Holiday Guest Blog CHRISTMAS TREE
If I had my way, I would have decorated our Christmas tree the week after Thanksgiving. My mother made the most beautiful snow flocked trees I’ve ever seen. Before starting on the tree, she would cut aluminum foil into squares for each light bulb. My sister and I would sit at the kitchen table and wrap every bulb on the strands of lights with the foil. My dad trimmed the tree’s truck and even took a couple of the drooping bottom branches to wire in a big hole somewhere else.
Mom would string the lights all through the tree, back in the gaping holes out to the tips. She was a pro at concealing all the wires in the needles.
The next step was to saturate the whole tree with water. Then she had to quickly blow the white flocking material onto the tree before the water dripped off. She worked like a woman possessed to achieve a full even coverage.
After the tree was flocked, my sister and I proceeded to hunt and remove every one of the bulb’s foil caps. We would search and search, count and recount the caps, but would always miss one. My dad would struggle getting the tree inside without breaking any bulbs or knocking the white flocking off.
Finally the tree was inside and ready for the angel top. Mom strung the blue and green tinsel rope on while my sister and I hung the red ornaments. The tinsel was a match to our living room’s décor. Finally, the tree was ready for the presents.
One year we had an unusual cold spell and my mom had to wear her thick winter coat as she worked on the tree. It was only a few minutes after we got the tree inside when we heard a drip, then several more. When mom had soaked the tree the water had frozen shortly after. She rushed downstairs to retrieve a drop cloth. For the next hour we listened to the tree raining on the plastic cloth. To this day I’m not sure why the flocking hadn’t fallen off the needles with the water. There were plenty of reasons why it should, but I guess there was some compound in the flocking to make it stay adhered to the tree.
Now that everything was done, we would plug in the lights. We would all search along the strands trying to find the one bulb still covered with foil. You had to have patience as each light flashed on and off at its own pace. Eventually someone would spot the trace of colored light peeking out from under the foil cap. Now my parents could rest easy knowing the foil wouldn’t short out the bulb and start a fire.
I was thankful that my parents let us keep the tree up until around New Year’s. Now I know how much my dad worried about the tree getting too dry, but we all enjoyed the tree.
Magic
In The Mountains
Aspen
Glen Series
Book
One
Donna
Kunkel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: November 28,
2018
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2311-4
ASIN: B07J485BXC
Number of pages: 356
Word Count: 90658
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris
Tagline: She tries to deny her
magic, but fate has other plans.
Book Description:
Sick and tired of magical men and
mayhem, Alex a city witch, pledges to give magic a rest. Her vow is put to the
test when she finds herself snowbound with a hunky mortal. She attempts life
without magic even when faced with a demonic hen, a cow that acts like a dog,
and a dog that acts human. But when all magic breaks loose and a unicorn shows
up, it's the last straw. How will she keep her magic a secret?
Steve, a reclusive prospector,
lives alone in a remote Colorado valley because he doesn't trust himself around
humans, especially those of the female persuasion. Once he meets the feisty
Alex, breaking self-imposed rules is just the beginning. But how can he keep
her safe from what lives inside him?
Their connection grows, but the
secrets they hide keep them from confessing their feelings. Will they be able
to accept and control who and what they are in time to give their love a
chance?
This was
unbelievable. “My boss isn’t going to understand. This is just like my dog ate
my homework. I’m stuck in the snow—for a month or more.” Her mind raced through
the possible ways of traveling. “What about a snowmobile?”
“Unfortunately,
the road you came in on is the only way in or out. I wouldn’t be surprised to
find out that an avalanche blocked the valley pass last night. If so, it’ll
take a while before anyone can get through.” He watched her. “Why did you drive
out this way? Why didn’t you stop at the hotel next to the highway?”
“What hotel?”
“If you had just
driven under the highway overpass, you’d have been there. Why didn’t you follow
the detour sign?”
“Oh great.
That’s—just—great! The stupid detour sign blows away so now I’m stuck in the
middle of nothing. I could have been tucked away in a nice comfortable
hotel—with electricity and phones. But no—I’m stuck in no-man’s land. I risked
life and limb trudging through the snow for what?” She sighed. “Now what?”
About
the Author:
Donna Kunkel is a paranormal
romance author. Within the pages of her tales you can visit with witches,
wizards, shape-shifters, and other fantasy creatures. Figurines of the magic
realm surround her computer for inspiration. She lives at the edge of the
Colorado mountains with her husband of many years and her two dogs. When not
writing, you can find her browsing the fabric shops for her next quilt,
stitching Japanese embroidery, or curled up with a good book. She enjoys
spending time in the mountains, at Lake Tahoe, or relaxing on a beach in
Hawaii.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment