Christmas Traditions Make the Holidays!
One of the fun things about Christmas is traditions. Take for instance, the Land Down Under, because, well, someday I want to visit there, just probably not at Christmas. The English and Irish predominately settled Australia so it stands to reason their traditions reflect those countries. Here’s a few of of their Christmas Traditions.
Aussie’s decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves and evergreens along with 
blooming flowers of Christmas Bush and Christmas Bell Flower. It’s summer time in December down under, when most of the United States is looking forward to big flakes and blankets of snow for a white Christmas.Carols by Candlelight is one of the popular events in Australia. People come together under the stars at night to light candles and sing Christmas carols. Seems to me, it’s not far from our own tradition of Christmas carolers. I just can’t imagine Christmas without snow, that’s why I live in Colorado.
Christmas Day is when families and close friends gather from all over Australia for a holiday midday dinner. Some enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of roast turkey or ham and rich plum pudding doused in brandy and set on fire before it is brought to the table. Other families head for the backyard barbie to grill their Christmas dinner, maybe shrimp, in the sunshine or go to the beach and enjoy a picnic of cold turkey or ham and a salad. To the delight of children, Father Christmas in shorts may appear to greet children at the beach on Christmas! If you can’t have snow, that’s the way to celebrate Christmas.Because I am of Swedish descent, let’s take a peek at Christmas Traditions in Sweden where in December the days are quite short, the nights long and the ground is usually snow covered. The Christmas season begins at church on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Children use an Advent calendar to keep track of the first day of December until Christmas, just like some of ours do. Each morning, they open a flap in the calendar’s Christmas scene to see the charming picture behind it. This year, I have a Victorian Advent calendar on my computer and enjoy a surprise behind each door daily.
The festivities in Sweden really begin with St. Lucia’s Day, December 13th, a 
celebration of the patron saint of light. A Christmas market held in the old medieval section of Stockholm is where you can find handmade toys, ornaments, and candy. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Some people write a special verse to accompany the gift and even seal the package with colorful sealing wax. I have enough trouble with scotch tape and wrapping paper, I can’t imagine what would happen with hot sealing wax. Not a pretty sight, I’m sure. A Christmas tree is selected by the whole family just a day or two before Christmas and decorated, while the delightful aroma of gingerbread cookies in the shape of hearts, stars, or other festive shapes waft through to house. Christmas 
Eve is when the main feast is eaten. Presents might be brought by Santa 
(Jultomten) or by gnomes/elves named Tomte or Nissar. Many families set out a sheaf of grain on a pole for hungry birds. My hubby and I always put out special treats for the wild birds on Christmas.
As for my family, we put up the tree, Christmas decorations inside and out, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or try to. No it’s not a real tree, only because I’m allergic. <sigh> We watch Christmas movies throughout December and make candy such as Divinity, Fantasy Fudge and Beaver Dams. What are 
Beaver Dams, you ask. Well, take a package of butterscotch chips, melt them in a double boiler, stir in half-package of crispy Chow Mein Noodles and one half can of cocktail peanuts. Spoon the concoction onto foil and let set. They look like beaver dams hence the name. YUMMY.
This year I’m going, to once again, try my hand at gingerbread cookies. Its become a Christmas Tradition of sorts, an make my family cringe. Why you ask? I haven’t had a lot of luck in previous years getting a good tasting cookie. Do any of you have a favorite recipe that I could try? Feel free to leave the recipe in the comments section.
In by new release CHARM ME AGAIN, Josie and Daylan have an unexpected Christmas experience! Magic of family & friends a 
through out the year and a Christmas tale of true love and paying it forward will leave you breathless.
Next week My Favorite Things About Christmas. What Christmas Traditions do and your family observe on Christmas Eve and Day? Or during the month of December? I look forward to hearing from you.
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Australia, Charm Me Again, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Gingerbread cookies, Ireland, Sweden, Tena Stetler by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Elves Christmas Celebration in the Red Barn
Welcome to the Highway Cafe Christmas Blog Tour. Come celebrate each day from December 4-8, visit new blogs along the tour for fun, prizes, recipes, and holiday tales.
It’s rumored that Santa has given the elves a night off before the big day to reward their hard work. To verify these speculations we scramble up the ladder outside the big red barn, climb into the hay loft to peer down. Sure enough the elves have gathered to party the night away beneath the white snowflake lights that cast a magical aura over the celebration.
We spy Twinkle Bright elf settled in a chair, her feet tucked in fuzzy red otter slippers propped on a large hay bale. She’s dressed in red jeans and green Christmas sweater with the words “Santa’s Team” 
emblazoned across the front. Her hands are wrapped around a large mug of steaming hot chocolate (her own secret recipe), overflowing with whipped cream and marshmallows as she sings Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer at the top of her lungs. Several elves are dancing around the huge Christmas tree which is decorated with strings of popcorn and cranberries. Bubble lights bubble merrily beside the twinkling lights and shiny baubles on the tree. Brightly colored packages, tied with ribbons and bows are stacked under the evergreen.
