I want to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. For many of you, it will be a time to give thanks for all the precious people in your life.

This holiday season, I am so proud of my grandson, Caleb, who has just published his debut Christmas novel, Top Elf (recommended for grades 3-8).

Publisher’s Weekly describes Top Elf as a “whirlwind holiday escapade that ends on a touching note, with lots of laughs and wild twists along the way.” This book is available in audio, hardcover, and as an e-book. (E-book is only $1.99 and is currently on 3 Amazon bestseller lists!)

I asked him what inspired him to write Top Elf.

He said, “When I was a kid, I was always full of questions — and some of my biggest ones were about Santa Claus. How does he get around the world in a single night? How has one guy lived long enough to deliver presents to me, and my parents, and my grandparents, and my grandparents’ parents? What’s it like at the North Pole? Has Santa ever been to space?! I decided to finally write a book that gives some answers to those questions. (Faster-than-light travel, it’s not just one guy, it’s really great at the North Pole mostly, and YES.)

I asked him if I inspired him to become a writer.

He said, “The first time my name was ever inside a book was because my grandmother, Ann Major, put it there, in the dedication, and that will stick with me for life. More than that, she showed me it was possible — writing stories didn’t have to be a dream. If you’re reading this, of course, you know my Mimi is amazing, but now I feel like I understand it even better. Writing books is hard, and I’ve only written the one! She’s written so many.

If you want to read the complete interview, check out Ann Major’s blog: http://www.annmajor.com/blog//interview-with-caleb-zane-huett-author-of-debut-middle-grade-christmas-novel-top-elf

Caleb Zane Huett is a playwright and indie bookseller at Avid Bookshop. He’s a graduate of the University of Georgia and also really good at video games. One time he won a funnel cake doing the Macarena to Christmas music at a rodeo. He lives in Athens, GA. Oh, and he’s an Aries.

For a chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Top Elf, if you’re on Facebook, you can enter my contest. A winner will be drawn December 15, 2017.  https://www.facebook.com/annmajorauthor/?ref=hl

Here’s what a contest’s entrant said about his book. “My 10 year old grandson started Top Elf yesterday and loves it. Here’s a picture of him reading it at the bus stop at 7:30 today
It’s a little blurry because I was holding the umbrella.” (picture not included)

So, I’m a very proud grandma this Christmas Season.

As for my own writing, I just finished Love with An Imperfect Maid and Love with an Imperfect Bridegroom, books 1 & 2 of my Lone Star Dynasty series, which I look forward to publishing in the spring of 2018.  And The Goodbye Child (book 6) of my Texas: Children of Destiny series is on sale for $.99 at your favorite retailer.

Links to Top Elf by Caleb Zane Huett:

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Elf-Caleb-Huett-ebook/dp/B06WW1CM42/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511214720&sr=1-1&keywords=top+elf+huett

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/top-elf

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/top-elf-caleb-huett/1125841478?ean=9781338052145#/

Links to The Goodbye Child (on sale now for 99 cents) by Ann Major

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Child-Texas-Children-Destiny-ebook/dp/B01M59O4TA/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1164266496

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-goodbye-child

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/goodbye-child-ann-major/1000303444?ean=2940153514017

Ann Major, author of Harlequin Desire
HIS FOR THE TAKING (June 2013)

Major Links

Website: http://www.annmajor.com/

Blog: http://www.annmajor.com/blog/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/annmajorauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnMajor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annmajor45/pins/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7660.Ann_Major

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Major/e/B004OAZP66/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1511215993&sr=1-1

 vs. 

I lived for seven years in Germany. Before the wall came down. And I loved every minute of it. Loved the food. The People. The lovely landscapes. The castles. Loved their traditions, some of which I instituted as my own new family traditions. My heart warms seeing my daughter carry on those traditions. Some of them center around Christmas.

We celebrate St. Nicklaus Night. Always, on December 6th, as a precursor to Christmas, the kids put their shoes outside the door before they go to sleep at night. That night, St. Nicklaus lets them know whether they are on his naughty or nice list by leaving them presents in their shoes or a lump of dirty coal. This year, two of the girls got candy coal. 🙂

We have an advent calendar that we hang at the same time the Christmas tree goes up at Thanksgiving. Each morning in December, the children wake up to see what small gift they have in the calendar—candy, money, pencils, etc.

We have nutcracker ornaments we collected in Germany hanging from the tree.

The one tradition I did not include was Krampus…

You know Krampus, right? The alternative to St. Nicklaus. Good children receive gifts from Santa. Bad children are carried away to Krampus’s cave where they are devoured. Germans can be a little scary in their storytelling. Just think of the real story of Cinderella where her sisters cut off their heels and toes to fit their feet into the slippers!

One tradition I enforced on my children was that the moment they stopped believing in Santa, he stopped delivering Christmas presents. My children NEVER admitted that they no longer believed. My daughter’s been a little lax with that one. She let her oldest tell her she didn’t believe. I’d have taken all her presents and let her stew a day until she “re-believed.” But I’m mean that way.

What traditions do you follow for your holiday celebrations, whichever one you celebrate? If you’d known about Krampus, would have you instituted him as part of your holiday tradition? Do you hide the Christmas pickle or the spider?