Monday Musings: Yule

Yule was and is still celebrated by pagans around the world as the birth of the Sun God. The Holly King "dies" and the Oak King starts his reign at this time when the days grow longer and are filled with light and warmth.

Both gods are honored during this time by bringing an evergreen indoors and decorating it with light and colorful ornaments that represent the abundance of the coming spring like birds, fruit, and flowers, along with those that symbolize rain like icicles. Gift-giving is also an ancient tradition, although in past times these were mostly handmade gifts from the heart.

I think we lose sight of the true meaning of this time because we sit in our heated homes lit with electricity during these shorter, colder days. We also grab our food from the grocery store shelves instead of having to rely on weather conditions to grow our own. It must have been frightening for people who had a lack of scientific knowledge to grasp on to the idea that spring and summer would return, especially when their food stores and fire fuel started to run low. This truly is a magical time when the shorter days start to lengthen and warmth and sunshine returns.

Merry Christmas and Happy Yule.

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

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Monday Musings: Christmas fun facts

To help put you in the holiday spirit, I've collected these Christmas fun facts.

Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25th the official celebration date or the birth of Jesus Christ in AD 350 even though, due to information in the Bible, this probably wasn't really his date of birth.

An English custom called "wassailing" started the tradition of Christmas caroling. The house-visiting "wassail" is when individuals go door-to-door singing carols and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts.

The Bible never specifically mentions that three wise men visited baby Jesus or that they visited him when he was an infant. They may have visited an older Jesus.

Imagery from Clement Clarke Moore's Visit from St. Nicholas may have inspired the modern look for Santa Claus. This poem was initially published anonymously because the author felt the poem was beneath his talents.

Tradition of hanging stockings--the legend goes like this: There was a poor family that wouldn't accept charity so Santa left cold coins in the girls' stocking hanging to dry by the fireplace.

Origin of Christmas trees came from pre-Christian traditions. At the solstice, the ancient Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes, which symbolized the triumph of life over death in honor of the sun god Ra. Ancient Romans marked the solstice with a celebration called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. They decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. The mysterious druids, priests of the ancient Celts, decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The Viking believed evergreen boughs were the special plant of the sun god, Balder. Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century.

Merry Christmas and Happy Yule!

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

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“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.”

CTR

http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Kelley+Heckart

https://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C

Monday Musings: Aerre Geola (Early Yule)

Since it's Christmas, I thought I'd share this bit of history on the holiday. Early Yule, Aerre Geola, is the month before the Winter Solstice. The Anglo-Saxons considered the lunar months preceding and following the solstice as Yule. The shorter days made it difficult to do any kind of work, so they used this time to gather and celebrate with family and friends.

The solstice was called Mother's Night and celebrated one's female ancestors. Burning rosemary and calling out female ancestors by name is one way to honor them.

The oldest Yuletide tradition is the burning of the Yule log, usually the largest piece of wood. Many people today don't have a fireplace, so a Yule candle can be substituted. The candle tradition started way back in England in the early nineteenth century. Light the candle at sunset on the night of the solstice. It's customary to keep a small piece of the candle for luck in the coming year.

Merry Christmas, Happy Yule!

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

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“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.”

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Monday Musings: The allure of Christmas movies

The Hallmark Channel has been playing Christmas movies since just after Halloween. I used to make fun of Christmas movies. They were always too sappy for me. I’m more of a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation kind of girl—making fun of the whole holiday festivities.

However, lately I’ve been getting sucked into these Christmas movies. Have I finally softened on the holiday spirit of Christmas? Maybe. Just a little.

There is something about Christmas, how this time of year affects people, bringing them closer, and the Christmas movies add a touch of magic that is already in the air. I think I understand now why I keep watching them. Christmas movies make us feel better in a world where every day there is some disaster in the news.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

https://www.facebook.com/kelleyheckartauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite funny Christmas movie

Favorite Funny Christmas movie

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

This is my favorite funny Christmas movie. It combines all the aspects of Christmas and the worst that can go wrong while shopping for a Christmas tree, putting up the Christmas lights, preparing the turkey dinner and hosting wacky family members for the holidays. Highly recommended to take the stress out of Christmas.

 

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

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Holly Jolly Blog Fest week 5 with Angie Dobson

Welcome to our winter blog hop, The Holly Jolly Blog Fest. Each week, from December 2 to January 6, six authors answer two holiday related questions.
This week, my guest blogger is Angie Dobson. Angie is a reviewer for Love Romances and More.

