27 December

Blink Blog: New Year's Resolutions and Traditions

The New Year is just days away! What are your resolutions and traditions? We asked some of our Blink authors to share their answers. Keep reading below…

What are your New Year’s resolutions (if any)?

Jonathan Friesen: Floss. I say that and people say, “Eww! You don’t floss?” But I know they probably don’t either. I don’t know why it’s so hard. The floss is right there by the brush. The brush is easy to pick up, but that floss … it’s a battle.

Evangeline Denmark:  

Write a book.

Train Neville the Cat to fight against Lord Voldemort.

Make new friends who have very different backgrounds and experiences than my own.

Come to terms with the fact that I look bad in lavender.

Keep becoming who I was meant to be.

Lorie Langdon: I’m a goal setter, but overarching New Year’s resolutions never work for me. I do better with very specific achievable goals, such as: I will write 1000 words every day this week. Or, I will start out each day this month with scripture and time with God.

Stephanie Morrill: Mine tend to be tweaks rather than major life overhauls. I am very cliché in that I always have something on there about exercising more, and I never follow through.

Christina June: Celebrate launching my debut novel!

Any New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day traditions?

Evangeline Denmark: On New Year’s Eve we play games and do puzzles until midnight, and then we make hats out of tinfoil and wear them out into the street where we inspect our neighbors’ houses for signs of alien invasion. On New Year’s Day we wish we’d never put up our 12 foot Christmas tree.

Lorie Langdon: We are usually invited to a party or two, and sometimes we’ll make an appearance. But as an introvert, I prefer to spend New Year’s Eve at home, playing board games and watching movies with my family.

Stephanie Morrill: We always spend New Year’s Eve at home. At 11, after we’ve watched the ball drop in New York, I start petitioning to go to bed. Now that we have a baby in the house, my husband usually agrees that’s a good idea.

New Year’s Day we loaf around the house. We watch the rose parade, which I find fascinating, and eat a big lunch and play games. Sometimes we take down Christmas decorations, but mostly we just relax.

Christina June: Not really 🙂

What are your resolutions and traditions? Share with us on Facebook and Twitter!

19 December

Blink Blog: Christmas Plans and Traditions

Christmas is less than a week away! Curious what our Blink authors are reading this holiday season? How about their Christmas traditions and plans? Keep reading to get the full scoop on what Christmas looks like for them.

Any reading on your list for the holiday season?

Jonathan Friesen: Nope, but I’m going to write. I am going to write an entire novel in December. There, I said it. Now I have to do it.

Evangeline Denmark:  Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. The first in the series, Six of Crows, was one of my favorite reads of 2015!

Lorie Langdon: Books always make up a big portion of my Christmas list. This year I’m on a historical fiction kick, so I’m hoping to read; REBEL BELLE by Rachel Hawkins, EXILE FOR DREAMERS by Kathleen Baldwin, and A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS, a compilation of short stories by multiple YA authors.

Stephanie Morrill: I’m hoping this is the year I will actually read A Christmas Carol. I’ve seen the movie loads of times, and I’ve owned the book for years, but I’ve yet to read it. Though I just received a notice that Ally Carter is releasing a Heist Society novella this holiday season, so poor Dickens may get bumped yet again…

Christina June: Nothing in particular.

What are your plans for this Christmas season?

Jonathan Friesen: Well, I’m going to write. I imagine I’ll also lapse back into Thanksgiving mode: Eat. Nap. Repeat. We’re not going anywhere and instead are lounging around home this year, so I’m pumped!

Evangeline Denmark:  I plan on having some quality hang time with my brother. We are very close, but he lives too far for regular visits. When he’s here for the holidays we cook together, play games, and plot books.

Lorie Langdon: Spend time with family! Last year, my youngest son was hospitalized over Thanksgiving and it took him months to recover. In January, we almost lost my father-in-law. But this year they are both healthy and I want to soak up all the time I can with my loved ones!  

