Today I was talking to my friend Catherine and I looked at the calendar and realized, OMIGOSH! THERE ARE ONLY TEN DAYS TO CHRISTMAS. Here I was feeling so relaxed, feeling I wouldn’t be rushed, I had at least two more weeks to go. Ha!

I still have lots to do…..

Luckily I’ve engaged in my favorite part of the season…the celebrating with friends and family.

Last weekend the dh and I went with my friends Lisa Dyson (and her dh) and Darlene Gardner to a Candlelight Tour of Historic Old Town Alexandria. We thought we’d be inside most of the time. We didn’t figure on the crowds or the cold or the shuttle buses that were never quite around when we needed them. So we walked from historic site to historic site and stood outside waiting to get in. The discomfort only added to the fun and Alexandria looked beautiful with all its Christmas lights and decorations.

Then Sunday I met my “Writers Group” friends, Virginia, Helen, and Julie, for our annual “Déjeuner Avec Chapeaux” (Lunch with Hats) – we meet for lunch every year to exchange presents and we all wear hats. It’s always a highlight.

Last night I had dinner with my former work friends, another evening of catching up and sharing our lives.

On Christmas, my sisters, my brother-in-law, my children and their significant others, and three friends will gather at our house for Christmas dinner. I always feel like laughing (maniacal laugh) when I think of myself hosting the Christmas dinner. I am so-not-a-cook, but somehow a turkey dinner gets made.

I could panic and think that I can’t possibly get this all done, but somehow, it does get done.

What do you have left to do for the holidays?

Don’t forget all the contests I’m hyping! The Harlequin Historical Authors Holiday Giveaway is still going strong. Enter every day. Catch up on past days. There is still a prize pending from my day of the contest and you can enter for my day of the HH contest and my website contest (next prize selected at the end of today- Dec 15) at the same time. See how HERE.

And Risky Regencies is giving away an annotated edition of either Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion to one lucky commenter. Enter this week by commenting on each of our blog postings.

Next week I’ll let you know if I’m frantic or if I have everything done….

This time of year can be so stressful. Halloween through New Year’s Day always feels like a whirlwind to me. I rush from one thing-to-do to another and I often forget that the Holiday Season is supposed to be filled with joy and happiness. The religious component of the holidays, no matter what your faith, is celebration. And giving. It is so easy to lose the idea of holiday spirit when all you think about is getting things done.

But I discovered that the Holiday Spirit comes in strange packages. This week it came in the guise of an appliance repairman.

For weeks my clothes dryer has been emitting a high-pitched squeal that gradually became louder and higher. I finally called the Sears repairman. Of course, my laundry room was a mess, so on the day he was to arrive, I added one more thing-to-do–clean and declutter the laundry room. It looked really great when I finished, but about one minute later, the repairman arrived.

I’d been so focussed on cleaning up the laundry room, I failed to notice he was wearing a Santa hat.

As he was doing the repair, I got to chatting with him. He said, “I love Christmas! I love everything about it. I don’t even care about presents. I just love Christmas.”

He’s kept his VHS player so that he can play his old Christmas movies, which he makes a point of watching throughout the season (His favorite is A Christmas Story). He drives through Christmas light displays. He sings holiday songs.

Open the windows and let in the fresh air! The holiday season is about fun. I’d forgotten.

This year I’m going to take a lesson from my appliance repairman and have fun over the holidays.

I’ve already started. I watched It’s A Wonderful Life and on Saturday, my husband and I are going on a candlelight tour of Old Town Alexandria–we never do stuff like that. I’m going to be looking out for other things that are fun. And I’m going to have fun with all those things-to-do. It’s all in my head. If I call it fun; it will be fun.

I know something fun you can do! Enter the Harlequin Historical Authors Holiday Giveaway. Come to our “Advent” calendar every day to enter for daily prizes and chances to win the grand prize: A Kindle Fire!

What will you do this season just for fun?

This is our national day of Thanksgiving, a day to pause and be grateful for the plenty that is in our lives. I hope all you have plenty in your lives! Lots to be thankful for!

I’m thankful for my family, my friends, my health (and their health!). I’m grateful for my writing life, for all those who support it – my agent, my publicist, my critique partners, my editor, my publisher, the booksellers, reviewers, and the readers. Especially the readers! I’m grateful for everyone who visits this blog, the Harlequin Historical blog, and my Risky Regencies blog.

So, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!!!!

On Monday on Risky Regencies, I’m going to be announcing the details of the Harlequin Historical Authors Holiday Contest. Twenty-two Harlequin Historical authors are participating. My day will be December 2. There will be daily prizes and a grand prize –a Kindle Fire.