Hey Kelley,
Thanks for playing and being part of the blog Tour! I love getting to know
new readers and telling them more about me as a person and reviewer. I
review for Love Romances and More and have for more than a decade. I am
a dedicated reader, who has great plot ideas but not the talent and
attention span to put them down on paper. I love a print book - I am too
easily distracted for an e-reader - plus my 9 month old daughter LOVES
electronics and I would never get to see it! I am from York, PA and have
one little girl. My husband I both work full time and our life is
currently a chaotic scene that often feels like a sitcom as we adjust from
being a middle age couple to a family of three.

Are any of your books centered around Christmas? Tell us a bit about them
please.

As a reviewer I don't get to pick my topics so much as when and where. If
I were to write a book, I would more likely center it around Easter
though. I love spring and no one else writes about it nearly as much as
Christmas. The other night at dinner they were playing Christmas Carols.
Why do we not have nearly so many for other holidays? As a romance lover,
I would love to have a great Valentine's Day song.

And for the New Year, of course: what are your 5 New Year's
writing/reading resolutions?

Do New Year's Resolutions ever stick? For me 2013 is going to be about
making myself and my daughter happy.
I have a few resolutions, but nothing is set in stone. Today I began
working on one by downloading an app on my phone - I am determined to run
a 5K. I shall try the Couch to 5K program - has anyone done it? Anyone
want to try the program along with me?
I am also resolving to watch a British Television Program called
Eastenders that I love - my husband is British and we live in the States.
I fell in love with the show years ago, and we kept up, but the past 2 years it has
gotten pushed aside as our lives become busier and busier… but I am
determined!! We will get the time and such to watch the recordings my
in-laws help us to get via the Internet!
Lastly I will spend more time working on my career as an Independent
Chocolate Advisor with Lindt Chocolates - probably why I need to learn to
run!
That is it for me folks. Don't forget a comment on the post gets you a
chance to win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com!!

Please visit all our wonderful blog hop authors.

Ann Tracy Marr - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts

Christine London – http://christinelondon.com/

Regan Taylor - http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com

Regina Andrews - http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/

Sharon Poppen - http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com

Thanks, Angie. It was a pleasure having you on my blog.

I am on Angie’s blog this week at http://www.loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/

Holly Jolly Blog Fest Week 3 with Sharon Poppen

Welcome to our winter blog hop, The Holly Jolly Blog Fest. Each week, from December 2 to January 6, six authors answer two holiday related questions.
This week, my guest blogger is Sharon Poppen who is a talented author and also a good friend of mine. We live in the same city and belong to the local writers group. I have had the pleasure of reading Sharon’s stories.
 
Kelley, Thanks for letting me stop by and share some thoughts on your blog this week. It’s always nice to get the opportunity to reach out to new potential readers.
A little about me, usually I write historical romance novels. My first three books focus on strong women in the old west. However, my latest novel ‘Regardless’ is a step in a new direction for me into the sci-fi/gay genre. It’s the story of two men in the future who, against all odds, find themselves in love. As with all my novels, it is very character driven. These characters have many good points, but they can also be very human. By human, I mean they often follow their hearts versus their minds. And, this sometimes brings them to do some naughty things, which make my books adult reading. They are not of the ’50 Shades ….’ naughty, just true to adult relationships.
Now, on to our questions of the week.
Which charity is most deserving of your holiday generosity and why?
I’m probably an old scrooge about holiday generosity when it comes to anonymous donor groups. The word ‘deserving’ makes me curious, so I do a little research before I donate. Almost always, I find that I have friends, friends of friends and sometimes even relatives who need a little boost around this time of year and that is when my holiday generosity kicks in. I’ve needed help in the past and it was always a friend or a relative who came to my rescue so I feel honored to be able to play that help forward now that I’m in a position to do so.
What is your favorite holiday tradition in literature?
It would have to be ‘the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there.’ poem by Clement Moore. Those sentiments always bring back happy memories of Christmas Eve’s during my childhood, my children’s childhood and now Christmas with my grandchildren. Every Christmas Eve, I still hang the stocking ‘Santa’ brought me when I was a child and every Christmas morning I find it filled with lots of sweets and several carefully chosen items that ‘someone’ has taken the time to learn that I would enjoy getting.
So, thank you, Kelley, for letting me stop by this week. On my blog www.poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com , I am hosting Regina Andrews who has some lovely thoughts on the above questions. You’ll really enjoy meeting this inspirational author. Be sure and leave a comment both here on Kelley’s blog and at my blog to get your name into the drawing for the end of tour $50 Amazon gift certificate.

