Holiday Season - What's Your Favorite

We are in the middle of the Holiday Season and as I was out running errands the other day, I found myself thinking about my favorite thing about the season. As I started listing off things I like, I decided it would be a lot easier to list what I hate rather than what I love. But, I don't want to get into the negative. Not this time of year. I believe this should be a happy time, a time for joy and peace and nice things. So, here's my list of things I would call my favorite things.

1. Family and Friends. Getting together, enjoying each other's company, sharing good food, good memories. I hope each of you have friends and family to share this special time of year with.

2. The beautiful Christmas Carols. I've always loved Christmas songs. Even the funny ones like Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. All of the Christmas songs are special. Take some time and listen to one or two of your favorites.

3.  The bright lights. I love the way the lights twinkle on the Christmas tree. I so enjoy taking evening rides and seeing how the houses are lit up -- each different, each something special.

4. Seeing the excitement in my grandchildren's eyes. I think this is one that really should be at the top of the list. It seems like kids, young and old, get excited to receive a special gift, sit on Santa's knee, take part in a Christmas play, or even sing with their school class. They get so excited to dress up, and I love the happiness that shows on each of their faces.

5. Giving. Yes, the spirit of giving abounds. I have to admit I love the feeling of doing something special, buying the perfect gifts, or giving to others who haven't as much as I have. If you haven't done that, try it if you can. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing that I'm doing something good in the world today.

Ok, so I could go on and on, and I'm sure if you take a few minutes, you could too. I hope you will take some time to enjoy the holidays. Take some time for yourself to relax, listen to a Christmas song, smell the beautiful pungent smell of pine trees, and just relax doing what you love best.

May this season be a season of joy. May you find peace and happiness. May the love of family and friends surround you.

K. R. Bailey

www.KRBailey.com

Merry Christmas!

Don't you love this time of year?

People are bustling around, lights are twinkling bright, and everywhere people are calling out greetings to each other, whether it be Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Holidays. The focus is on getting everything ready, buying just the right present to make someone happy, and finding the time to accomplish everything and still get to that holiday party you just have to attend.

At this time of year, I like to remember all that I have to be thankful for. I'm lucky to have a good family and a place to call home. I have wonderful friends that I don't see as often as I'd like, but at this special time of year, we try just a little harder to carve out some time to say hi and maybe go to lunch to catch up. For those who don't live nearby, it's a time to send off a Christmas letter, make a phone call or write a quick e-mail.

I don't get much writing accomplished, and I know I should keep to my writing schedule whenever I can, but I do try to find some time to relax, open a book or turn on my kindle and catch up on some reading. That's how I like to relax especially when the weather turns cold and stormy. I like to turn on our fireplace and pull out a good book.

However you celebrate this time of year, take some time to wind down and relax. Remember all you have to be grateful for. Remember good friends, share the love of your family, and if you are far away and can't, write a letter or make a phone call. Remember this time of year is a time for caring and sharing the love in your heart.

Find a good book, and if you can't think of any, I know several great authors and would be glad to recommend one. Just go to my web page - http://www.KRBailey.com and send me a note through my contact page.

Of course, you can always download a copy of my Christmas stories, My Guardian Angel and Lila's Christmas Dream. They're short, easy reads, and I think you'll enjoy them.

Here's a blurb for My Guardian Angel:

After thirty-eight years of marriage, Emma Clawson is alone. A widow.  Her husband has always taken care of everything, the fields, the yard, even plowing snow off the driveway.   She’s spent her life caring for her husband and family.  Now she must find a way to move on. But how? 

Joe Bailey, a handsome widower, involved with a rich, beautiful woman, finds their relationship is lacking.  His family has encouraged him to date, but the women he meets don’t fill the empty void deep in his heart.

When Joe is asked to help harvest the fields for a neighbor, he is drawn to the pretty brown-haired widow with the sad, lonely eyes.  She is fighting the ravages of loneliness and insecurity, and he longs to be there to help and care for her.  Can he find the way into her heart? Will she allow him to help her learn to live again?

Here's a blurb for Lila's Christmas Dream

Lila Hanford has dreams of seeing exotic places and meeting interesting people, but mostly she dreams of running and dancing like other young women her age. Childhood polio left her with a limp, feeling homely and awkward, but she refuses to give up on hopes and dreams. Meeting the freighters each afternoon and feeding the homeless is something she enjoys because they don’t care how she walks. The day Dax Carter, an injured war veteran, hobbles into her life, everything changes. Now she isn't sure if he'll break her heart or if there's enough magic in Christmas to make her dreams come true.

Happy Reading!

K. R. Bailey

www.KRBailey.com

  

A Sweet Christmas Story

We're in the midst of the holiday season, a time for giving, of thinking of others, of giving thanks for what we have. And, for me, the holiday season is a time when I love to take some time for me and read a new book, or perhaps reread one of my old favorites.

I just want to remind all of you about my first Christmas story - My Guardian Angel. It's a sweet story about two people who have lost their spouses and are trying to find a way to move on during this holiday season.

