New Christmas Traditions by Suzanne Winslow

Like many people, I grew up with a lot of Christmas traditions that I passed on to my children when they were growing up. Traditions like baking cookies, cutting the Christmas tree, visiting Santa, and celebrating with family and friends on Christmas Eve. My husband and I were in our early twenties when we started our family of six, so we sort of transitioned from being kids to having kids, with little time in-between.

Now, our four kids range in age from twenty-seven to thirty-four. Two are single, two are engaged. None of them have children. Three live in different states, all far away. And we’ll see only two of them this year.

All of this to say, Christmas is an ever-evolving holiday in our family. I bake a lot less with no one here to eat a season’s worth of cookies. We have artificial trees instead of a real one, and Christmas Eve is much quieter now.

So, how do we celebrate the holiday with only adults and in much smaller groups?

First, I’ve started a new take on a favorite tradition: the advent calendar. Our advent calendar is now full of game night/date night ideas. My husband and I divide the days and come up with different ideas for each one, taking weekdays and weekends into account. Some of the ideas are a throwback to the past, like driving to see Christmas lights and watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Other ideas are dart games with cheese and crackers, board games with a Christmas cocktail, a straight-up Christmas cocktail night, and holiday events at our favorite restaurants and wineries. Every morning, we open the activity for the day, and then look forward to whatever it is we’ll do later that evening.

I make the advent calendar using a wood soda crate and I store the ribbon, bow, and all the rest to reuse the following year. Super easy and lots of fun!

Another new tradition is picking one night to sleep by the fire next to the Christmas tree. We inflate the air mattress and make up the bed with a big, comfy comforter and pillows, and watch movies before we go to sleep. You can certainly do this with kids too.

Lastly, we have a fancier menu. If it’s just the two of us for Christmas dinner, we’ll splurge on steak and scallops and a nice bottle of wine.

If you’re curious about the advent calendar, follow me at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSuzanneWinslow/ to see this year’s ideas.

When I’m not celebrating Christmas, I’ll be editing Backfire, book three in my Smoke and Fire firefighter romance series, releasing in 2024. Burned and Bail Out, books one and two, are available in Amazon and Kindle Unlimited now.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays!

Theo, Last Man Standing, Book Nine by Suzanne Winslow

Theo (Last Man Standing-Book 9) started out as a whim—a chance to write a novella in a series with fourteen other romance authors. Theo is an airline pilot living in Rancho Bernardo, a suburb of San Diego. His character gave me the opportunity to explore ideas I’ve had in the back of my mind for a long time. My husband was a commercial airline pilot for twenty years. I’ve visited my parents in Southern California for twenty-five years. I could build my characters and setting around what I know. Easy, right?

Well, kind of.

I intended to write a sweet story about lost love and second chances. What I got myself into was more than that after Theo’s past revealed itself and made me consider an important question: How do men suffer a heartbreak?

Theo’s heart is broken in college and his story is about how he protects himself from ever feeling that kind of pain again. He has a two-date limit with the women he goes out with. There’s no talk of relationships. No thoughts about marriage. He becomes the last man standing among his closest friends.

This is a romance about second chances, so things turn around for him. But not easily, and not without a little soul-searching on his part. I like to think it’s still a sweet story with a heartwarming happily-ever-after. Theo might think I could’ve been a little easier on him. I think he’ll appreciate his HEA even more by having to work for it!

Blurb

Theo Thomas chose his aviation career over love. A confirmed bachelor, he’s the last unmarried man among his closest peers. When a Southern California heat wave coincides with a power outage, he’s forced to his friends’ house. He’s surprised to discover their house sitter is the woman who’d forged his opinion on marriage seventeen years ago.

Chief Information Officer Emma Wilson never gave up on love, but try as she might, she hasn’t found anything close to what she felt for Theo—despite hard feelings on both sides. When a new job takes her back to California, she dreads the possibility of seeing him again. So of course, fate lands him right on her doorstep.

As grudges fade and resentment slowly turns to forgiveness, Theo sees life offering him a second chance, but Emma isn’t a starry-eyed girl anymore. She’s a woman who knows her worth, and this time, Theo will have to fight for what he wants.

Excerpt

A familiar, unexpected voice asked, “Is everything okay?”

Theo’s heart punched in his chest. “Emma?”

“Theo?” Her sharp tone clearly told him she held him responsible for what was happening.

Officer Perez narrowed his eyes at Theo. “Do you two know each other?”

He couldn’t believe she’d called the cops on him. Or, maybe he could. “Her name’s Emma Wilson. She knows the people who live here too.”

“How many people have keys to this house?”

Theo shrugged. At least one more than he knew about.

A few seconds passed before Emma came outside ahead of the other police officer. She wore an emerald green bikini, a silver naval piercing, and pale pink polish on her toes. Her hair was shorter and straighter than he remembered. It was pulled back into a ponytail the same chestnut brown as the eyes that still occasionally featured in his dreams. As she got a little closer, he looked away, but not before glimpsing more of her than he had seen in a very long time. She stopped short a few feet away, clicking her fingernails, avoiding eye contact with him too. He didn’t blame her. Not after what he’d said the last time they were together. They hadn’t spoken since. Last he knew, she was an IT director in Detroit. Oliver usually told him when she was coming to California, but not this time. When their eyes finally met, she folded her arms over her stomach, trying to cover herself. All the movement did was show off her cleavage. His eyebrows lifted at her futile effort.

She glared at him.

Perez frowned. “Is everything okay?”

Theo answered yes the same time as Emma.

“Okay, then.” Perez held out his hand. “Let’s see your driver’s licenses.”

Author Bio

Suzanne Winslow writes the kind of stories she loves to read—contemporary romance with relatable characters, unsung heroes and heroines, and true-to-life stories. Nurses, teachers, firefighters, and Marines top her list of champions. Give her a book about strong, brave characters with hidden vulnerabilities and a secret passion, and she’ll binge read to the end!

Suzanne and her husband call Upstate New York home. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s often planning a road trip, or if it’s summertime, hanging out at the lake. Connecting with readers through Instagram, Facebook, and newsletters is a favorite pastime.

Links

Buy link https://amzn.to/38NfAN1

Website https://www.suzannewinslow.com/

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/suzanne-winslow

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Winslow/e/B0892W8WCL

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSuzanneWinslow

Twitter https://twitter.com/SuzanneMWinslow