Just as Twinkle Bright set her mug on the floor, another elf rushes over and grabs her hand and tugs her to her feet.
“Lets dance.”
The plate with a piece of Fantasy Fudge flys off Twinkle Bright’s lap and crashes to the floor. “Look what you’ve done,” she squeals.
“Sorry.” The elf waves his hand in the direction of the mess, the dish repairs itself, the fudge returns to the plate and hovers in the air in front of Twinkle Bright’s face. “Okay the five second rule applies.” A wide grin spread across his face.
“Not even.” Twinkle Bright narrowed her eyes at him. “New piece of fudge (her famous recipe) on a clean plate.” She snapped her fingers.
“Yeah, yeah… after the dance.” He spun her onto the dance area the reflection from the white snowflake lights shimmer in her copper hair. Her red/green elf hat with twinkling multicolored lights sprinkled on it, bells on the tip flew across the room and smacked Goth Elf in the face. Strains of the Jingle Bell Rock shook the barn. After the dance, Twinkle Bright retrieved her hat as her elfin partner brought over two pieces of Fantasy Fudge on a festive holiday plate. She bit into a piece and closed her eyes. “Hmmmmm.”
“This is a great reward for a job well done.” Her elfin friend commented.
Twinkle Bright nodded in agreement. “Best job in the world.”
Recipe for Fantasy Fudge.
3 cups white sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add all ingredients to list
Directions
- Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- Mix sugar, margarine, and evaporated milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and thoroughly combined. Beat in marshmallow creme, add nuts if you like, and vanilla extract. Pour fudge mixture into the prepared pan and let cool before cutting into squares.
Leave a comment here, like my author facebook page and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a $10.00 Amazon gift card, to be awarded at the end of the tour., December 11th. If you’re a fan of paranormal romance, sign up for my quarterly newsletter.
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Click on the cover to read more or buy.
Just in time for Christmas: A VAMPIRE’S UNLIKELY ALLIANCE–Not what you’ve come to expect from a Vampire Tale! Exciting romantic fantasy where vampires and gryphons, warlocks and demons, witches and faeries work together for the survival of man and magic kind alike. But will their intervention be too late? Just in time for Christmas.
A little more about A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance – Stefan is a Native American vampire, former assassin for the Vampire Council. In a twist of fate, he now DJ’s the midnight shift for a small radio station in Whitefish, Montana, on the edge of Glacier National Park where his secret is safe until…
Born in Ireland, Brandy now works as a park ranger and trail guide in the park. During a full moon, Stefan and Brandy’s paths cross in a near physical collision on a trail. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, almost as if fate demanded it.
Their union was foretold long ago in Irish folk tales where vampires and gryphons, warlocks and demons, witches and faeries must work together for the good of man and magic kind. Is a trip to Ireland the key to unravelling secrets and returning the magic? And even more importantly, will their love survive the trip?
Available at: Amazon Amazon UK , Amazon AU, itunes, The Wild Rose Press and Barnes & Noble.
For more fun Christmas tales, recipes and giveaways follow the rest of the tour listed below:
December 4
Holland Rae – https://hollandrae.com/
Susanne Matthews – https://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/
Sorchia DuBois – www.sorchiadubois.com
Mariah Lynne –
December 5
Tena Stetler – https://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/
Maureen Bonatch – http://www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/
Peggy Jaeger – https://peggyjaeger.com/
Barbara Burke – https://barbaraburkeauthor.wordpress.com/
December 6
Kelly Kalmanson – http://kkweil.blogspot.com
M.S. Spencer – http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
Hywela Lyn – www.hywelalyn.blogspot.com
Reggi Allder – https://reggiallder.blogspot.com/
December 7
Denyse Bridger – http://www.fantasypages.ca
Clair de Lune – https://clairdelunebooks.co.uk/
Karen Blake-Hall – https://kaydenclaremont.wordpress.com/
Casi McLean – http://casimclean.com/a-christmas-to-remember/
December 8
Darlene Fredette – http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com
Daryl Devore – http://daryldevore.blogspot.ca
Gini Rifkin – http://ginirifkin.blogspot.com
Linda Carroll-Bradd – http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance, Christmas, Elves, Highway Cafe Blog Hop, Highway Cafe Christmas Tour 2017, magic, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Twinkle Bright by Tena Stetler with 23 comments.
A Fun & Exciting Road Trip Rambling Toward Disney!
