STUFF ISN'T IMPORTANT--THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE ARE!

Please welcome my friend Merry Farmer. Merry releases a sweet and a spice version of her books. Isn't that clever?

What is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?

We didn’t really have a lot of money growing up. My mom was a single mother with an ex-husband who wasn’t particularly reliable with child support payments. One year, she decided we needed new Christmas ornaments for our tree. So we made them, me, my mom, and my brother. They were the simplest things possible, just felt shapes cut out with cookie cutters, sequins sewn on, and stuffed, but to this day, they are my favorite ornaments!

Handmade Ornament

What is your favorite adult Christmas memory?

Well, I have to confess, I don’t have as many happy memories of Christmas as an adult. My mom died of breast cancer in 2001, but it was right before Christmas in 2000 that we found out there was nothing left they could do for her. That was a really tough Christmas! Ever since then, for obvious reasons, the holidays have been tough for me. These days, I just enjoy a simple lunch with my brother and his wife at my aunt’s house. And that’s fine with me!

Is there a Christmas song that’s your favorite?

I’m a big fan of classical music. So I think I’d have to say that Bach’s Christmas Cantata is my favorite. And at the risk of having tomatoes thrown at me, I’ll say that I absolutely can’t stand most modern, jingly, kitschy Christmas songs, like “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”. UGH!

Tell us about your family’s Christmas traditions.

Well, like I said above, these days Christmas is a low-key affair in my family. But my brother, aunt, and I do have one tradition that I love. When we get together for Christmas lunch, we always have sausage and eggplant soup. That probably doesn’t sound like much, but in fact, it’s amazingly delicious! It’s tomato based, and we melt cheese in it. Yum!

What about Christmas do you most enjoy?

Hands down, my favorite part of Christmas is directing the Christmas pageant at my church. It’s a children’s pageant, and I’ve been directing it for about 10 years now. Every year, as I get older, it gets more and more emotional for me. (What’s up with that?) I get all teary now when the kids are gathered around the manger singing “Away in a Manger”. It’s just so sweet!

Is there something about this holiday that drives you crazy?

I really don’t like how greedy and grabby and material people get. Maybe it’s because I lost my mom, but I’ve learned the hard way in life that stuff isn’t even slightly important, the people you love are. So when I see the fuss about Black Friday and commercials about sales, sales, sales, and especially when I see kids glorified for going nuts as they open presents, it just rubs me the wrong way. I actually try to make as many presents as possible these days (I’m a knitter, my list of requests for hand-knit socks gets longer every year), or I buy gifts when I’m traveling that reflect the places I’ve been.

What do you hope for this Christmas?

This holiday season is a little sad for me, because my best friend’s dad is dying. She’s like the sister I’ve never had, and having been through the loss of both of my parents, I know what she’s going for. But she’s a world away, at home with her father in India. I’m trying to spend as much time as possible with her daughter, my honorary niece, who she had to leave here with her husband, since the daughter is in school. But that’s been a great bonding experience for the two of us. I love my friend’s kids like they’re my own!

Do you have a Christmas book you’d like to share?

This Christmas, the last book in my Brides of Paradise Ranch series is coming out! His Yuletide Bride (spicy version) or Bebe: The Yuletide Bride (sweet version). For anyone who’s been reading the Paradise Ranch series, you’ll remember that Hubert Strong and Bebe Bonneville almost ran away together and eloped in the last book (His Innocent Bride/Julia: The Innocent Bride), but Bebe’s father, Rex Bonneville, put his foot down and forced the two apart. Hubert left to make his fortune so that he’d have the money to come back and marry Bebe. Seven years later—seven!—Hubert is back. But he’s got an uphill battle convincing Bebe to pick up where they left off, especially since the Bonneville ranch is in trouble and she’s about to marry another man on Christmas Day in an attempt to save it!

HIS YULETIDE BRIDE Blurb:

Seven years ago, Hubert Strong left Haskell, Wyoming, intent to seek his fortune and make a name for himself. He left with a promise to his sweetheart, Bebe Bonneville, that he would come back for her when he had enough money to give her everything she deserved.

Seven years!

When Hubert returns, richer, wiser, and more world-savvy, he expects Bebe to fly back into his arms so that they can have their happily ever after at last. But Hubert is in for a huge surprise. Life has been cruel to Bebe. Her father has died, her family’s ranch is about to be foreclosed on, and the only way she can save it is to marry her father’s secretary, Price Penworthy on Christmas Day. And when Hubert walks back into her life, her fury at being abandoned reaches an all-time high.

But Price Penworthy isn’t what he seems, and Hubert knows it. He has his hands full trying to uncover the truth and convince Bebe to take him back. With time running out before the Bonnevilles lose the ranch, can Hubert and Bebe work through a mountain of misunderstandings to rediscover their love? Or will everything fall apart before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day?

Amazon buy links:

HIS YULETIDE BRIDE Spicy version: http://a.co/dbFCAah

(Please be advised: Steam level -- Very Hot)

BEBE: THE YULETIDE BRIDE Sweet version buy link: http://a.co/9g232cM

Merry Farmer, Author

Merry Christmas!