posted on December 13, 2013 by Melissa McClone

Christmas Vacation

MelissaMcCloneAuthorWhen it comes to Christmas time getaways, I must admit I’m a big fan of stay-cations! With the house all decorated and so many things going on in the area from light displays to concerts, sticking close to home makes sense, especially with our dogs and cats! They are part of the family and like to open their stocking presents along with us.

But that doesn’t mean we haven’t gone away. We did. Once.

When my oldest was nine months old, we visited my husband’s family in Long Island, New York. I remember the snow coming down on Christmas Eve as we wondered whether we’d make it to the airport or not. Thanks to chains we did, though seeing our car parked in the lot a week later with the chains still on and zero snow on the ground was funny.

What I loved about spending Christmas in New York was seeing my husband’s family and learning how they celebrated the holidays, everything from their Christmas tree decorations to their traditions. Some were similar to my family’s; many were different. But I could see how some of the things we’d been doing together the past three years were from his side of the family!

My favorite memory of the trip was taking our daughter to Manhattan. The weather was cold. Snow covered the ground. She wore a cute pink snowsuit, a hand-me-down from a romance writer friend. Her two uncles walked in front of the umbrella stroller to clear a path on the sidewalks. Nothing like two protective guys watching out for their niece! We took her to Rockefeller Center (the ice skating ring was so much smaller than I expected), the zoo at Central Park and FAO Schwartz. I think she slept most of the time, but I enjoyed finally seeing the holiday window displays at stores, something I heard about for years.

What is your favorite Christmas vacation?

HomeforChristmas_small

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon: Rachel Murphy loves the scent of gingerbread baking almost as much as she enjoys creating custom edible houses at Christmastime. But she needs a bigger kitchen if she wants to make the most of her impromptu holiday business. Enter Nate Vaughn, handsome venture capitalist turned dude ranch owner and her brother’s boss. Nate’s commercial workspace is perfect for baking. He thinks she might be perfect for him…as a business partner.

But, after being burned by a celebrity cook who stole her secret recipes, Rachel’s wary of Nate’s interest in her gingerbread houses.  Then there are his tempting mistletoe kisses: he’s good enough to eat but mixing business with anything else could be a recipe for disaster. Should she leave the Bar V5 ranch and return to the deserts of Arizona? Or can Nate convince her that, here with him in the mountains of Montana, she’s already home?

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Melissa McClone

Melissa McClone

Melissa McClone’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University led her to a job with a major airline where she travelled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! Since then, she has published over twenty-five romance novels with Harlequin and been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA award. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim and soccer practices, 4-H meetings and dog shows. She also supports deployed service members through Soldiers’ Angels and fosters cats through a local non-kill rescue shelter. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house.

http://www.melissamcclone.com

One thought on “Christmas Vacation”

  1. Thanks for having me on Writerspace today!

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