General 
38 CommentsHoliday Blog Hop
To celebrate the holiday season, I’m taking part in the Holiday Blog Hop. This is a series of giveaways that are run across a huge number of authors blogs. Each blog has their own giveaway, which you can enter (click on the image to the right for the full list of blogs participating). And the main site (that links everyone together) has it’s own giveaway where you can win one of Two Kindle Fires HD, a $25 amazon gift card, 25 signed paperbacks, or 40 digital books.
For my giveaway, you don’t need to do anything special – just follow the instructions below to enter the draw. While there can only be one first prize, I will be drawing five winners.
4rd-5th prize – An electronic copy of Gears of Wonderland (provided via Smashwords)
2nd-3rd prize – An electronic copy of every book and short story I’ve released (provided via Smashwords – this is Gears of Wonderland, the Atomic Wasteland short stories, and my drabble collection)
1st prize
- A signed copy of Gears of Wonderland
- A steampunk pendant, (picture coming soon!). The pendant was created by my wife (who sells the jewellery she creates at Beyond Midnight Designs – there are additional samples on the right of this page).
- An electronic copy of every book and short story I’ve released (provided via Smashwords).
To enter, simply make a comment below about your favorite memory associated with the Christmas holiday period. For me, it’s the memories of family gatherings for Christmas lunch, and playing with my cousins both before and after lunch (of course, after lunch we were busy using the new presents we had got 
)
That’s my memory – tell me yours for a chance to win!
The Winners!
Thanks to random.org, the winners have now been picked. I want to say up front that I really enjoyed reading everyone’s Christmas memories – I hope you all create many more wonderful memories in the future!
5th prize – Mary C
4th prize – Alice
3rd prize – Stephanie Andrassy
2nd prize – Josh
1st prize – Sara M
The winners will all be notified by email shortly. Thank you again to everyone who entered.
Good luck with the hop, Jason
One of my favorite holiday memories is of sitting with my dad in the family room, with only the Christmas Lights on, while Bing Crosby played in the background. It was just a nice father-daughter moment together.
Decorating the tree with my mother and listening to my grandmother sing two of her favorite carols, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Oh Holy Night. She’d sing them to herself while cooking.
One of my favorite memories is something a little silly. My brother and I were unwrapping gifts when I was maybe 7 and he was 5. I opened a gift to see the Scrabble board game. I also noticed a price tag from Walmart on it. Me and my big mouth couldn’t resist going, “Santa shops at Walmart!!!” Not sure if I ruined Santa for my younger brother or not, but it’s one of the few things I can remember from that age.
My favorite holiday memory is really quite recent. You see, I’ve only been a Dad for a few years now, but the one thing I love is bringing home the tree. And I’m not a ‘go buy a tree off a lot’ kind of guy. For the last three years I’ve scoured the internet looking for the remotest, most rural tree farms I can find. And in central Ohio, it gets pretty rural. First weekend after Thanksgiving I’m up before dawn, bundled against cold and into the car, a steaming cup of coffee in the console. I’ll drive 3-4 hours just to get to those remote farms, where a 10′ tree only costs $30. I’ll pay the man at the barn, and walk the property for hours, looking for the perfect tree. The quiet, the solitude, the anticipation of finding just the right one to take home to the wife and kid, the smell of sap and sting of the needles as I crouch down and make that first decisive cut….
And then the long drive home, hand out the window holding the rope that tethers my prize, singing carols at the top of my lungs like no one can see me; pulling into the drive, lugging that big bastard inside, setting it up in the stand, then finally collapsing on to the couch to watch the wife and kid string up lights and hang ornaments.
It’s good to be a dad.
I love this story!
Jason – That is such a beautiful cover for Gears of Wonderland. Gosh, that would like nice on my shelf! Signed and everything!
