Fresh Fiction Blog | Blythe Gifford | Holiday gatherings and family myths. What's yours?

When I began writing The Brunson Clan trilogy, I was struck by the way the history of the Scottish Borders was captured in its ballads. Long before books were commonplace, the stories of the Border Reivers (raiders) were immortalized in song. In the midst of a bloody era, when family was more important than country, these men "prized a poem almost as much as plunder, and produced such an impressive assembly of local narrative songs that some people used to label all our greater folk poems as 'Border ballads'" (A. L. Lloyd, Folk Song in England.)

Poetic, stirring, memorable. But accurate? Not always.

At least, that's what my Brunsons discover during the course of the trilogy. The story each believes - about the family, the enemy, or even about him or herself - is ultimately upset when the truth is discovered to be slightly different than oft-told tales.

CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, the second book of the three, centers on the youngest child and the only sister. She has grown up thinking that life is duty and that the valley where the Brunsons have lived for centuries is the only place she, or any Brunson, can truly call home.

So when she goes to court, at the mercy of a man she believes betrayed her family, she is plucked away from everything familiar. Surrounded by luxury she has never known, she begins to question everything she has grown up believing, not only about her family, but about herself. And even about the man who holds her captive.

What she eventually discovers about all of them helps her become a different person by the end of the book. Only when she discovers some truth hidden in the family story, does she find out how it applies to her.

Isn't this the case with many of the stories our families tell?

Particularly when we gather for the holidays, families will repeat their own tales. The time Great Uncle Joe saved the farm during the Depression. The time Cousin Will, the absent minded genius, forgot to come to Thanksgiving dinner because he was deep in a book. The way Mom and Pop fell in love at first sight.

We cherish such stories and adopt them as part of ourselves. Is every detail strictly and completely true? Well, perhaps not. But the stories families choose, and the way they choose to tell them, say as much about the family as the "real truth."

How about you? Does your family have stories to tell? True or not, please share one with us!

One lucky reader who comments on today's blog will be randomly selected to win a signed copy of - your choice - Book One, RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, or Book Two, CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD. The final book, TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL, will be on the shelves February 19.

Return Of The Border Warrior
Brunson Clan
#1.0
November 2012

Captive Of The Border Lord
Brunson Clan
#2.0
January 2013

Taken by the Border Rebel
Brunson Clan
#3.0
March 2013

Comments

My aunt and uncle like to tease their son. One year when he
came home for Thanksgiving, they had moved without telling
him! So he got home, but no one was there. They had to give
him on-the-spot directions to their new house.
(Karin Anderson 8:46am December 20, 2012)

OH my goodness...every family has stories. HA My 4 yr old grandson wanted to play hide and seek with me so I counted to 10 (slowly) but I could not find him. I was so afraid he went out the back door. I keep calling his name but nothing. Finally I started to cry and he pops us concerned for me. HA He was hiding so deep under the bed up by the headboard that I did not see him. That was frightening!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:30am December 20, 2012)

Lots of stories - too little time. Our family LOVES to tease each other and keep those stories alive. But the fun we have - never mean. Happy holidays!!!
(Nancy Reynolds 10:03am December 20, 2012)

No stories that I am able to reveal online for the world to know.

Merry Christmas!!
(Lori Yost 10:12am December 20, 2012)

Well... My parents tease me too much when I was a kid. :) So no stories that I would want to tell!
(May Pau 10:13am December 20, 2012)

Our family it was always funny stuff. My dad was an over the road truck driver. He came home on a Saturday morning and no one was home. A good friend of the family was expecting her first baby any day. He went to the neighbors and they weren't home. So he assumed Sharon had her baby and went to the hospital. Ends up we were grocery shopping and the neighbors were just not home. Hearing him tell the story was funny because he really thought the baby was coming! Still makes me laugh 30 years later!
(Sue Galuska 11:20am December 20, 2012)

We like to share stories... remember things together or learn about other things that happened before we were aroud.
(Colleen Conklin 12:11pm December 20, 2012)

My parents met in a bar on February 29th. My mother always cautioned me to be extra careful on that date.
(Kathy Sullivan 12:13pm December 20, 2012)

Of course we have stories but one of my favorites has to be
the fact that my mother was the clutziest woman on the planet.
She is the only person I've ever known to close her own nose
in the refridgerator.
(Donna Antonio 12:43pm December 20, 2012)

We don't have many stories, but we repeat them every year!
(Roxana Perez 12:57pm December 20, 2012)

We used to go to my Grandmothers for Xmas, the entire family would gather, 4 Aunts 1 Uncle and all their kids. We had a great time and wonderful food and lots of presents. It was alwaays a great thing to remember. My Grandmother is 97 so you know what it means to me!
(Brenda Rupp 1:03pm December 20, 2012)

My mom has lots of stories she shares about herself, other members of the family, or previous pets she used to have. She has had lots of strange animals including a coyote, a raccoon, a domestic skunk, a lama, several different cats, and many others. My dad used to have a stable and one of his horses was named Hercules and it took the hose she was using to fill his water bucket away from her and hosed her down.
(Chelsea Knestrick 1:40pm December 20, 2012)

We eat at my sister in law's .... she's an awesome cook!!
(Cate Sparks 3:47pm December 20, 2012)

I cannot think of any stories to share but Happy Holidays to all
(Shirley Younger 3:58pm December 20, 2012)

My mom always liked to tell the story about my pet crow that followed me to school one day and even found which room I was in and called to me through the window.
(Sue Farrell 4:07pm December 20, 2012)

I could tell you...but then I'd have to ( well, you know)!
Merry Christmas!
(Bobbie Pilkinton 4:49pm December 20, 2012)

