I get to go first
with this interview, which makes me a little nervous. Remember that in addition to my giveaway today, I'll be giving away a 16G Kindle Fire 7 on December 24.
What is your
favorite childhood Christmas memory?
When I was three, Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange was
at our house. Santa came and delivered gifts to all the kids. He was a relative
dressed in a very realistic costume sewn by another relative. I was shy and
dumstruck when he wheeled in a baby buggy with a life-size baby doll in it for
me. As an adult, I learned my mother (we had very little money) bought the
buggy second hand and my dad painted and refurbished it while she made doll blankets. Years
later, our eldest daughter got to see that same Santa costume, now worn by my
older brother, as he passed out gifts.
Me with my doll and buggy |
What is your
favorite adult Christmas memory?
When our children were small we always went to our parents’ in
Lubbock, Texas at holidays. We had to divide our time between the home of each
set of parents who lived about a mile or two apart and the trip was hectic, added to by a Drama Queen sister-in-law. One year, our daughters had pneumonia
and were too sick to travel and we stayed home. Even though they had to go into
the hospital the next day, they said that was their favorite Christmas. Taught us a lesson. After
that we always took our parents' Christmas gifts at Thanksgiving but waited until a few days after
Christmas to go back to Lubbock.
The Christmas our daughters had pneumonia |
Is there a
Christmas song that’s your favorite?
A.
Secular
- “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt
B.
Religious
– “O Come, O Come, Emanuel” has always been my favorite, but now it ties with “Mary,
Did You Know?”
Tell us about your
family’s Christmas traditions.
We have changed a few of them over the years. We have to watch at least one version of "A Christmas Carol" each year. Our daughters and I prefer the Muppets version, but Hero has another version or two he prefers. We have
TexMex on Christmas Eve with tamales, tortilla chips, guaccmole and cheese dips, beans, and sometimes
chili. My husband reads the Christmas story from the Bible and then we open
presents. Sometimes we go to a Christmas Eve service, but not always because one or more of us is usually puny from allergies/asthma/whatever. On Christmas morning, we see what Santa put in our stockings. This is where we've changed: we usually have Stauffer’s lasagna, salad, and garlic bread for dinner and
pecan pie for dessert.
We have a tree in the family room and one in the living
room. On the dining table, we have a small Thomas Kinkade tree with the little
village I’ve collected set around it. I have a small electric train that goes
through the village. As you can tell, I love Christmas and decorations.
One tradition was started by our youngest daughter when she
found out who filled the stockings. She said, “You know what’s in your
stocking. That’s not fair.” That year she slipped a surprise into my stocking
that she had purchased in the summer at a garage sale and saved hidden in her
room (and which, of course, I’ll save forever). Now each of us saves a small
present for each of the other stockings.
What about
Christmas do you most enjoy?
Giving things to people I love. I also enjoy being able to
give to several favorite charities because I believe I’m so fortunate to be
able to do so. Unfortunately, there are so many deserving groups, it’s
impossible to donate to each of them.
Is there something
about this holiday that drives you crazy?
Greed, commercialization. It's not necessary to bring out the Christmas merchandise before Halloween.
What do you hope
for this Christmas?
Saying world peace would be too much, I suppose. ☺ I hope my
family has a wonderful Christmas and regains health and is happy.
Do you have a
treasured Christmas food?
I’ll share my TexMex chili con carne (usually shortened to
chili) recipe. I love this chili and just thinking about it makes me want a large
bowl served with cornbread on the side.
Chili, Yummy |
Chili
5
lbs. Chili meat or ground beef, or combination of 4lbs. Beef or Venison and 1 lb. Pork sausage
1
15 0z. Tomato sauce
1
can Stewed tomatoes
3
Tspn Chili powder [adjust to taste]
1
tspn. Ground comino [cumin]
1
tspn. Cayenne
1
tspn. Salt
1
tspn. Pepper
1
tspn. Paprika
I
medium Onion, chopped
3-5
Garlic cloves, minced [or garlic salt].
¼
cup Brown sugar
Sear
meat in a large skillet, pouring off the excess grease as the meat cooks. As
meat nears browning, add onions and garlic to let them brown also. Mix the
remainder of the ingredients except brown sugar with the meat in a large
heavy kettle or dutch oven. Bring to a boil and then quickly reduce the heat to
simmer. Stir frequently. As the chili simmers slowly, more fat will reduce out
and float to the surface. Skim off this fat each time before you stir the
chili. Discard the fat. About fifteen or
twenty minutes before serving, add brown sugar. This chili can be cooked in an
hour, but the flavor is best if simmered very slowly for two or three hours.
Serve with cornbread (or tortillas or tortilla chips)
and pinto beans. We
don’t add beans to the chili while it’s cooking, but add it to the bowl.
Do you have a
Christmas book you’d like to share?
I have three: MISTLETOE MISTAKE, ANGEL FOR CHRISTMAS, and
CHRISTMAS ON STONE MOUNTAIN. You can see the covers in this blog’s header.
MISTLETOE MISTAKE
Originally
included in the anthology Wild Western Women…Mistletoe, Montana.
Shannon
Callahan worked hard to become a physician. In New York, she meets resistance
to a woman doctor and feels she is no more than a midwife. When the opportunity
arises for her to go to Montana and be the only doctor in the town of
Mistletoe, she grabs the chance.
Riley
McCallister is sheriff of Mistletoe. When he learns the new doctor is a woman,
he is shocked and vows never to let her treat him—no matter how beautiful she
is. Slowly, Shannon’s skill wins his respect—and more. Shannon’s expertise and
dedication during a measles epidemic convinces the town she is a good
doctor—but does their acceptance come too late?
Buy Link http://a.co/3zMk08O
ANGEL FOR
CHRISTMAS
When a
dot com billionaire crashes his sports car into a tree, he wakes up in heaven
facing angels Gabriel and Michael. He’s given a chance to redeem his carefree
ways by helping an orphanage avoid foreclosure and regain a sound financial
picture by midnight on Christmas Eve—or else. To do so, he is sent back to
earth as orphanage janitor, Jacob Porter.
After
her father died four months ago, child psychologist Suzi Stephens was shocked
to learn Serenity Springs Children’s Home and Elementary School faced foreclosure
unless she met a balloon note due January 1. She can’t understand why her late
father broke the trust her grandfather had carefully constructed to protect the
private home. She is afraid the annual gala won’t raise enough money to pay the
note much less the needed year’s operating funds. Trying to do her job plus
step into her late father’s shoes has stretched her to her limits.
She’s
suspicious of the handsome new janitor, who appears more like he’d be at home
as a CEO. Could he be a spy for the developer who covets the children’s home
property? Suzi overcomes her distrust enough to allow Jacob’s help raising
funds. Working together, their attraction escalates but Jacob has nothing to
offer the beautiful redhead. He is scheduled for earthly removal at midnight on
December 24.
Buy
Link http://a.co/cc7ZcMl
CHRISTMAS ON STONE
MOUNTAIN
Christmas
has been Celia Dubois’s favorite time of year as long as she can remember. When
she moves in with her parents a year after the death of her husband, the young
widow is appalled at the town’s lack of Christmas spirit. Two months earlier,
banditos had burned the church and crushed the townspeople. Celia vows to return holiday joy to the town.
Perhaps doing so might help mend her aching heart. Will Celia’s plan work
magic?
Rancher
Eduardo Montoya knows Celia is the woman for him. She enchants him with her
winning smile and vivacious nature. When her father warns Eduardo away from
Celia, Eduardo is both angry and frustrated. After he stops a robbery in her
father’s mercantile, will Celia’s parents change their minds about him? Can
handsome Eduardo heal Celia’s sorrow?
Buy
Link: http://a.co/886XHi0
Today, I’ll give away an e-book of each of the three to one
person who comments.
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline
Clemmons was not born on a Texas
ranch. To make up for this tragic error, she writes about handsome cowboys,
feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a small office her family calls
her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country
where they ride herd on their rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates
there have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards. Find
her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest.
Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete
list of her books and follow her there.
Follow her on BookBub.
Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter
here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous
historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t
you?
She loves to hear from readers
at caroline@carolineclemmons.com
12 comments:
Hi Caroline, it's nice to read all the things about your Christmas memories. Thank you for the chance to win. Merry Christmas.
I am heartbroken to learn that Santa was just my Uncle and not real! We have beans WITH the chili but not in it. I was always taught Texans did not put beans in their chili. It was nice to read about your childhood.
Darling Daughter #1
Hi Caroline. I enjoyed reading about your Christmas memories. I refuse to give up on Santa because me and my brother still remember seeing him in his sleigh in the sky when we were younger.
Hi Caroline. My favorite memories are when the whole family would get together at Grandma's house. And there were plenty of us with 15 aunts and uncles and all the cousins. Crazy time!! catwoman-1(at)Comcast(dot)net
We always put out the nativity set first. My Mom purchased it in 1959 with money she got for taking a neighbor's child to school. The pieces only cost an average of 29 cents each but it's priceless to us.
I live Christmas,and have many Nativity sets. I love showing them off. I too love chili and make,it with black beans for the extra protein. Your recipe sounds amazing. Merry Christmas
I shucks! I'm late, but but I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!
My favorite Christmas memory is the year that I was pregnant with my youngest son, My daughter was 4 and my son was 9 months. My friend's husband played Santa all over Philly at Christmas, so he was the most authentic Santa that I ever saw. Well he came to our home on Christmas Eve. My kids were shocked that the real Santa camd to their house. My dUghter is now 36 and is still asking eho that Santa really was. But I will never tell her anything except that was the Real Sants !! π ⛄π€Άπ
Thanks to everyone who commented. I enjoyed reading about your favorite memories, too.
Sharon, you won the Christmas e-books. Please let me know your email so I can send them. You are still eligible for the Kindle Fire 7.
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