Christmas is not Christmas without Books

Santa on my bookshelf.

Ever since I was a little kid I've been asking for books at Christmas. Some years I've only gotten one or two and other years I've gotten bunches of books.

Well, my taste in reading has grown through the years. As a little kid I wanted Thumbelina, Madeline and fairy tales. In my early school days I wanted Hans Brinker - Or The Silver Skates, Savage Sam, Mary Poppins, A Wrinkle in Time, Thomasina, Nancy Drew books and so many others.

An old fashioned Santa on my bookshelf.

In my teens I wanted Gone with the Wind, The Thorn Birds, The Moon-Spinners, anything by James Michener and Taylor Caldwell, and lots of classics. In my college years I wanted history books and classics, including Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and War and Peace.

Even now, at my more "advanced" age, I still want books for Christmas. So Santa, I hope you're reading this, because I'd really, really, really love some books for Christmas.

Wishing y'all a very Merry Christmas and lots of great books under your Christmas tree.

Waiting for Santa

Santa at a local Christmas parade.

This time of year most of us are waiting for Santa. There are items on our wish lists that we hope to find under the Christmas Tree.

Even at my age, I still have a wish list. So what's on that list? Books, lots and lots of books, eBooks for my Kindle Fire and history books for my bookshelves. However, I have so many history books that I really need to add "Bookshelf" to my list too.

Will I get all those books on my wish list? Of course not, but I'll get a few even if I have to buy them myself.

Is there anything else on my Christmas list? Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. I love dark chocolate the best, but just about any kind of chocolate will do. Santa will most likely bring me a Whitman's Sampler and some Ghirardelli Chocolates.

Oh, and I'd like some fruitcake too. No, don't laugh, I'm one of those few people who actually loves fruitcake. When Santa comes to my house, that's one thing I always get. Yum!

Hmm! What else is on my list? CDs. I love music, particularly country music. Hunter Hayes' CD is one I'd love to have. But honestly, I'd be delighted with CDs by just about any country singer, including Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, I could go on and on. Well, I'm pretty certain that Santa will bring me a CD or two or three.

Now back to those books I was talking about. Santa knows I need books and Christmas just isn't Christmas without books. I'd be perfectly content with an Amazon gift card (hint, hint, Santa I hope you're reading this).

If you're passionate about (addicted to) books like I am, then you might want to start an online wish list like mine at Amazon. I'm always adding books to the list, so it's always evolving. I read a variety of books: romances, historical fiction, literary fiction, history books. Believe me, my wish list of books is really really long.

Will Santa bring me any of those books on my list? Well, I can always hope so. But like I said, an Amazon gift card would be a perfect gift for me.

I'm no longer a kid, but hey, I'm still anxiously waiting for Santa. I hope you are too.

Have a Holly Jolly Holiday!

A close-up of my grandkids' Christmas tree.

How can it already be December 7th? Where are the minutes, hours, days going? I've done some Christmas shopping, but I've yet to wrap the presents. I bought Christmas cards, but haven't done them yet. I haven't even begun to look for a Christmas tree.

When my grandkids were here on Thanksgiving, my grandson asked, "Nana, why don't you have a Christmas tree or Christmas lights?" They already have their Christmas tree up and decorated and all the holiday lights on their house.

Gee, even my neighbors have their Christmas lights up and their houses and yards look so festive at night. I guess it's time to encourage my dear hubby to get out the holiday lights or we'll soon have the only unfestive house in the neighborhood.

I dropped by the library today and they were already in holiday mode with a pretty Christmas tree and a three foot tall Santa. I'm starting to feel a bit guilty that I haven't at least started to set out some Christmas decorations. The holiday will be here before I can blink. Okay, I promise I'll put out some decorations this weekend.

In the meantime, here's another list of Christmas reads. If you haven't already seen it, there's another list on my last post. Anyway, I haven't read any of these books, but they all look like great/fun holiday reads. The ones marked with an (*) are books I recently added to my Kindles. All of these are available in eBook format.

Christmas Fiction/Romances (in no particular order):

One Snowy Night Before Christmas by Pamela Fryer*
Mistletoe Mischief (Romancing Wisconsin, #1) by Stacey Joy Netzel*
Holly Lane by Toni Blake
Cupid's Christmas by Bette Lee Crosby
Mistletoe in Maine (Holiday Brides) by Ginny Baird
A Family for Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor
Bundle of Joy by Barbara Bretton
A Lawman's Christmas (McKettricks of Texas) by Linda Lael Miller
An Outlaw's Christmas (McKettricks of Texas) by Linda Lael Miller
Montana, Mistletoe, Marriage by Patricia Thayer
Christmas on Nutcracker Court by Judy Duarte
A Cold Creek Noel (Cowboys of Cold Creek) by RaeAnne Thayne
The Duke of Christmas Past by Kim Bowman
Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler
A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods
Kissing Under the Mistletoe (St. Helena Vineyard) by Marina Adair
Blue Christmas (Moody Blue Trilogy, #1) by Diana Moody
A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn
The Toymaker by Kay Springsteen 
Christmas in Venice by Meadow Taylor
All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello
The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson
A Cowboy for Christmas by Kristen James
Christmas Countdown (Lost, Inc.) by Vicki Hinze
Naughty or Nice by Stephanie Bond
Mistletoe Mine (Eternity Springs) by Emily March
Jingle This! by Stephanie Rowe

Wow! That's a lot of great romantic Christmas reads. I haven't even begun to list them all, so be sure to check back for more Christmas book lists in upcoming December posts. Before I forget, I'm currently reading a Christmas book on my Kindle Fire, Christmas of the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller. This is a holiday read I think you'll enjoy. Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you all have a Holly Jolly Holiday!