Other blogs on this Holly Jolly Blog Tour can be found at:
Ann Tracy Marr - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts
Christine London - http://www.christinelondon.com
Regan Taylor - http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com
Angie Dobson – http://www.loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/
Regina Andrews - http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/

I am over at Regina's blog this week. Thanks, Kelley

Holly Jolly Blog Fest Week 2 with Regan Taylor

Welcome to our winter blog hop, The Holly Jolly Blog Fest. Each week, from December 2 to January 6, six authors answer two holiday related questions.
This week, my guest blogger is Regan Taylor who writes historical romance, everything from hunky cowboys to gallant knights in shining armour.

What is your favorite holiday food and why?

Someone is going to gag – fruitcake. Aside from the fact that I just like the taste, especially dark fruit cake and particularly the candied cherries, it reminds me of something or rather someone from my childhood. Close friends of our family moved from New York (where I grew up) to Washington and one year Aunt Audrey sent me some fruitcake. I was hooked. Maybe it’s more the memory of her than the cake itself but I do enjoy it.
You can have any person in history over for your holiday dinner. Who do you invite and what do you talk about?
Demetrius of Phaleron. I know I usually say Alexandre Dumas but recently I needed to redo my will and trust and the subject of my library came up. History tells us that Demetrius of Phaleron organized the great library at Alexandria and since my own is a pretty decent size (over 20,000 print and 5,000 ebooks at present)I’d like to talk to him about what led him to his work on the library and why he chose the books he chose.
Regan's Published Novels

• The Spell - Book 1 of the McKenna Crime Series
• The Glass Cage - Book 2 of the McKenna Crime Series
• Indentured Bride - Book 1 of the Bride Series with Awe-struck Books
• Ghost of a Chance - Cafe Nowhere Anthology with eXtasy Books
• Four of Cups - Tarot series with eXtasy Books
• Her Knight in Shining Amour - The Knight of Pentacles
• Jason's Accord - Book 1 of the Descendants of Earth series with eXtasy Books
• Michael's Flight - Book 2 of the Descendants of Earth Series
• His Eyes - with Bookstrand

Please visit all our wonderful blog hop authors. Leave a comment and be entered to win a fifty dollar gift certificate! I can be found over at Sharon Poppen’s blog this week.
Ann Tracy Marr - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts
Christine London - http://christinelondon.com/
Sharon Poppen - http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com
Regan Taylor - http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com
Regina Andrews - http://reginaandrews.wordpress.com
Angie Dobson – http://loveromancesandmore.com

Winter Blog Hop Week 1 with Christine London

Welcome to our winter blog hop. Each week, from December 2 to January 6, six authors answer two holiday related questions.

This week, my guest blogger is Christine London who writes spicy romance and has a fascination with all things British.

Thanks so much for hosting me Kelley. Some fun questions to chat about this week!

What is my favorite Christmas Novel?
The classic and perfect, timeless tale, Dickens A Christmas Carol. Wikipedia states that Dickens was : "generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian Period". Whether that be true or not, his tale of life lived as a miserly old man versus the joy of giving will stand for all time as one of the best pieces of storytelling.  How many times has this tale been made and remade by Hollywood? What child in the English speaking world does not have fond memories of one or the other rendition? Bursting with comedy, unique characterizations, and social criticisms it is to what most authors aspire- entertaining, uplifting, educating and inspiring their readers.

Favorite Holiday movie?
"Love Actually" So many wonderful charactizations, so well acted. Full of humor and social criticism. It is timeless too. Oh, can I mention more than one? The Holiday. *sigh* But then I am an Anglophile and a sucker for a story that, you guessed it--uplifts, entertains and inspires.

My favorite holiday tradition(s):
... start before Christmas. In the States we celebrate Thanksgiving about a month prior to the holiday madness. No presents expected or required, family and friends gather to commend the goodness of the previous year. In my family we go around the table as we hold our forks, poised over our freshly piled plates of deliciousness and say what has touched us, inspired us, educated us or uplifted us most that year. (Hmm..am I seeing a theme here? lol.) Time enough for the shopping, decorating and visiting to come, it is one day that always warms the heart.
I admired people who manage to maintain traditions year to year. It is often the simplest things that stick with a child throughout his lifetime. So many of my memories revolve around music, often choral music that is plentiful during the holidays. Perhaps as the universal language, it is music that makes every holiday special including tunes from around the world. I am a member of an eight person vocal pop/jazz group who performs every Christmas. Singing in front of hundreds of smiling appreciative listeners, faces glowing with delight, is magic.
When families grow to unwieldy numbers, it is fun to conduct a Chris Kringle gift exchange. In our extended family when we get together with all the cousins, aunties and uncles on Christmas eve, each one brings a simple inexpensive gift. Numbers are drawn and the picking begins. One may 'steal' a previously opened gift or chose an unopened gift from beneath the tree until all gifts are gone and/or any one gift has been 'stolen' three times (and is thus 'dead' and owned by the last stealer). It makes for lots of fun and laughter without burdening anyone with the monetary avalanche of buying gifts for all.
When the nieces and nephews were small, we put out graham crackers, a vast candy assortment and special white frosting that dried hard as a rock. Gingerbread houses were THE event of the season for these kids. They will and do remember constructing , display and eating them—always.

Nottinghill Christmas A Short Story in the 55 Portabello Road Series

Sara Wright’s holiday job at Nottinghill’s historic nineteenth century cinema should have been easy tuition money, but her handsome new boss Robert is a thorn in the side of every usher who breathes. She knows there must be more to a man who could bark orders one minute, save a child the next. Can she figure out the puzzle before he and his staff self-destruct?
You can find Christine London:
London Blog & Website: www.christinelondon.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-London/71009389201?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristineLondon
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/christinelondon/
Christine At Amazon Author Central :  https://www.amazon.com/author/christinelondon

Please visit all our wonderful blog hop authors. Leave a comment and be entered to win a fifty dollar gift certificate!

Ann Tracy Marr - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts
Sharon Poppen - http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com
Regan Taylor - http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com
Regina Andrews - http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/
Angie Dobson – http://loveromancesandmore.com
You can find my answers to the holiday quesions over at Christine London's blog http://christinelondon.com/

New Release! Winter Kisses, a sweet holiday treat!

Winter Kisses Anthology by

Barbara Sheridan, Dena Celeste, G.R. Bretz, Kelley Heckart, Nichelle Gregory

Genre: Contemporary, sweet romances, holiday

To purchase or read an excerpt: http://www.nobleromance.com/ or
https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=86

*Winter Solstice Kiss by Kelley Heckart:*When Brianna decides to attend the Winter solstice masquerade ball, shenever thought she would end up kissing a handsome knight beneath themistletoe, but they part without exchanging names and phone numbers. How will they find each other again?

A Christmas for Carol by Angela Nichelle:Imagine losing the love of your life right before Christmas. It's anightmare Carol Christine Moore had to face two years ago. Unable to copewith the pain of losing her fiancé so unexpectedly, Carol closes off herheart entirely. She puts all of her time and energy into making the coffeeshop she owns with her best friend a success. Consumed with customers andthe daily grind, Carol has convinced herself that she doesn't need anythingor anyone else in her life.But all that changes the day Grant walks into the Cafe Bean.

*Love in the Lights by Dena Celeste:*Abigail Bloch has been away at school for the last few years. Returning toher mother’s home renews her interest and need for the Jewish traditions.Unfortunately, the man who had been her best friend growing up, JoshuaCohen, gives her a chilly reception. Over the course of Chanukah, a timefilled with food and family and friendship, the growing number of flamesmust melt away the hostility and illuminate the love that can grow betweenthem.

*A Schrödinger Christmas – Holly by G. R. Bretz:*She’s the girl who lives in his dreams, but she’s so much more than that.She’s the girl he was supposed to meet, twice. She’s the path he didn’ttake, twice. That was forty years ago and you just can’t go back, except indreams.But it’s Christmas day. Miracles have been known to happen. Who knows? Thethird time just might be the charm.

*Christmas Rush by Barbara Sheridan:*Ellie Bouchard died just after formulating a plan to see that her only childRemy would be reunited with the one person he was too stubborn toacknowledge as “The One”.Determined to see her plan through, Ellie will do whatever ittakes—including heavenly blackmail and a few sneaky tricks—to see her sonreunited with his childhood companion, Michael Carson.The stubborn young men don’t make Ellie’s job easy and she puts on one hellof a Christmas Rush to cement their bond before her time between this worldand the next runs out.

Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3