Writing About: Christmas

Christmas is a fun, festive holiday. I read Christmas stories during any time of the year to enjoy this holiday again and again. Everything about it is warm and uplifting. And there are so many ways that you can include Christmas in a novel or spin a full-out Christmas story.

Here are a few things you can add to your story:

1. Decorations

People go all-out, even getting into competitions with neighbors. Outdoor lights on the roof, nativity sets on the lawn, and blow-up lawn decorations are all the rave. And that’s just outside. Inside there can be nutcrackers, garland along banisters, miniature villages complete with people, cars, and even fake snow. Then there’s the Christmas tree. Trimming it if it’s real or taking it out of the box if it’s fake. Putting lights, bows, ornaments, tinsel on every branch, and a star or angel at the very top.

Take a moment to describe the pretty decorations of your character’s house, mention a friendly competition among neighbors, and the craziness of decorating a tree. A tree that cats can climb into, dogs can knock over, and children can decorate with homemade ornaments made of Popsicle sticks.

2. Goodies

Christmas is one of our most fattening holidays. There’s pies, cakes, cookies (dozens and dozens of different kinds), chocolates, candy canes, fruit cake, fudge, and hot chocolate. Mention a few of these goodies during your fictional festivities. And if your character is a woman who worries about her weight, have her fret about the calories…as she stuffs fudge into her mouth.

3. Santa

There can’t be a Christmas story without Santa! Especially if there are children. Have your character bring his/her kids to see Santa at the mall and write Santa letters. The children can ask questions about Santa and his reindeer, as we all know kids are naturally curious. You can even let the parents use little threats like “If you’re not good, I’ll tell Santa.”

4. Christmas Shopping

Everyone does Christmas shopping (if they celebrate Christmas). Show how packed the stores are whenever your character goes shopping, and how short-tempered everyone is as they elbow in to get the last toy. Have your character fret over what to get for their partner or new boy/girlfriend. In Seismic Crimes, I share a brief Christmas shopping moment.

5. Fun

There is so much fun that people can do during Christmas: picking out a Christmas tree, baking, ice skating, sledding, building a snowman, snow ball fights, Christmas parties, parades, pageants, ballets, tree lighting ceremonies, candlelight church services, and so much more. Add one or two of these to your story.

6. Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, have the kids in your story put out a plate of cookies for Santa with a glass of milk. I used to put out a carrot for Rudolph. Growing up, my family also opened presents on Christmas Eve. If there aren’t kids in your story, you can have your main character go to a Christmas party and meet someone, or do a gift exchange with his/her new boy/girlfriend. This can be a cozy scene any way that you write it.

7. Christmas Day

If there are kids, have them wake up extra early excited to see what Santa brought. If your character doesn’t have kids, this could be a nice morning for them to cuddle before they head off to see family. Or if your character is single, he/she can throw him/herself a pity party before visiting mom and dad. (Note: This last one is not me stereotyping...it's just an example. You can do whatever you want.)

The possibilities are endless. It can be light and fun, sad (if this is the first Christmas after someone’s death), filled with family drama, or dark if you’re writing a murder mystery. Think dead bodies under Christmas trees with bows stuck to their foreheads.

QUESTIONS: What do you like/dislike about Christmas? Does your family open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Share a Christmas memory with me.

SHARE: I don’t know much about Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, share some highlights of these holidays in your comment. I welcome it all. :)

Writing About: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday that doesn’t get a lot of play in stories, because there’s not much build-up to it like there is with Halloween or Christmas that have decorations and fun activities. Since Thanksgiving is smack dab between these holidays, it gets even less attention. But this holiday can get fair play in your story if your character stresses about cooking a turkey dinner, traveling, or having the family together.

Since this holiday is all about food and family, you need to utilize both.

1. Food

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is an all-day thing. The wife (usually) has to get up early to start the turkey. Then you have to prep the dressing and mashed potatoes. As the day goes on, more food needs to be prepared. Your character can dish our orders to her kids and husband to help her. Or she can stress over the turkey, have a meltdown in the kitchen, or even burn something.

Foods – Turkey, ham, Tofurkey, salmon, stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, green bean casserole, candied yams/sweet potatoes, crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, brisket

2. Entertainment

The Thanksgiving Day parade, National Dog Show, and football games are the three main sources of entertainment on Thanksgiving. You can describe the kids anxiously waiting for Santa at the end of the parade, and the guys cheering over the game while your heroine slaves in the kitchen.

Or maybe your characters have a tradition to watch a movie on this day like Gone with the Wind (couples) or The Santa Clause (a family).

3. Family

This day is all about family coming together. Let your MC spend time with his/her loved ones. You can even add in some family drama. We all know every family has plenty of drama to go around, and on Thanksgiving things can get heated.

Or you can use this opportunity to show a happy family truly thankful to have each other after the obstacles you (as the writer) put them through.

***

Thanksgiving got a little blimp in Seismic Crimes, but I think I did a good job including the highlights of this holiday while making it fit my characters.

EXCERPT:

Thanksgiving morning, Donovan woke to the smell of coffee and French toast, the aroma of vanilla and cinnamon was having a love affair with the fragrance of Colombian coffee beans. Beth made breakfast in his high school basketball jersey with the Thanksgiving Day parade on in the background.

Since neither of them had to slave over a feast, Donovan watched the football game with Beth, and he was pleased to learn she was fluent in the ways of football. She knew what first down meant, understood a referee’s call, and knew the main players by name.

“I had no idea you were a fan,” he said during halftime.

“Yup,” she said as she took a swig of soda. “I had to find some way to bond with my dad, being an only child and all. I wasn’t interested in fixing up cars, which in hindsight would’ve saved me a lot of money on my piece of crap car. So, I started to watch football with him when I was eight. I fell in love with the game.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but Donovan thought it was amazing.

When it was time to eat, they put together a simple meal and sat down to eat. In the middle of the table were two cornish hens, a box of turkey dressing, a can of cranberry sauce, and instant potatoes with a glob of garlic butter to make up for the bland taste. It might’ve been simple, but it was better than what Donovan did last year when he ordered Chinese takeout.

***

Later in this scene, they even share what they are thankful for. 

To read more:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO / The Wild Rose Press

QUESTION: What do you eat on Thanksgiving? I’ll add it to my list. :)

Writing About: Holidays

In our lives, we treat Thanksgiving (the day for giving thanks) and Christmas (a time for love and peace) with special importance. Then why can’t we give these holidays equal importance in the stories we write? We can! Even a thriller can step back from killings and drama to bring a little holiday cheer, even if it ends in killings and drama.

Diverting from the norm can actually be a relief to the reader, and can be an opportunity to reveal more about your characters. It can be a little writing vacation for you too.

To write a holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can do one of two things:



1.    Think back on that Thanksgiving or Christmas in your past that was special to you and recreate it by substituting yourself and your family with the characters in your book. What made it memorable? What scents did you smell in the air? What goodies did you eat? What gifts did you give and receive? Use details from your memory to bring it to life again in your writing.

2.    Imagine the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas that you wish you could experience in real-life. What would the tree and decorations look like? What food would be on the dinner table? Now think about how your characters would make it unique. What would they wear to this festivity? How would they contribute to the cheer? Describe it so that your readers can enjoy it too.

You can also do a combination of the two methods by using bits and pieces of your favorite holidays and blending them together with what you think would make the ultimate holiday.

For Chapter Two, I envisioned the most beautiful holiday that I could possibly give to my characters to make up for everything I’ve put them through.

QUESTION: Do you like it when authors describe holidays in their books?