Stephanie Morrill: I’m a homebody year-round, but especially at Christmas time. My husband takes time off work just to be home, and the older kids are out of school, so we get lots of hang time without the stress of getting homework done or lunches made. I absolutely love it.

 

Christina June: We’re spending Christmas local this year, so probably a lot of relaxing with my family.

Does your family have any Christmas traditions?

Jonathan Friesen: This is a great question. My wife and I have been talking about Christmas traditions. All our traditions now are connected to our parents, which is fine, but they are getting up in years. When they aren’t here, what will our kids remember about our home at Christmas? Anything? So, we want to be intentional about starting some traditions, but that sounds lame because you can’t really start a tradition; they start somewhere in the past. Bottom line: no.

Evangeline Denmark:  We usually try to attend a special play or concert that celebrates the season. It can be hard to slow down and absorb the meaning of the holidays, but I tend to find that connection through music and performance art. Perhaps I should attempt my own performance art this year. Maybe my family will be more excited about seeing A Christmas Carol for the tenth time if I put on a one-woman show. Then again, maybe not.

Lorie Langdon: We always go to church on Christmas Eve and then have a dinner of appetizers at my parents. It’s laid-back and fun as we all munch on finger foods while we open our gifts to each other. Christmas morning is for my husband and our boys—we have a family gift exchange and I make cinnamon rolls. Then we head over to my in-laws for lunch and more family time! The day usually ends with my hubby and me curled up on the coach watching A CHRISTMAS STORY marathon.

Stephanie Morrill: Yes, and they’re evolving as the kids get older, but here are two of my favorites: 1. During the season, we pick a night to drive around and look at Christmas lights. We bring hot chocolate, listen to Christmas music, crank up the heater, and enjoy the beauty of the city. 2. After our church’s Christmas Eve service, we have a candlelight dinner just the five of us. When dinner is over, we get out the Bible and read the story of Jesus being born.

Christina June: My dad’s side of the family is Polish, so we do the traditional Wigilia on Christmas Eve, though it’s been modified over the years to accommodate picky eaters (i.e. me).

Share your plans and traditions with us on Facebook and Twitter!

14 December

Blink Blog: Holiday Favorites

Christmas is less than two weeks away!! A few of our Blink authors shared their favorite Christmas movies and holiday albums. Keep reading to see what they shared.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Jonathan Friesen: I’m not so into movies. I dig the old T.V. specials like How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I like the Peanuts Christmas. Love Rudolf and Frosty. So, I’m a classic T.V. special guy.

Evangeline Denmark:  Just Friends, Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Holiday, and White Christmas

Lorie Langdon: I adore Christmas movies and have a bit of an addiction to the Hallmark Channel this time of year, but I always have to watch; ELF, HOME ALONE, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, A CHRISTMAS STORY, and MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

Stephanie Morrill: It’s A Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, and Miracle on 42nd Street

Christina June: Love Actually, The Holiday, A Christmas Story, A Mom for Christmas, Elf

FAVORITE HOLIDAY ALBUMS

Jonathan Friesen: Any album with “White Christmas” and the song about chestnuts on it. I love those two songs and sing them all year long. This drives my family a bit looney, but, hey.

Evangeline Denmark: Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan, The Dawn of Grace by Sixpence None the Richer, and Let it Snow Baby…Let it Reindeer by Relient K

Lorie Langdon: Harry Connick Jr. When My Heart Finds Christmas, Glee The Christmas Album, Michael Buble Christmas, Celtic Woman Home For Christmas, and White Christmas featuring Bing Crosby (I’d listen to Bing Crosby singing the alphabet…Love his voice!)

Stephanie Morrill: Only two stick out for me. My absolute favorite is the Charlie Brown Christmas album. I grew up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas every year, and I now watch it with my kids. The soundtrack is always on when we  decorate the tree, open gifts, or drive around looking at lights.

The other one is Amy Grant’s Christmas album, which is also a relic from childhood. I think it’s the first CD my parents ever bought way back in the day, and the whole thing is very early 90s. But the season just doesn’t feel right without it.

What are your favorite Christmas albums and movies? Share with us on Facebook and Twitter.