Oh, Christmas! As an adult, the holiday is my favorite because of the natural
good cheer and festive nature around every corner. I find myself a little more
patient when waiting for a car to back out of a parking spot. I tend to move
through life at a slower pace and enjoy the decorations in stores and around
town. I adore attending Christmas parties and parades. However great all this
is, it does not capture the essence of why I fell in love with Christmas as a child.
I come from an extremely large Italian family—we LIVE for holidays and family
gatherings full of fun, laughter, games, and great home cooked food. Christmas
was always the holiday that everyone came to, no matter how far away you lived
or if you had other family to visit. It was a tradition—and no one thought to
displease my Noni and Papa. And so, we gathered at what felt like 10am and spent
the entire day and late into the night at my grandparents’ house enjoying ham,
turkey, raviolis, fresh rolls, and all the fixings. My mom would later correct
my childhood memories by saying we arrived at about 3pm on Christmas Eve and
headed home at 9pm. Why did the time surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, and
grandparents seem like it lasted days?
After eating Christmas Eve dinner and filling ourselves even more with pies of
every variety, we would all settle in the living room for gifts. We all had our
different spot in the room that we’d stack our presents to be opened in whatever
order my Noni deemed. It was tradition that the youngest grandchild (who is able
to read names on the presents) would deliver each one to who it belonged to.
This seemed to last forever as our stack of presents grew ever bigger before us.
Finally, with all the presents handed out, my Noni (grandmother) would select
what order we would open them. Sometimes it was oldest to youngest with the
adults always bickering over who was older. Sometimes it was youngest to oldest
and we would have to wait in agony as our youngest cousin of the year (sometimes
only fifteen months) struggled to unwrap each gift. Other years, it would be
chosen at random, my Papa calling on someone to open just one gift before he
moved onto the next present opener.
The reason Christmas was so special to me wasn’t about the food or the presents,
but family. This is all too apparent to me now as both my Noni, Papa, and father
have passed away, my cousins have moved all over the world in pursuit of their
dreams, and I have started my own family. My only hope is that my children come
to see the magic of Christmas as I did—a time of love, laughter, and, most of
all, family.
Lady Pippa Godfrey has suffered the most ruinous London Season. She escapes
to her Somerset estate for a quiet Christmastide holiday with her family, away
from society's prying eyes. But before her parents can join her, a storm crashes
down on Somerset to destroy any hope of Pippa's white Christmas dream. The roads
have flooded and travel is impossible, leaving her stranded and alone.But a
muddied, angry and devilishly handsome lord appears at her door demanding
shelter.
Lucas Hartfeld, the Earl of Maddox, has been summoned by his parents, the
Marquis and Marchioness of Bowmont, to attend a holiday party in the wilds of
the country, far from his London townhouse. He suspects they command his
attendance for far different reasons than a simple country party. When a storm
strands his carriage, he's forced to seek shelter at the only home for miles
around, a local manor called Helton House.
When Lady Pippa is reluctant to admit him, he does what he's been raised to
do--demand she provide him and his servants with shelter until the storm passes.
But the beautiful woman draws his interest far more than he's willing to admit.
Can Lucas find a way out of the predicament his parents are planning?
As Lady Pippa scrutinizes another arrogant, demanding lord, she is bombarded
with memories of betrayals in her past. Can she forget those difficult life
lessons to claim a Christmastide kiss from a perfect stranger?
Holiday | Romance Historical |
Novella / Short
Story [Author Self-Published, On Sale:
September 27, 2016, e-Book, ISBN: 2940156779444 / eISBN: 9781945089053]
Christina McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her
mother encouraged her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since.
Currently, she focuses on Historical Romance.
Christina enjoys a quiet
life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots of coffee. Oh,
and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found writing,
reading, or traveling the great state of California.
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