home so we could celebrate together with dinner and opening presents. My mother must have felt sorry for me so she let me open one present, knowing it was a puzzle, and would keep me busy the rest of the day.
(Karen Blossom 10:28pm December 26, 2012)
I had a GREAT Christmas! In our family, everyone comes over
to our parents house and we start by opening are stocking
presents then our presents presents. This was probably the
first year Santa didn't through up with excessive
materialism with the amount of gifts. Definitely quality
over quantity this year.
(Summer Sharp 10:30pm December 26, 2012)
Decorating the tree when all of our family was together.
(Kimberly Beauchamp 10:34pm December 26, 2012)
My always made Christmas so special,when I was a kid. Sure do miss her. Thanks for a chance to win.
(Linda Hall 10:39pm December 26, 2012)
agree with you that christmas is what we make it -- let the sad memories slip through & reach for the happy ones, which luckily far outway the sad
(d Kenney 11:20pm December 26, 2012)
Sounds intriguing!
(Cindy Rader 11:54pm December 26, 2012)
For me it's all the traditions that create the memories. I
hope they create memories for my children too.
(Mary Preston 2:22am December 27, 2012)
Ours has changed due to deaths in the family...so now we celebrate their love with donations to food pantries or other local needs.. I most enjoy remembering the circumstances of our tree ornaments as we decorate it.
(Cate Sparks 5:22am December 27, 2012)
wasn't in the mood to celebrate christmas for my husband and I are seperated, but thats not fair for my 2 college age kids, so I decided just to spend Christmas Eve with them, making homemade pasta with my daughter, my son and his girlfriend had dinner with us, even though the time with him wasn't very long but spent it talking about school and other things-off he went to his girlfriends house and his dad'slearning how to share shouldn't of been hard for me for I had to do the same when I was their age for my parents divorced,too..I made the day special and kept my promised about beginning nice, even though my son's attitude towards me wasn't very nice until I decided to brush it off-then he said he was sorry! On christmas day I decided to serve a meal at this place that servesd a meal for people who are alone or homeless,name annie's place, met some nice people and had alot of fun! My daughter and I came home feeling so good helping others and a good meal to boot!
(Carole Fiore 7:16am December 27, 2012)
I used to like hunting out books for my mother - she was collecting a few of the fifties schoolgirl series by English authors and during the year I'd happen upon one in the secondhand shops and sneak it into my room to wrap for Christmas! Now she has all the series so I collect books for my husband instead.
(Clare O'Beara 7:41am December 27, 2012)
Thanks for the great giveaway.
I just started Mimosa Lane last nite.
Holidays change with life getting in the way - family moving and passing on. It is sad but we do some things differently and remember the good times/memories - it keeps those times alive.
(Pat Lieberman 8:10am December 27, 2012)
Getting dressed up for dinner. My mom had special Poinsettia table cloth
and cloth napkins (anybody out there from the '50s and'60s) I still think of
those times when I see those at garage sales.
(Susan Falkler 11:44am December 27, 2012)
I became engaged on Christmas Eve, 1972. It was truly magicalime. We had an engagement party with family and friends. We were married for 23 years when he died 16 years ago. The memories are beautiful.
Linda Cacaci
[email protected]
(Linda Cacaci 7:15pm December 27, 2012)
This year is hard since I lost my mom last year, then my grandmother this year. But we had a great Christmas this year anyway. Everyone got the gifts they wanted, and much of the family was able to get together. The really great thing for me was sitting down and helping my (fav) niece set-up her new kindle and show her the great (free) classics my mom (her grandma) introduced to me at her age! The reading bug has been past down through each generation. We even have my grandma's Girl Scout book the girls inherited (4th or 5th gen now). Showing my niece all the things she can get on her kindle that her grandma and I use to read is a memory I will always treasure! And I love that she reads like I do, instead of wanting movies or games like her brothers do ;)
[email protected]
(Victoria Colyer-Kerr 9:06pm December 27, 2012)
My favorite memories are of when my kids were little - the excitement,the staying up all night wrapping presents, the decorating, cooking, all of it!
(Nancy Bird 10:14pm December 27, 2012)
Watching my grandsons open gifts brings back memories of when my two children were little and all the excitement of Christmas. It is a wonderful time of the year.
(Rita Wray 11:00am December 28, 2012)
love xmas having family together singing, baking and opening gifts is a great time
(Danielle McDonald 1:05pm December 28, 2012)
I didn't have much of a present Holiday so far, but thinking back on past Holidays, especially those parts that I shared with my family, my Mother in particular, I think about a lot this time of year. Every year when I trim my tree, I put the ornaments that we made together in a prominent place so others notice when they stop by. I also bake her cookies that she was known for. They're a lot of work, but a labor of love, and I share them with my friends, and 2nd family, since I live a distance away from the rest of my family now. As for the future, I don't think that far ahead, because there are many factors going on in my life which make the future a bit depressing. My Father was put in a nursing home by my Sister, which is something I wouldn't have done, for example. This is eating at my heart. Therefore, I refuse to think about the future, and cherish the present that I have, as well as the past memories. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:47pm December 30, 2012)
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