Steve Berry – His Travels Inspire His Christmas Traditions But Home is Where the Heart is

Christmas around here is big deal. we decorate at Thanksgiving.  it takes all day.  Nearly all of the decorations have been collected during our travels.

The first is our dining room table with a runner we found in Germany.  In the background, on the shelves are Christmas elves from Denmark, Nisses, whose mischief is appeased with rice pudding laid out for them to eat.

Here is a Santa and sleigh we found in Bavaria.  The runner beneath came from Budapest.

Beside the front door is our terra cotta warrior, an exact copy of one from China, made at the same foundry of the originals.  He plays a key role in The Emperor’s Tomb.  For Christmas he gets a Mickey Mouse hat we found at Disneyworld. The poinsettias are artificial.  In Florida, that’s all you can really have.

This is our mantle, and it takes about an hour to create each year.  We tried to find the right decor that complimented the striking stonework.  In the mirror’s reflection you can see the iron chandelier and more of the art work in the room.  All of the prints are relevant to the various novels.

 This nativity scene is all hand carved and came from Oberammergau in Bavaria.  The whole town is famous for its woodwork.  We spent a day there, in the snow, finding the right stall and all of the accessories.  Back home, I found a small light that fits inside and gives it all a yellow glow.

This is my pride.  It’s a Star Trek tree.  It has all of Star Trek ornaments, save the first one which slipped past me. That is the original Enterprise and is a collector’s piece now.  At the bottom right is a transporter toy form the 1970s.  Inside is a Santa that appears and disappears, all to the sound effects from the transporter.

The tree.  All of the ornaments have come from around the world.  We started with the red balls 8 years ago and have acquired the rest ever since.  My wife, Elizabeth creates this every year.

Perhaps the most special thing we’re doing is actually staying home.  For the past few Christmas seasons we’ve been on the road.  This year we’ve stayed home, and it’s been great.  We travel about four months out of the year, so the opportunity just to be here and enjoy our decorations and the season is quite special.

About Steve:

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of The Lincoln Myth, The King’s Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. His books have been translated into 40 languages with 17,000,000 copies in 51 countries.  They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists.

His latest novel, The King’s Deception is available now. You can find out more about Steve and his books by following this link to his website.