If you are a parent, chances are that you have said something to the effect of: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.” It’s a lesson that we learn early in life and try to teach our children as soon as they have the ability to string recognizable ...

Granting passage for unseasonal sadness In the midst of Christmas cheer No one sees the tears. Granting Goodwill to all who pass Emptiness like shattered glass Riddled with mixed emotions. Brightness, gaiety, holiday goods, Retailers hawking promotions. Evergreens and decorations Abundant garland and bows unfurled, Delusional visions of a perfect world. Happiness, hurriedness, harried and ...

Lately I’ve been thinking about the concept of traditions and culture in my stories. Culture can make your world building more authentic because even the most modern groups have elements of culture. It’s also December, and I’ve been watching Hallmark Channel like crazy so I’ve seen several different families sitting around a tree , and ...

Dear Santa, Thank you for giving people something to believe in. The excitement, the joy, the magic that people experience year after year is magnificent and memorable. So, Santa, I decided to ask several family members to share a Christmas memory or two and was delighted by their responses. I hope you enjoy them as ...

Can you hear the bells ring so loud and clear? Heralding anticipation. Ghost of the past hover near called back to us this time each year.

Christmas is so overrated. Make sure to disband all merry making and refuse to participate in any of the family and friend activities.

A Christmas Story is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I know a lot of people think that the story is overly dramatic, but I don’t. I remember when I was that age, and I was that overly dramatic. For Ralphie, it was a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock. It was ...

Where October makes me think of fall and Halloween, December makes me think of winter and Christmas. Not Christmas the religious holiday, but the spiritof the holiday. Just as there is an aura or feeling that comes with Halloween, there is such a feeling for December too. I was living in State College, Pennsylvania one ...

Nolan and Brynn enjoy lunch at the Old Wintry Café and overhear a conversation at a nearby table. Three women are discussing rumors about an old brick building with a weathered, red door. The middle-aged lady informs her two younger companions of her given warning against entering the door while the wreath hangs on the ...

Winter is here, and, like it or not, so are the holidays that I try my best not to think about the rest of the year. This will be my third fatherless Christmas season. I think missing him gets hardest on November 1st and stays that way until December 26th. The only thing worse than ...