One of my fondest memories of the holidays involves chocolate, a chocolate addict, old age, and a bra. My wonderful grandmother, who left us many years ago, was a true chocolate addict (and I’m proud to say I inherited that gene). In her later years, her mind was clouded with some senility and confusion, but she never forgot about chocolate. On one of her last Christmas Eves, she stayed with us overnight instead of in her nursing home. There were a few boxes of chocolates set out for nibbling on; which we all made sure to pass under her eager frail fingers several times. Later that evening, as my mother helped her to get ready for bed, she discovered that her Mom had been sneaking extra chocolates all night and tucking them inside her dress – inside her bra – for safe keeping and to enjoy later. She was secretly hoarding the chocolates! Well, as you can imagine, her chocolates didn’t survive tucked in against her warm skin, and she looked at my mother with innocent eyes and said, “Well now, look at that” as if she had no idea what her sneaky little chocolate-loving mind had been up to all night! LOL Love and miss you, Grandma!
Thank you for the kind comments on the cover of Gears (I’m rather proud of it myself). And what a fantastic story!
My favorite memories are not anything specific, but just the time when my grandparents were still alive. We would all be together as a large extended family for Chrsitmas and enjoy one another’s company. It was a wonderful time and I wish they were still here to share the holidays with!
I know what you mean – my grandparents are the reason my favorite memories are the ones they are.
My favorite memory is cooking with my mom and enjoying all the snacks and desserts while opening presents by the fireplace with my husband, brother and sister
Oh and my dad always making me get the trash bag for wrapping paper. Every. Single. Year.
And the first year he *didn’t* ask you to get the trash bag, you’d be wondering what was wrong
My favorite holiday memory is decorating the tree with my parents!
My favorite memories are of our extended family getting together for Christmas dinner and then singing Christmas carols afterwards.
Loved opening stockings and seeing what kind of funny treats were inside
Oh Dear Lord, please don’t think evil thoughts about why I choose this favorite memory. Here goes… My sister sent us a homemade Chocolate Rum Cake, drenched in Rum. It was good, but I prefer Boubon, and my kids were to young to appreciate a liquor soked chocolate cake. Thus, I told the kids that the animals outside deserved a Christmas treat also. Soooo…we put he cake outside for the animals to enjoy. Yeah, the squirrels spent the afternoon zig zagging through the yard, playing leap frog.
LOL!
My favorite Christmas memory was when I was probably about 12 or 13 and I really wanted a piano for Christmas and it was the toy kind that’ s flat and had a button where the correct keys would light up so that a kid could learn to play that song. So, Christmas day came and my brothers and I opened all our presents, and I couldn’t help but to notice that I had not gotten the one thing I was really hoping for. As a child, I pouted a little bit and was disappointed. My mom noticed and asked me what was wrong. I didn’t want to be rude or seem ungrateful so I just shook my head and said that nothing was wrong. I saw her walk into her bedroom and come out with another wrapped gift for each of us and it was the gift that I always wanted. She had a huge grin on her face when she gave them to us too. I guess my parents just wanted to save the best for last.
Parents like being tricky like that!
Favorite holiday memory – seeing the look on my young son’s face, as he excitedly opened his stocking, and each gift. The pure joy is something I will never forget. Now he’s 13, and his attitude and facial expressions are not quite the same! (But I still love him!
My favorite holiday memory is after the gifts are all unwrapped, and we’re in a sea of presents and paper, my dad turns on music (sometimes christmas, but usually rock) and he and my mom goes and makes muffins or scones while people play with their new gizmos and gadgets. Then we sweep up the paper, and talk about what we enjoyed about what gift and start making dinner. Its always super low key and it’s really nice too!
Have fun with the hop!
Probably the favorite is the year that all of my Father’s family got stuck in a little town in Vermont because we were all snowed in and no flights were leaving boston- even if the roads were passable. So my cousins from France, myself and my cousins from Maine all got to drag out the old sleigh from the barn – one of the neighbors hooked his snow-machine to it and took us all over town in the sleigh on Christmas eve – we had jingle bells going and came back to find Santa at the house sharing cookies and cocoa -and we were all allowed to open a gift. When you are 7 – there is nothing better than a Santa who spoke french, german and gaelic – wishing you a happy Christmas and giving you a present that you didn’t expect.
Thank you for participating – I love the idea of an all indie hop – and Gears in Wonderland sounds amazing! It’s going on my wishlist.
Followed your blog via Rss – added you to a list liked by my page on FB (I am, Indeed) and following on twitter (@gaelehi) I love having new to me indie authors to promote and follow!
If you don’t end up winning a copy, I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to grab a copy!
