Suspense and contemporary romance author Reggi Allder writes joins us today to talk about her family Christmas celebrations. Learn more about Reggi and her books here.
I love Christmas, music, lights, food and decorations. Every year I’m thankful our family members are able to be together.
I’ve lived in large cities and small towns. Both places have their own appeal. Wherever I am, Christmas dinner is the same. Some family members like turkey, some prefer ham and a few are vegetarian, so faux turkey works for them. Dessert can be a challenge. One relative can’t eat anything with milk, others want to cut back on sugar. However, everyone agrees on my recipes for from-scratch almond cake, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. I don’t bake too often, but during the Christmas season, I like to do more.
Apple pie isn’t a traditional choice for Christmas, but it’s a family favorite. There are many varieties of apple available from around the world. The Granny Smith, Macintosh, or Golden Delicious work best for pie—not too sweet.
Traditional songs like Silent Night and Oh Holy Night are usually played in our home, but I heard a song that was more country. Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy is a song co-written by Buck Owens and Don Rich in 1965. The song has been covered by several country music artists, including Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley among others. This tune rings a bell for me because when the kids were young, my husband always dressed up in a Santa suit on Christmas Eve. He would knock on the front door carrying his bag of gifts and come in to hand them out. Later, he’d excuse himself by saying he still had many homes to visit. Afterward, he would return dressed as dad again.
One year, our youngest said he could tell it was Daddy because Santa wore the same glasses as dad did. The jig was up, but the kids still wanted him to wear the suit the next year. Now there is a three-year-old and a five-year-old in our extended family, so the Santa suit will be used again.
When I needed an idea for a farm in Her Country Heart Christmas Edition, an organic apple farm fit the criteria. No food acknowledges the conflict between a man and a woman better than the iconic apple. The fruit signifies the battle between males and females and the temptation of being drawn to someone who has opposite goals.
Her Country Heart Christmas Edition
Sierra Creek Series, Book 1
After being downsized and losing her apartment in the city, Amy Long hopes to find a fresh start in the small town of Sierra Creek. Though she has no experience farming, she returns to run her late grandmother’s organic apple farm.
Cowboy Wyatt Cameron has a vow to keep and knows Amy belongs in the city. She’s in the way of his plans and as executor of her grandmother’s will, he has the power prevent her from staying on the farm.
Will hearts break when opposites attract?
