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Holiday Gifts of Love

Karen McCullough Posted on by

This post is part of the Holiday Gifts of Love blog hop. Scroll down to the end of information about prizes available and other participants.

Regular readers of my blog know that my mother passed away recently. One of the hardest things we had to do after her death was to clean out her apartment.

She’d already started her Christmas preparations, including some shopping. We found several things she’d bought that were obviously gifts and had to try to decide who she’d intended to give them to. Some were obvious, some less so, but we did manage to get those distributed as best we could.

What almost broke our hearts, though, was finding the box of embroidered felt Christmas ornaments she’d made. We knew exactly what they were. Every Christmas, each major gift she gave would have one of those little ornaments attached to the bow or ribbon. My tree has a collection of them saved from over the years.  We divided them up so each family member would get one, the last ornament each of us would have from her.

They were small things, but each one was crafted by her and given with love. Those ornaments are treasures that will remind me of her each year when I bring them out and hang them on the tree.

What is your most treasured Christmas decoration and why?

Now for the promo part…

Can Christmas Eve get any more fun? On her way to her family’s home, Carol Prescott’s car slides into a ditch in a deserted area with no cell phone signal. The only available shelter is already occupied…by a vampire. To Michael Carpenter, Carol is the bait of a trap.

In an effort to hold onto his soul, Michael has resisted the urge to drink human blood for almost a century. Now he hovers between human and vampire. If he doesn’t drink from a human before the night ends, he’ll die. He’s desperately thirsty, but Michael has seen the soulless monsters vampires are and he prefers death. Carol is pure temptation to him, the Christmas present from hell…or is it from heaven?

Just $.99 for this Christmas vampire novella!  Buy:  Amazon Kindle Nook Smashwords

Finally – about the prizes:

One commenter here will win their choice of ebook from all of my books available in ebook form.

There ae also a number of prizes available as part of the hop:

More info on the blog hop available at: http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/

Comments

Holiday Gifts of Love — 40 Comments

  1. My favorite Christmas decorations are also handmade. They were made by my husband’s grandmother, who was killed in a car crash when my children were small. The workmanship is so exquisite, no machine could make anything better.

    Thanks!

  3. One of my favorite Christmas Romance Books is The Untamable Rogue by Annette Blair! The story is about Ashford Blackburne Fifth Earl and he has to get married and get his willing bride pregnant before Christmas or his grandfather won’t let him inherit his money. Ash truly needs to inherit the money because his late father squandered it all away and he is taking care of his mother. After getting stood up at the alter, again, Ash and his friends go to the local pub where the owner plays a drunken Ash in a card game…his consolation prize is the pubs daughter Larkin, who he wants to get ride of. Ash has to learn to forgive…Larkin has to learn how to trust…can two completely different people find love together. This is a cute, extremely funny, romantic story with a surprise Christmas ending!

    Angelheart618@gmail.com

  7. I have a couple ornaments that I bought when my son was born, that were real special to me but with moving I have no idea where they went.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

    • I’m sorry to hear these were lost. I have a few that I’ve mislaid over the years and moves as well. I plan to try to recreate a couple of them one of these years.

  8. When my son was in 2nd grade his teacher was brand new, her very first year teaching. I volunteered in the classroom a lot but she took on an overly ambitious ornament idea involving clear glass, styrofoam balls, fake snow, hot glue and… yeah it was a lot of work. I spent the entire week before their break helping each day and there was just enough left I got to make one for myself. Now when I put them on the tree and see all these kids (who are now teenagers!) around I’m reminded of a special time spent with a group of kids whom I hope think on it as fondly as I do. 🙂

    always.and.never AT gmail DOT com

  10. The decoration made by nieces and nephews from over the years and the angels my Grandma gave me. Thanks for the giveaway and Merry Christmas
    crystaley73 at yahoo dot com

  12. I love the different glass and paper mache ones. I have one that is a merimaid, a cow and Santa haning ten. Thanks for being in the Holiday Blog Hop! I really enjoy the holiday season. I enjoy the smells, the food and lights. Oh and the music too. Not much into baking anymore. But I do enjoy tasting, ask my scales. Tee Hee. Great blog. roya-clan@sbcglobal.net

  15. I don’t have one because my family isn’t big on decorating a Christmas tree.
    bituin76 at hotmail dot com

  16. My condolences on the loss. My husband recently lost his uncle. He was cancer ridden and didn’t expected to live. But my favorite decorations are the ones that my sons make in school. They hold special places in the heart

    Raonaid at gmail dot com

  17. Happy Happy Holidays! Thanks for the great giveaway!
    My fav thing about the holidays are the awesome sparkly lights! We drive around on Christmas Eve and see them all while singing along with carols on the radio!
    grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com

  18. sorry about your mom my favorite decortion is a handmade wreath made by my mom who also passed away i look at this wreath every year and give it a christmas wish from my heart to her heart in heavan angelwolfmystic@yahoo.com

  20. my aunt got us silver flat ornamints that were personaly stenciled into the silver with a decoration and our names it was nice have keept sense i got when i was 12
    kaholgate at ymail dot com

  25. I have to say it was ceramic angel my grandfather made me when I was a baby.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

  26. My ornaments that I made when I was little.
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

  27. I am very sorry for loss ! Those handmade items are treasures..

    I have ornaments on my tree that my gpa bought for me his last Christmas on earth…and each year as my kids place them on tree, I think of him .

    Merry Christmas !
    ~Kym
    flwrs4ever(at)yahoo(dot)com

  30. My daughter each year acrylic paints one of those white figurines from Michael’s. She does a wonderful job. I love my collection. She has done it by giving her time–that is a wonderful gift to me. Her craft and time.

  32. What an awesome hop!! And a fantastic giveaway! Thank you!! Happy holidays to you all! Best wishes and many blessings!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

  33. Great giveaway! I’m spending this holiday season with my family and hoping to win so I can read more romances. I don’t have an ereader. Happy Holidays! lisarayns at gmail dot com

  34. The first ornament my brothers and children made. I have a ton of ornaments, but those 5 always have a place of pride.
    planterofhope at aol dot com

  35. A small star that glows in the dark from my Mamaw’s tree when I was young. I miss her.
    smoofrog at gmail dot com

  37. I love to find special things to put in my kids stockings. I love getting presents where there is and ornament to hang on my tree, I think it makes the gift giving so much nicer.
    Z
    seawitchreviews at yahoo dot com.

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