My favorite memory was my aunt’s fabulous Christmas Eve parties, running around hopped up on sugary treats with cousins and friends. Only kids enjoy getting fancy clothes all sweaty.
Best memory ever is when I thought I heard Santa Claus arriving from the stairs, and I went to the door and I opened it. And there he was!! But it was my neighbour dressed as Santa and I talked with him for like 30 minutes asking about North Pole and elves. I discovered only some years ago that he was my neighbour who wanted to do a surprise to his daughters
Love it! What a nice neighbour
On Christmas Eve, my daughters and I take turns reading each page of the Polar Express together
On Christmas it’s a day of divid and conquer … and crazy scheduling … Brunch in the late morning with my family and the afternoon and Dinner with my finance’s family (this is fun cause we have 4 daughters to round up and about an hour road trip to each home…). We made this a regular thing since we started dating 9 years ago to maintance peace between families…
BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom
Yeah, I know all about family hoping at Christmas
My favorite memories of Christmas time were setting off fireworks on the dirt road in front of my grandparents house and waking up super early and sneaking downstairs to see what was left under the tree for Christmas morning.
lemongrassseeds at gmail dot com
I got up at 3am one year – and after seeing what I had got, promptly went back to bed
My favorite memory – It was the Christmas Eve midnight service, one of the most important nights of the year. I was in the choir, and we had been practicing the songs for weeks. We practiced every song, hymns and carol ad nauseum, until I knew it in my sleep. Except one. The simplest melody of all.
And we got them all perfect. Except one. The simplest one of all.
The line was: Maybe things don’t sound right, or look the way they should/And maybe they’re not perfectly in tune.
And wouldn’t you know it? Every single one of us were off key. Guess where?
The congregation laughed. But it was a kind laugh. It broke the ice. Soon everyone sang along, and it was one of the most beautiful services in my memory.
Whenever I sing that carol, I still don’t get that note right. Only this time, I miss deliberately
one of my favorite memories was when we came home from my grandparents house on Christmas Eve we walked into the house to find that Santa had done came and left our presents. My dad had left without us knowing from my grandparents and set everything up and then came back to my grandparents. Gale pgan427@yahoo.com
Wow to pick out a favorite memory when I have several is difficult! LOL However the one that stands out the most is as recent as last Christmas. We have three daughters and one of them counts the presents they each get EVERY year!!! (She just turned 18!) Anyhow, last year we found a very large box, we wrapped all her presents and then put them inside this box and wrapped IT. The look on her face when she only saw one present under the tree for her and several for her sisters was priceless! It took all we had not to laugh. She was trying so hard to be politically correct as money is always tight. When she opened it and saw all her gifts the relief was very obvious! LOL Lesson learned!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday and thank you for this opportunity!
Kathy
kathyfuierer@yahoo.com
Thank you for participating in the hop
I’m so glad to have “met” you 
My favorite memories of the holidays is the “festivities” that we have as a family. A couple of days before Christmas we spend time with friends, exchanging gifts and eating. The 23rd is usually spent with my maternal grandmother. Christmas Eve is spent at my paternal grandmother’s house with dinner and a white elephant gift exchange. Christmas morning is with my parents, opening presents with my brother. Christmas afternoon is at the theater watching a movie. The day after Christmas is usually spent with my sister and her family.
My favorite memory of the holidays is from when I was little. My dad would drag in this huge Douglas Fir and he, my mom and I would decorate it for half the night. I was one of the only times I was allowed to stay up past 9pm.
My favorite Christmas memories are the big breakfasts we all ate at my grandma’s after opening our presents.
When I was a little kid, in the late ’70s/early ’80s, my neighborhood had a volunteer fire station where they held all kinds of community events and gatherings. Every year they had a Christmas party, where the fire chief would dress as Santa and the neighborhood kids would all take turns sitting on his lap and telling him our list, and we’d get little gifts. Afterwards he’d take the older kids around the neighborhood on the fire truck to sing carols. I always wanted to go on the fire truck, but they always told me I was too little and would have to wait til I was older. So naturally, before I got old enough the county fire department opened a station a few miles down the road and the volunteer station was closed, taking our community gathering place (and its cool fire truck) with it.