(And if you read to the end….there’s an exclusive from Tina!)
Christmas is both ever changing and constant for me. Wow, that sounds really polarized (no Christmas North-Pole Pun intended – okay, that’s not true- that was exactly what I intended. LOL). My statement really isn’t as strange as it sounds. I’m sure many of you can relate to what I’m sharing. You see, as my family dynamics change because my children’s lives are changing, our way of celebrating the holidays has changed too (mostly). I no longer feel the intense desire to have the holiday garland, twinkling lights and favorite life-sized, wiggling-hips Santa (well, actually he’s an elf-sized Santa) on for them to see the instant their eyes flutter open each morning. My sons aren’t home to wake in their childhood beds and giggle as their feet hit the floor to race into the kitchen for a warm breakfast – lights and music lining their paths. And, my husband nor I are capable of leaping from bed racing into the kitchen with bright eyes at the site of colorful Christmas lights and Santa. That comes after a couple of cups of coffee. We can’t even comprehend there are four walls around us until the caffeine kicks in- LOL.
Yet, while that uninhibited, child’s joy doesn’t fill our homes each day, there are constants that do during the holiday, traditions – the decorated flocked tree (never growing up with snow, I love the romantic images of a white Christmas with glistening snow on the lawn and in the trees), the kitchen scents of cinnamon and chocolate (and burned 
marshmallows – which I always manage to do when making hot chocolate), and even that ever-present, elf-sized Santa (that I bought at Walgreens on clearance the day after Christmas years ago). The special nativities I collected for 30 years still have their place, next to the handmade school items and sparkling white lights. It’s all there for my husband and I to enjoy (after our morning coffee and in the evening with more coffee), and for when our oldest son pops over with his wife and 5 children, and our youngest son stops by with his girlfriend and sweet puppy (who enjoys trying to eat Santa’s plastic hand – the puppy not the grandchildren. They prefer to eat Santa’s Candy Cane!) And, there are the wonderful memories to talk about or to quietly reflect when we look at the glued-on angel’s wing that Hal broke when he was trying to prove angels absolutely could fly or we glance at the freakishly lopsided head of Rudolf that is held in place by a rubber band because Nick insisted he could fix it after Grandma Ann dropped it.
So, you see, there are some constants in the joyful evolution of our family. Oh, and that chewed, no longer hip-swaying Santa? He’s got a special place in my office, along with a small tree, a few of my favorite ornaments and whatever nativity I think is my absolute favorite that year. We usually decorate on Thanksgiving night. This year is going to be a little different for us. We’re going to an evening Saints game (WHO DAT!), so we’re decorating early (you didn’t think I would delay it a day?!). And, we always keep our decorations up through Three Kings Day (Epiphany) January 6th. We also enjoy King Cake that day for the start of our Louisiana King Cake tradition through Mardi Gras! YUM!! (https://www.neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/mardi-gras/)
I really do love Christmas and all the good feelings that fill my heart because of it – changing and constant. I 
sincerely wish the same for you and your family. And, because this is the perfect time of year to count our blessings, I want to tell you that I count you as one of mine. You and the entire readers community make my life so much better. My wish (because I think we should make them during this magical time too) is that I can do the same for you too. Merry Christmas.  Tina
Here’s a look at Tina’s latest release:
HUNT FOR CHRISTMAS, A SECOND CHANCE NOVELLA
Traditions, mistletoe kisses, interfering family and second chances…The Cajun Christmas on the Bayou Celebration is an annual event in the remote town of Fa La, Louisiana, nicknamed – Fa La La. It has supported generations of the families who live in the isolated bayou community. This year may be the last. Thanks to Hunter James who bought the neighboring island, they can no longer use his land for a major part of the celebration. The island is his home. He expects to have the peace and quiet he desperately needs – no matter what Fa La La’s beautiful advocate, Dr. Camille Comeaux, says as she tries to change his mind…and changes his heart. Will Camille fight to steal Hunter’s peace so her family can have theirs?
You can purchase HUNT FOR CHRISTMAS at:
Available at Amazon (print, Kindle & Kindle Unlimited) and at Your Local Bookstore
EXCLUSIVE: The adorable fairy and (her accomplices) in the picture is the muse and character in an upcoming Christmas book from Tina. You heard it here first!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tina DeSalvo, a humorous voice in women’s fiction and romance, brings her knowledge and passion for the culture, traditions and people of Cajun Country (where she lives) and New Orleans (where she grew up) to her Second Chance Novel series- Elli, Jewell, Abby, Hunt for Christmas, Out-lanta and in 2019-Treasured. Her second Christmas novella – Christmas at the Inn in Cloud Hill, set in the Rocky Mountains, is now available for the holidays, as well as her Historical Western The Bluff (Haunted West Volume 1). The Fathers of Victoria Gallen is coming in early 2019. Learn more about Tina and her books at tinadesalvo.com
Learn more about Tina and her books at:|
Hunt for Christmas, a Second Chance Novella
Christmas at the Inn on Cloud Hill
Facebook: Tina De Salvo Author – @TinaDeSalvoAuthor
Instagram: @tinadesalvo
Twitter: Tina_DeSalvo