After thirty-eight years of marriage, Emma Clawson is alone. A widow.  Her husband has always taken care of everything, the fields, the yard, even plowing snow off the driveway.   She’s spent her life caring for her husband and family.  Now she must find a way to move on. But how?   

Joe Bailey, a handsome widower, involved with a rich, beautiful woman, finds their relationship is lacking.  His family has encouraged him to date, but the women he meets don’t fill the empty void deep in his heart.

When Joe is asked to help harvest the fields for a neighbor, he is drawn to the pretty brown-haired widow with the sad, lonely eyes.  She is fighting the ravages of loneliness and insecurity, and he longs to be there to help and care for her.  Can he find the way into her heart? Will she allow him to help her learn to live again?

 

My Guardian Angel has had some great reviews. Here's a couple of them:

This is a wonderful short story, which K. R. Bailey penned of loss, and learning to
live and love again. Can these two hearts find each other and fill the
void that their hearts need. Christmas is a lonely time when the one
you have loved and spent your life with is gone. Family and friends mean
well but it is not the same. This is a short but heart-warming story. I
really enjoyed it and know you will to. -- Debra, Between The Lines Review

 

MY GUARDIAN ANGEL is a book that steps outside of the mould of young nubile protagonists, that have all the energy and zest to make things happen. This is a read where both people have already lived a good life - a life they were happy with, satisfied in and while not perfect would not change any aspect of it.

MY GUARDIAN ANGEL is a truly impressive read from author K.R. Bailey, a must buy.

 

~~~~~~~

My Guardian Angel is available in most all ebook formats through:

The Wild Rose Press

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Kobo books

 

Happy Reading!

 

K. R. Bailey

           www.KRBailey.com

 

 

 

Thanksgiving - A Forgotten Holiday?

All my life, November meant looking forward to Thanksgiving, a time to get together with friends and family.  We didn't ignore that holiday to shop for things. Christmas carols didn't start playing on the radio until afterwards. Oh, sure, I always had a few friends who started their Christmas shopping early, but stores closed on Thanksgiving to allow everyone time to spend it with loved ones.  We had a beautiful dinner, spent the day with family, and basked in the love we all shared.

Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. Even aside from the cooking, baking pies and rolls, and all the food preparation, it's become a day to get together and enjoy family. We don't worry about a lot of decorating. We don't feel pressure to buy just the right presents. Instead, we enjoy each other, talking, laughing and relaxing.

I can't stop the ever-emerging way Christmas is crowding out the Thanksgiving holiday -- and don't misunderstand me -- I love the Christmas Season, but I can acknowledge all my friends and family this Thanksgiving. I can say thanks for everyone who has been there for me all year.  I can wish everyone a lovely Thanksgiving Day and that's exactly what I'm doing.

May you have a Thanksgiving day full of peace, love and happiness. May you enjoy the company of loved ones and take the time to enjoy this beautiful holiday before the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season is upon us.

K. R. Bailey

Happy Holidays!

Whew! It was a lot of work But I'm Done -- Got the tree up!!

 

I just love the smell of pine!

 

Hope this made you smile like it did me. 

 

In all seriousness, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or another holiday I don't know about, I wish you the very best this season.  May peace and joy fill your hearts, may you enjoy whatever traditions you have, and may you have the best the New Year can offer.

 

We celebrate Christmas by spending it with family.  We'll get together with my children and grandchildren, and it's always fun to watch the little ones' eye's grow big and wide with excitement as they open presents and play with their cousins.

 

I have much to be thankful for.  I have a loving husband, wonderful family, healthy grandchildren, and can still spend tine with my father who is healthy and doing well at age 86.  I have a comfortable home, a rambuctious yellow lab, many, many friends, and the list goes on.  Too much to list, but suffice it to say, I'm very blessed. 

 

I wish you a very Merry Christmas -- A Happy Holiday Season -- and the very best as we start 2013! 

 



Merry Christmas

As the Christmas season is upon us, I just want to wish everyone a beautiful holiday season. I know this is a very busy time of year with parties, shopping, visiting family and friends, and it has definitely taken its toll on my writing time. But I think it's worth it. It's a beautiful time of year and I so enjoy the bright lights, the wonderful feeling of giving, helping others, and spending time with my family. I'm giving myself some leeway to do something for me with the goal that I'll spend more time catching up on my writing once the season is over.

If you love Christmas stories, do check out S.A. Couman's story, Mary's Christmas Wish. I have a sweet love story titled, My Guardian Angel, and I think you will enjoy the story as two older people find a way to go on with their life after the loss of their spouses. Both stories are available through www.thewildrosepress.com

However you spend your holiday season, take some time for you. Relax. Read a good book. Spend time sitting in a warm bubble bath. Go shopping and buy something fun for yourself. Take some time to say hello to friends or family members you haven't seen for awhile. Remember why we celebrate the Christmas Season and find a way to make it your very best yet.

Merry Christmas! May 2011 bring you much happiness and be your best year yet.