Update: Prize time!! The ALPHA ONE winners are: Spav, Leagh, Daphnie W, Bonnie H, and Caila F. The winner of the AVENGING ANGEL ARC is Rissa! Congratulations!

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is to sit on the couch, grab a big bowl of popcorn, and watch a holiday movie. Sure, I might even start a fire in the fireplace (provided, of course, that I’m not having a weather temp in the 70s). And when I do turn to these holiday films, there are certain ones that I just have to watch:

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Here are a few of my favorite lines:

Bethany: “Is your house on fire, Clark?”

Clark: “No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights.”

Oh, Aunt Bethany, I do love you.

Clark: “Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?”

Come on—haven’t we all wanted to take that drive to nowhere with a family member at one point?

Another flick I love…

Scrooged (Bill Murray makes me laugh every year.)

Favorite lines from Frank Cross: “I get it. You’re here to show me my past, and I’m supposed to get all dully-eyed and mushy. Well, forget it, pal, you got the wrong guy!”

And, of course, how could I make a list without It’s a Wonderful Life? And the bit from that movie that always stayed with me?

Clarence: “Strange, isn’t it?  Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

***

What are you favorite holiday movies? Or lines?  I’ve got a lot of prizes to give on this one—a promised ARC of my next Fallen book (AVENGING ANGEL—due out in May of 2013), and five digital/or print copies of my first Harlequin Intrigue, ALPHA ONE. (ALPHA ONE will introduce readers to my dangerous Shadow Agents.) ALPHA ONE will release the first week of January, but I will order your copies now. That’s six winners—so be sure to comment!

Update: The winner of the $10 Amazon.com gift card is Dee Hartman! Congratulations!

I hope that you are all enjoying the giveaways and holiday posts!  Some of these posts are making me uber hungry–and our next guest, Shéa MacLeod, is determined to make me even hungrier! Shéa has a great paranormal series out now, but instead of talking monsters, she’s going to share some sweet treats (and *then* we can get to the fun monster talk). Welcome, Shéa!

(And one commenter will win a $10 Amazon.com or B&N.com gift card–winner’s choice!)

I love food.

Yeah, yeah, we all eat food. We all need food. But for me food is about more than just the mechanics of staying alive or even that it tastes good. It’s about family, togetherness, connection, and celebration. Every milestone moment in my life marked with a memory that tickles the senses.

Homemade banana ice cream, sticky and sweet, melting in the July heat as fireworks burst overhead. Violet creams melting in my mouth on the train home from Bath, England. Persimmon pudding slathered in rum sauce on Christmas day.

It’s no wonder I created a character who is as obsessed with food as I am. Anyone who has read the Sunwalker Saga books knows that Morgan Bailey has a weakness for pancakes and cupcakes. Wonder where she gets that from?

But what you don’t know is that Morgan, like me, has a favorite treat she bakes every Christmas Eve morning. Just like her mom did. Just like my mom did. The breakfast delight with flakey moist pastry, tangy raspberry filling, and a drizzle of vanilla icing which I made every Christmas Eve while I was living in England. It was a reminder of home and family and love. And also because it tastes good.

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Update: The winner from Nancy’s giveaway is…Hilleary Peterson. Congrats!

And the party keeps going!!! This time, my special guest is author extraordinaire Nancy Naigle–and Nancy is offering two great prizes: a copy of her book, Sweet Tea and Secrets and her favorite Harney & Sons tea. Talk about a great deal! Nancy, thank you so much for the giveaways and for coming to the party! It is a pleasure to have you here.

Pearl Clemmons in Sweet Tea and Secrets is known for her Chocolate Pecan Pie (and the recipe is in the back of the book), but I’m kind of known for this easy and yummy holiday treat. I call them Fa-la-la-lala Bon-Bons.

Fa-la-la-lala Bon-Bons
For any holiday party, gift, or next book club meeting that you want to have a melt-in-your-mouth to-die-for chocolate treat . . .

This easy Chocolate Truffle will make you the star of the day.

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The winner of TO TEMPT THE DEVIL is…Jen M. And the winner of the $15 gift card is…Anne! Congrats, ladies!!

Let’s go Down Under for the holidays! Awesome author CJ Archer is here to share some of her Australian traditions with us.   And, in addition to the holiday fun and a great recipe that she’s posting, CJ is giving away a copy of her new release, TO TEMPT THE DEVIL, and there is a $15 Amazon.com or B&N.com gift card up for grabs (winner’s choice!).

CJ, I’m so glad that you came to the party! And thanks for sharing your Christmas with us!

A Dinky Di Aussie Christmas

(Translation: A real Australian Christmas)

Thank you for having me on your blog, Cynthia.

December is summertime here in Australia, and that means Christmas day could be celebrated in 40+ degree heat (translation: 104+ Fahrenheit). But we’ve never let that stop us from enjoying a traditional Christmas, with a few Aussie twists thrown in to make the silly season memorable.

In my family, no matter the weather, we have a full hot midday meal – Turkey, ham, more varieties of vegetables than you can count after a few glasses of bubbly, and warm plum pudding with brandy butter. Do not, under pain of death, forget the brandy butter.

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Update: The winner of the Bath & Body Works gift card is…Janie McGaugh!

Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf? I bet you have…

And I’ll confess, when I first heard of the Elf on the Shelf, I thought it was a little creepy.  An elf that “watches” your child and reports back to Santa Claus? A little being that sneaks around when you aren’t looking and plays tricks on you?  I think it was because the clown in the old Poltergeist movie frightened me so much (who remembers him?!), but I’ve been leery of stuffed animals/dolls/etc. that can “move” for a long time.

So, yes, I was hesitant about the Elf on the Shelf.

My son wasn’t so hesitant. From the minute he saw the elf in the store, he was hooked.  My son named his elf Fizzley–and he loves Fizzley. I’m talking mad, bad, total love. When Fizzley leaves our house, it’s like my son loses a friend. And when Fizzley comes back…oh, sweet happy times, there is much rejoicing.

And, Fizzley, well, he’s not creepy. He’s sweet. He plays tricks, sure, but they are all in good fun.  I like to think that if that crazy clown from Poltergeist ever came calling, Fizzley would fight him. Fizzley is my son’s protector, his guardian elf.

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