Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Happy St. Nicholas Day / Tuesday Everybody!

In my background, I have Flemish (Lowland Dutch) and German, and from what I understand, both backgrounds celebrate St. Nicholas Day.

St. Nicholas is who Santa Claus is based on. He was a real person. Unfortunately, not a lot is known about him, other than the fact that he would often provide for the poor and needy.

There's a story that there was a girl whose father was too poor to provide a dowry (which was extremely important back then, not as much now). So at night, St. Nicholas dropped off money so that the girl could get married.

He was a bishop and tried very hard to help all those in need.

I heard that the Dutch put out wooden shoes. They place hay in the shoes for St. Nicholas' horse.

Growing up, we'd put out a shoe downstairs the night before St. Nicholas Day. In the morning we'd have presents in and under our shoes, and sweet treats in our shoes. It was great fun, and not many people I know celebrated St. Nicholas Day, so it felt like something special.

My husband and I carry on the tradition to our offspring, who have enjoyed it. This morning there was joyful shouts as St. Nicholas gifts were fawned over.

Today, I think we're finally getting out our Christmas Tree, and I'm hoping husband will get out the lights for outside the house. We're a little behind this year, but I did put some garland over the mantelpiece. I also found some fun wall decorations and they're up. So now we just have to put up the rest.

I started wrapping presents, out of necessity. Husband and my father have a similar gift and I didn't want husband coming across it on accident, so I wrapped it up last night. I still have some shopping to do, and I expect when husband gets back from his doc appointment (he seems to have some kind of a cold) he'll want to take care of some of his own shopping.

What fun Christmas/December Traditions do you have in your family?

Have A Tinsel-Filled Tuesday!

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me: In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta: I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me: You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

Myths About Writers

Afternoon Folks, I thought we'd do a post to dispel some of the myths people seem to have about writers. I'll put the ones that first come to mind then y'all can chime in. Myth: Writing is a great way to make a lot of money. I'm not sure exactly how this one matriculated. Probably in the wake of some of the big best sellers (i.e. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and the like) but most of the time writers put in more money for their writing than they do get out of it. Generally a writer doesn't make a ton of money unless somehow his/her book is a blockbuster hit and blasts through what the author owes in the advance (which is paid back to publishers through royalties). Most writers I've met and talked to are not millionaires. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not one of those things that's automatic. Myth: Writing Is Easy Anybody Can Do It. Okay, granted this isn't entirely a myth, but it's not ent...

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