This time of year, people are busy celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas. There are presents to buy and parties to attend. It can be busy and hectic but a lot of fun too. I know I love everything about Christmas from the songs and the decorations, to the special food that is prepared only at this time of year.

Heck, I don’t even mind the mall. I take the bus, so I don’t have to worry about parking, and I meander through the stores, enjoying the decorations and the music. I love watching the children get their pictures taken with Santa. I’ll always stop and have a cup of tea or hot chocolate and people watch. I’m a writer; it’s what I do. I also like to spend a day in the downtown sector of the city. There I can find local, independent retailers, and I’m all about supporting local business. Plus, you can find many different and local products that the stores at the mall just don’t have.

But this is also the time of year for a much older holiday—the winter solstice celebration. This is the longest night/shortest day of the year—a day when many of our ancestors prayed for the return of the light. For me, it’s a day of contemplation, a day to think about new beginnings. For after that day passes, the days start growing longer again. And even though winter is just settling in, there is the distant promise that spring will eventually arrive.

Even more than New Year’s Eve, I find the winter solstice the time of year when I take stock of my life and think about any changes I want to make. It’s a time to count my blessings and be grateful for all that I have in my life.

May you and yours enjoy the holiday season, no matter which one you celebrate.

Merry Christmas!

And if you’re looking for a holiday story, a hot, quick sexy read that will warm you up on a cold winter day, try one of my two Christmas books.

Jessamyn’s Christmas Gift is an Ellora’s Cave Quickie that offers up a hot, loving holiday read.

http://tinyurl.com/ntupqwl

But if you’re a little more adventurous, you might try The Gift of Shayla, my M/M/F novella from Carina Press. http://tinyurl.com/mgdcuch

N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters