Christmas at the Movies by Vicki Batman

Happy Holidays to all of you! And thank you, Liz, for inviting me to blog with you today.

I’m sure a lot of you movie people have favorites you watch during this season. White Christmas is a favorite because my sisters and I watched it on Christmas Eve and yes, we sang the songs. The Bishop’s Wife with Cary Grant as an angel. Miracle on 34th Street—the parade, the awesome Santa, and the non-believers who become believers. 

The Grinch—it is so beautiful to see his heart grow three sizes when he realizes the true meaning of Christmas. Fa who doray. Da who doray. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer—even someone different has a gift to share. Charlie Brown Christmas—who can forget Linus’s recitation of the true meaning of Christmas and all the friends gathering around the little twig tree transformed into one of great beauty. The kids sing my favorite hymn, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” 

I also like Love Actually—I know some of you find it depressing. It’s about love lost and love found. And who can forget Bill Nighy as a rock n’ roller with a Christmas song. Millions is a favorite of mine—brothers find a duffle full of money and have a great adventure while the bad guys are looking for the moola. The movie is directed by Danny Boyle who gave us Slumdog Millionaire. 

Just to be completely different, my family likes Stalag 17. The movie is set in WW2 in a POW camp at Christmas. Amongst one of them is a rat. William Holden steals the show. No Die Hard. Just doesn’t work for me as a Christmas movie. LOL.

I love love love Christmas in Connecticut—Barbara Stanwyck is a columnist who has to recreate a real Christmas for a young man returning from the war. The movie is fun and crazy and romantic.

And sometimes attached to Christmas in Connecticut when it airs on TCM is an Academy award-winning short movie entitled Star in the Night, a retelling of the Christmas story set after the war in a desert auto court. I truly get teary every time I watch it. Bring a hankie and click this link on YouTube: A Star In the Night 1945 - YouTube

For more holiday fun, curl up on the sofa with your favorite beverage and/or snack and indulge in these rom com holiday short stories:

Find yours at multiple retailers and at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z45SGC5

Vicki Batman’s stories are full of fun, romance, and possibilities which will delight all readers. She has sold many award-winning and bestselling romantic comedy works to magazines and most recently, three humorous romantic mysteries. An avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Cat fancier. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby.

Connect with Vicki at: 

Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction-133506590074451/  

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman/    

Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman/    

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4814608.Vicki_Batman/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vicki-batman/

Instagram: vickilbatman      

Vicki Batman

My Christmas Treasure by Vicki Batman

My family lived in typical suburbia with a great neighbor next door. After Thanksgiving, Mom gathered her ingredients, decamped to Mrs. Owen's house, and made divinity. Mom brought home tins filled with goodies in pale pastel shades.

One year, Mrs. Owen brought Mom a Christmas gift. Nestled inside the box sat a Styrofoam angel. She was approximately eight inches tall with curls of silvery white hair. Sequins fashioned her eyes, nose, and mouth. She was so pretty, and I fell in love.

For a long time, Mom put the angel on the tip top of our Christmas tree. One day, Mom received a different angel topper, storing away the "littlest angel." I asked for her, but Mom wasn't ready to let go of the gift from her good friend. I understood.

I became determined to find an angel of my own. I searched many flea markets and antique malls for one; however, I didn't find it. But I hoped I would.

And then…

I frequented my favorite antique market not far from my home. This time, as I made my way up an aisle, I looked ahead to the end of the row and saw a woman pull a box from under a table. I watched her remove several things. My heart caught when I saw her look at something resembling my "littlest angel." In my head, I said, "Put her back. Put her back." God listened to me as the woman replaced the item in the box and walked away.

Casually, I walked toward the last table in the row. I bent to examine the box under the table, and—oh, golly--there was my angel. After searching for many years, I finally found one--a little tatty. I didn't care. I knew I could replace the doll's hair and her missing sequins. I paid fifty cents for my treasure and cradled her in my arms for the trip home.

Happiness abounded. 

After Mom passed, my sisters and I came together to take care of the house. We went through every nook and cranny. Finally, one of us opened a box, and in it sat the littlest angel, the gift from Mrs. Owen. Now, I owned two!

Writers find inspiration in many places, and this time, all came together in a holiday story, "The Littlest Angel," where two people are looking for the same ornament. It's one of three short stories in Sommerville holidays.

 

Hopes and wishes and holiday kisses...Sommerville holidays.

Holiday Disaster: Days before Christmas, a librarian experiences plumbing issues and visits from Mr. Maintenance Man, who isn't nearly as jolly as Santa Claus.

The Littlest Angel: Two people. One ornament for the tree. Can a twosome find common ground and discover the true meaning of Christmas?

Holiday Handbag Extravaganza: Christmas Countdown is on! A hunk-a-licious customer pesters a boutique owner to locate a vintage handbag for his mother. Too bad the wedge between them is his sister, the meanest girl in town.

Find Sommerville holidays at:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z45SGC5

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1132189/

Author bio: Vicki Batman's stories are full of fun, romance, and possibilities which will delight all readers. She has sold many award-winning and bestselling romantic comedy works to magazines and most recently, three humorous romantic mysteries. An avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Cat fancier. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby.


Find Vicki Batman at:

Website and Newsletter: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction-133506590074451/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman/

Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vicki-batman/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickilbatman/?hl=en