The moment when the season feels right

With our nation being a patchwork quilt of cultures and traditions, so it also goes for our authors and their holiday traditions. It is a time of remembering and gathering for so many. Though we Booklover’s Bench authors celebrate in our own festive styles, we all get nostalgic in December. This two-week post shares the one moment for each of us that brings holiday magic into clear focus.

For me, the mood of December is defined by Christmas music. Whether it is Dave shrieking “Alvin!,” Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas,” imagining the child who saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, or savoring the refrain from “Do You Know What I Hear?” those songs make me feel the December Holidays. They set the tone I enjoy for weeks. Of course, the same feeling is evoked when the songs are played as part of Christmas in July.—Debra H Goldstein

My husband and I start off the holiday season by taking a short Caribbean Cruise as close to the first day of December as we can manage. This year we are taking the Liberty of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale and going to Nassau and CocoCay in the Bahamas. The decorations on the ship, the holiday songs, and the festive food get us in the spirit.—Cheryl Hollon

“We don’t do lots for the Christmas holidays, seeing that it’s just me and the hubster, but one tradition we do keep up with that makes it feel like the Season is outdoor decorations. We live on a dead-end street in the boonies, so there aren’t too many people to see the lights. Even so, almost all our neighbors always put up decorations in what is a friendly if unspoken competition starting over the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. I try to add something new each year to keep things fresh and fun. Last year was the last jumping lighted reindeer at Home Depot. I think this year’s might be a lighted wooden cutout. Guess I’m going to need a bigger attic!”—Diane A.S. Stuckart

For me, it’s the Christmas holiday when the church is dark and candlelit and we sing Silent Night. There’s something so powerful in that stillness which becomes singing that it brings tears to my eyes and fills me with joy.—Maggie Toussaint aka Valona Jones

The store decorations set the mood for me along with shopping deals over Thanksgiving weekend. Even though I don’t celebrate Christmas, this means it’s time to decorate for Hanukkah, which is especially early this year. And Hallmark holiday movies set the pace. I’m a fan of their seasonal rom-coms.—Nancy J Cohen

I love Christmas movies. There’s just something about them that makes everything else feel so festive. There’s a certain magic to these films that can transport us back to our childhoods or perhaps even create new memories with loved ones. One of my favorite things about Christmas movies is how they often have heartwarming messages about family, love, and kindness.—Terry Ambrose

Thanksgiving weekend always marks the start of the holiday season for us. After we’ve had a day to recover from the annual turkey stupor and way too many servings of pie, we put up all the Christmas decorations and begin the cookie baking.—Lois Winston

However you celebrate in December, whether it’s an informal gathering of family or friends or a more scripted religious observation, all of us wish each of you a truly wonderful holiday. Merry and Happy Everything!

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“Happy Holidays” image purchased from Dreamstime royalty-free photos.