You’ll remember back in March we experienced the Road Trip from Hell. Bravely we hit the road again in September, hoping Mother Nature was through with us and that Murphy’s Law would take pity on us. They did and we had a wonderful time. 
Spent a night in Las Vegas, NV with friends who threw a quick get together for us then it was on to Los Angeles. What is in LA you ask? Disneyland where they start celebrating Halloween September 20th, my kind of place, and Universal Studios of course! First we took off on the Monorail to get a bird’s eye view of Disneyland, then rode the Star Wars Experience. What a rush!
At Disneyland, my hubby and I negotiated our way through the ghosts, ghouls, fairies, the Beast and Maleficent at Micky’s Halloween Party. Did I mention dancing with the Pixar Pals 
at the Halloween Dance? Then it was on to the Headless Horseman Rides Again pre-parade, the Frightfully Fun Electric light parade and topped off the evening with A Villainous Surprise in the Skies Fireworks display over the castle. Yep, we’re just kids at heart and Halloween is my favorite holiday!
The next morning, it was off to Universal Studios and Wizarding World of Harry Potter where we selected our wands, were sorted into Gryffindor, and 
got Tee Shirts to prove it. LOL Transformers was next then onto Jurassic Park where we avoided being eaten by a dinosaur. By that time a ride on the Universal Studios tour tram looked great. Though I wasn’t too sure about slowing down at the Psyco house or sorting through the plane crash scene but the back lot sets were incredible!
Family obligations were next on the agenda and we left our fantasy land gliding into the reality of Northern California for a few days. As we began our trip back to Colorado, we rendezvoused in the enchanted land 
of fellow Wild Rose Author, Mary Morgan, and lunched at the Black Bear Café. Not a Fae warrior in sight. Darn it!
But Mother Nature was not to be ignored. We encountered a bug storm of epic proportions in Northern Nevada, 20 miles of smashed bug guts covering the windshield until we had to stop and clean off the bugs so we could see where we were going. I kid you not the truck and trailer were covered. Wish I’d taken 
pictures that night. Anyway, it was snow and sleet in Wyoming, but we made it to our destination in Riverton, Wyoming where the morning dawned in bright sunlight. Spent a day with friends and left the next morning to arrive in Colorado totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “WOW what a ride!”
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Black Bear Cafe, Bug Storm. Snow, Disney, Halloween, Road Trip, Universal Studios by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
Where were you on September 11, 2001?
An explosion rips through the South Tower of the World Trade Towers after the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into it Sept, 11, 2001. The North Tower is shown burning after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the tower at 8:45 a.m. -Robert Clark / Associated Press
September 11, 2001, is burned in my memory for all time. I was no where closed to ground zero in New York. In fact I was 1, 775 miles away in Colorado. But the sights and sounds broadcast on the television and computer of the planes crashing into the twin towers, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field, were still life changing. Launching America into a new consciousness, the threat of global terrorism was front and center.
I had just started a new job, I was getting ready for work when I stopped to check my email before shutting the computer down at approximately 8:00 a.m. , MDT. A friend’s email popped up with urgent on it then an IM. The message said “Turn on your television before you head to work. It’s awful, we’ve been attacked.”
A damaged tower collapses -(Det. Greg Semendinger / NYPD)
I tagged him back “What? I gotta go.” But upon his insistence, I headed down stairs flipped on the television. To my horror I saw the video of the fiery blasts that rocked the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes. I’m not sure how long I stood there watching the events as they unfolded that morning. That particular scene was burned into my memory. For the first time in history, the FAA grounded all flights over or bound for United States air space. It was an eerie sound… or no sound at all I guess. Where I live, air traffic from local airports and the numerous air force bases are an everyday occurrence. But the dead silence was unnerving.
Anyway, I finally tore myself from the television, got in my SUV and drove to work. There I found my boss and a few co-workers glued to the computer screens and MSNBC where World Trade Center’s North Tower collapse 102 minutes after being struck by Flight 11 was being aired. Continuous news coverage and updates at ground zero. Not much work got done that morning in our office. I think we were all in a state of shock. How could this happen? Within a couple of hours, the business owner called and told us all to go home.
Firefighters raise a flag late in the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001, in the wreckage -(Thomas E. Franklin / Associated Press)
Coverage continued all day and at 8:30 p.m., President Bush addressed the nation, calling the attacks “evil, despicable acts of terror” and declaring that America, it’s friends and allies would “stand together to win the war against terrorism.”
From that day forward, there was a new normal. It couldn’t happen to the United States, but it had. We’d been attacked on our on soil… so many American lives lost on that one day, through the actions of a few. A day millions will never forget.
So…where were you the morning of September 11, 2001?
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged 2001, Ground Zero, September 11, World Trade Towers by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