ALL OF THE FAMILY COMES AND SPENDS CHRISTMAS TOGATHER
(Shelly Caggiano 5:13pm December 20, 2012)

I loved sitting around and listening to my husband and his siblings. He was one of a huge family and they always had amusing stories to tell about their childhood. Merry Christmas!
(Anna Speed 5:16pm December 20, 2012)

My holidays are always happier due to my birthday on Dec. 20,
then my 2nd son was born on Dec. 23, and finally my only
grandson was born on my birthday 14 years ago.
(Mary Hay 5:35pm December 20, 2012)

I love hearing all your stories! Makes me feel as if I'm in the middle of a wonderful holiday celebration! Thanks for sharing the joy.
(Blythe Gifford 5:41pm December 20, 2012)

My family is very small and but highly dysfunctional. My mother takes it upon herself to try to embarrass or insult everyone in attendance.
Happy holidays to all!
(Tracie Travis 7:36pm December 20, 2012)

Well, we normally house hop. It doesn't matter that we just saw you at so and so's house, we have to go to each house. It takes all day and way tooooo filling! There is only so much wine, coffee, deserts, tea, ect. a person can take.
(Sally Hannoush 7:54pm December 20, 2012)

Loved to visit my then boyfriend,s house Xmas night for cards and
stories...now my husband of 32 years, parents gone but still remember
with fondness.
(Kay Burke 8:20pm December 20, 2012)

The family story of my mother's grandfather was that his family built ships in Denmark but he ran off to sea to be a sailor and then came to the United States.
(Maureen Emmons 8:20pm December 20, 2012)

Being in oldest of 8 kids there is always stories to tell when we get togather. Rememberances of parents, grandparents, great grandparent and stories about growing up in a large family.
(Sheila True 8:22pm December 20, 2012)

When my sister and brothers tell our children stories about our childhood they always think we are exaggerating. When we were young my mother used to give us an ex-lax every Friday evening. She wanted to make sure we were regular I guess. To this day none of us like dark chocolate and I blame the ex-lax for that. We told this story to the kids last year and they were cracking up. Maybe an odd family story, but true.
(Linda Henderson 8:31pm December 20, 2012)

I'm going to my sisters for Christmas. Happy Holidays.
(Amy Milne 8:46pm December 20, 2012)

i would love to win any of your books...thanks
(Kimberly Hoefs 9:14pm December 20, 2012)

My parents don't tell much of any stories from their past. Both were in World War II and I think the war just bring bad memories for them.
(Kai Wong 9:38pm December 20, 2012)

We always bake cookies on Christmas Eve. I wish I had something more interesting to tell!
(MaryAnne Banks 10:51pm December 20, 2012)

My folks have stories for each of us and they have told them to us many times so we remember them and will be able to tell them to our children. In retern, we have saved memories of our children to pass along to them when they're older as well. :)
(Donna Holmberg 12:09pm December 21, 2012)

When my sons were young the family's on my husband side would hire Santa on Christmas Eve for all the kids. My youngest was only 6 months old while sitting on Santa's lap he grabbed hold of his beard and pulled. Yes the baby pulled it off and all the other kids started crying. "Scott hurt Santa, Scott hurt Santa"! They were running around screaming scared to death. That night I didn't think I would ever get the older son asleep.
This year for Christmas I'm only baking sugar cut out cookies for the family. Getting older and I'm disabled it's hard to mix, roll and cut the cookies. The hands, legs and feet hurt real bad to stand there and do all the baking like I use to. I'm having help for the cookies my son is helping. Yes the one who hurt Santa! Happy Holidays!
donna harris
[email protected]
(Donna Harris 12:56pm December 21, 2012)

So many stories!! I love learning all about the antics the
ancestors got up to. My Grandmother was a maid in a castle:
think Downton Abbey.
(Mary Preston 7:50am December 21, 2012)

My Dad loves to tell us the story about when he was little it didn't take much
to entertain him. His Dad would give him a bucket of water and a brush and
he would "paint" the garage. Of course this falls into the back in my day
story group.
(Ann Sheiring 8:43am December 21, 2012)

I come from storytellers both true and false. I keep that going through my children and hopefully it will continue.
My grandmother once told me the story of her father getting the land that they live on...
They came by cover wagons and were attacked by Indians. They fought them off day and night (enter sound effects and vivid details), until the Indians went away knowing the strength of the family they encountered. I told this story in second grade to my teacher, who then called my mother about the amazing way it was told and the great rich history - my mother laughed, it was just a story to tell me by her mother.
(Carla Carlson 11:45am December 21, 2012)

Well, my Daddy had to walk two miles each day in snow higher than he was to get to school And then we had the dragon flies that he told us were stinging needles and would sew our mouths shut if we talked or the earwigs crawling in our ears and making us go crazy. He had a ton. Sad part is I believed them about the bugs for years. I have an unnatural phobia of anything that crawls or flies.
(Vicki Hancock 12:42pm December 22, 2012)

When I was about 4, one of my cousins and I walked to the corner grocery store... it started raining on the walk back home and it was thundering... my cousin told me elephants were chasing us in order to get be to run home... She loved to tell that story!
Merry Christmas.
(Sonja Warmath 8:22am December 22, 2012)

We go to my sister-in-law's house every Christmas Eve. She, my husband, and their two other brothers always tell tales about when they were growing up or when their kids or grandkids were growing up.
(Cathy Phillips 5:16pm December 22, 2012)

We (the kids) love Christmas so much and the happy spirit and feelings that the holiday invokes that we now keep our Christmas tree up all year long (although we do take the ornaments down and reserved that for the actual holiday).
(p c 8:49pm December 23, 2012)

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