Merry Christmas To All!!

By Kate

It's Christmas Day, at last. I can finally relax ... I think ...

Has this year’s holiday season been a particularly crazy time for everyone? It's not just me, right? Some say it’s because Thanksgiving was late so that gave us one less week to prepare for the next big holiday. But I think it’s just been a difficult year in general and the holiday rush tends to add to the anxiety.

Oh, but let’s not talk about anxiety and craziness today! It’s Christmas, and that means quality family time, wonderful traditions, special gifts, and peace on earth and good will to all.

Yesterday, when all the shopping was done, all the cards had been mailed and the last packages had been delivered, I looked around and realized I actually had an evening with nothing to do! I poured myself a glass of champagne--hey, I was celebrating!--then picked up one of my favorite old Christmas romances, curled up on the couch and read for a few hours. I haven’t done that in months!

Some of my favorite Christmas romances are short stories, like Linda Howard’s Bluebird Winter and Nora Roberts’ All I Want For Christmas. Last night I re-read Susan Mallery’s The Sheik and the Christmas Bride. Talk about a guilty pleasure, I love Susan’s sheik books! Two more favorites of mine are JD Robb’s Holiday in Death (I love that in between all the murder and mayhem, Eve is so flummoxed by the gift giving!) and Maureen Child’s Some Kind of Wonderful (she finds a real baby in the manger! It’s such a sweet, funny story, so classically Maureen Child).

What are some of your favorite Christmas romances?

And because it’s Christmas Day and because we Banditas love to give away goodies, one lucky random commenter will win our fabulous Bandita Christmas Basket!! It’s filled with wonderful goodies, such as:

* Dark and Dangerous and a bookmark from Jeanne
* Not Without Her Family and a bookmark and magnet from Beth
* The Wild Sight from Aunty Cindy, along with a flower notepad, bath salts, a lovely Turkish woven bookmark and a thap gump pin
* Every Night I'm Yours and a bookmark from Christie
* A cuddly thap gump teddy bear from Anna Sugden
* Risque Business, post-its, a magnet and more goodies from Tawny
* Claiming the Courtesan and a bookmark and postcard from Anna Campbell

* A thap gump spiral notebook from Caren
* A Firefighter in the Family and a bookmark and picture frame from Trish
* A $10 gift card from Barnes & Noble from KJ
* The Trouble with Moonlight, pens and a bookmark from Donna
* The Dangerous Duke and a bookmark and postcard from Christine
* A $10 Borders gift card from Jo
* A thap gump mouse pad from Joanie
* Homicide in Hardcover ARC, a bookmark and postcard from Kate, along with Sees Candy suckers and a $10 Starbucks gift certificate
* A notebook from Nancy
* And more!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our Bandita friends!!