Sherry Harris's Blog, page 30

How Many Years?

It started a long, long time ago…

by Sheila Connolly

Another year. How did that happen?

Over the holidays I struggled to send out a holiday letter to my oldest (high school, college) friends and my scattered relatives (and it was late, as always). For most of them this is the only time they hear from me, unless they’re following me on Facebook, which is most cases is unlikely. So each year I summarize what I and my family have done over the past year. My husband writes his own, to his own list, so I get to spend most of the letter talking about me.

This year I realized I had electronic files for these annual letters dating back to 1996, so I re-read them all. What I had not realized was that I had documented the whole step-by-step process of starting to write, finishing a book, submitting, finding an agent, dumping that agent, finding a better agent, and finally selling a book. And a series, and another, and another.

While I started (tentatively) writing in 2001, I didn’t mention it publicly until 2004. Here’s what I wrote then:

I have a confession to make:  for the last three years I’ve been writing novels – romantic suspense, cozy mystery, chick-lit, even a paranormal.  I figured I’d better give it a shot while I had the chance. I’ve completed eight books, and there are three more in progress. Last year I found an agent, and he is circulating three of them (soon to be four) to editors. It’s a slow process, but I have faith that one or more will land in the hands of a sympathetic reader, and I’ll be off to the races as a published author.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!   

Ten years ago. That “eight books”? Some of them are still on a shelf (and may stay there). Some of them I mined for plots or characters who ended up in a different book—I hate to waste anything. Some of them I cleaned up and released myself. That first agent is history, but I didn’t sign with my next until 2006. I didn’t see a book with my name on it in a bookstore until 2008.

It’s been a long and sometimes bumpy road to where I am today, but I know how lucky I am. I’ve met wonderful people along the way. I’ve learned that being persistent (okay, stubborn) can pay off if you wait long enough. I’ve learned that there’s always something new to learn from other writers, and it pays to listen. I’ve seen changes in the publishing industry that no one expected.

I am grateful to have the chance to be a writer, which I love, and that other people want to read what I write. I don’t plan to stop as long as I can still put words on a page—and as long as people still want to read my books.

Yes, there’s another book coming: An Early Wake, the third in the County Cork Mysteries. A book set in this pub, in this small town, was one of the first I ever finished, but I never let it go. It took a few tries, but I finally found the right story for it, that my publisher liked. And here we are!

Coming February 3rd!

Filed under: Ireland, Sheila's Posts Tagged: County Cork, persistence, writing

2014 Review the Wicked Way

It’s hard to believe another Wicked year has past. We had a lot of fun and here are a few of our favorite photos!

Edith and Sherry both attended Left Coast Crime in Monterey, California — it was tough duty but they were happy to represent the Wickeds there.

Edith with Daryl Wood Gerber, Nancy J. Parra, Penny Warner and Jenn McKinlay

Sherry with Martha Cooley, Lori Rader-Day, Carlene O’Neil and Holly West.

Jessie once again hosted the Wicked Cozy Retreat in Old Orchard Beach. It looks like Jessie and Julie are comparing ways to strangle people. Barb seems calm and thoughtful.

 

 

We signed scarves for each other.

 

 

 

 

The next time we were together was at Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland. Reine Harrington Carter won the Stick with the Wickeds contest and came with us on a fan. Pat Remick, a former president of the New England chapter of Sisters in Crime joined us for dinner.

We made charm bracelets with a charm to represent each of our series. Jessie looks a little surprised as we stuff bags for the Author Go Round.Barb and Liz are both nominated for Agatha Awards!We are ready to head down to the banquet.After the banquet wind down with wine.In September Barb, Edith, Julie, and Sherry get together in Somerville — we missed you Jessie and Liz!Our last get together of the year was at Crime Bake. It was a wicked windy day at the – can you believe it? – Wicked Pizza restaurant.Bill Carito is one wicked awesome husband for posing for an Opening Lines photo. Dru Ann was the Stick with the Wickeds contest winner and went with us on a stick to Crime Bake. Here we are after the banquet. Liz is the only one who manages to look at the camera.

One last lunch before we part ways until Malice in May 2015. Barb surprises us with Dead Fred sticky pads.Sometimes we act Wicked.But mostly we are cozy.Thanks for being part of our year!

 

Filed under: Group posts

Wicked Fun Resolutions

Happy New Year! I’m not a big believer in resolutions so instead of all of those heavy life changing resolutions we are going to post something fun we want to accomplish this year.

Sherry: I am going to learn to kayak this year. I say it every year and I never get out there and give it a try.

Edith: I don’t know much about writing poetry, but I think it’s fun to try. I resolve to write a poem for each of my family member’s birthdays this year. And maybe for the Wickeds’ birthdays, too!

Liz: Oh, boy – like I need anything else to do! Actually, I’d been planning to try a new workout routine to keep the boredom away. I ordered P90X3 – so I’m going to complete the 90 days of the program. At some point…probably not in the first 90 days of the year!

Barb: Oy. I made the mistake of looking back at our resolutions from last year. We did great on the writing ones–books turned in, books launched, series renewed and sold. The personal stuff is more challenging. But here goes: I resolve to enjoy being in Maine more this summer. To take a trip to Monhegan and another to Bar Harbor and to spend some serious time at the Boothbay Harbor Historical Society (which will only partially be work).

Julie: Liz, I may join you in a fitness goal, but I don’t think of that as fun. :-) My goal is to keep up with a gratitude journal. Looking forward to my first book being published in the fall, and I’d love to stay focused, but enjoy the journey. Day one–I am so, so grateful for my Wicked Cozy friends.

Jessie: I want to learn some basics of Icelandic. I have been scouting out some online courses and am excited about giving it a try. I’ve wanted to visit Iceland for years and would love to go there with some language skills.

Readers: A new language? A new hobby or activity? What’s your fun goal for the year?

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor Historical Society, gratitude journal, Icelandic, Kayak, maine, Mohegan, New Year's resolutions, P90X3, poetry

Wicked Wednesday: Festive Consumables

Happy New Year’s Eve! Dear readers, thank you for following us all year, for chiming in, for supporting our work, and for having fun with us here. May you have a wicked awesome 2015, filled with much reading, happiness, and good cheer. In case you’re already not all set for tonight, today we’re sharing our best, most wicked delicious party recipes for that killer appetizer or most alluring drink.

Sherry: Kim Gray introduced me to the fabulous Bellini cocktail a couple of years ago at Malice. It’s easy to make and one of my favorite drinks. All you need is three ounces of Prosecco and one ounce of either peach schnapps or peach puree. Mix together and enjoy!

Liz: I’m going for the sweets! Here’s a fun one that I want to try from my favorite go-to website, kriscarr.com:

Easy Chocolate Crackles By Pauline Hanuise Yield: 8 servings

1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 tablespoon rice malt syrup (or preferred sweetener)
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 teaspoons desiccated coconut (optional)
1 tablespoon raw buckwheat groats
1 tablespoon cacao nibs

1. Prepare your chocolate by mixing your coconut oil, cacao powder, sweetener, nut butter, desiccated coconut (optional) and cinnamon. Mix well. 2. Pour your chocolate in paper cups and add cacao nibs and buckwheat groats in each of them, pressing slightly to make sure they stick to the chocolate. 3. Put in the freezer or fridge for 1 or 2 hours.

Jessie: I love to make olive salad. Pick out three or more jars of olives at the grocer. I like a wide variety from everyday pimento stuffed Spanish olives to Kalamatas with their pits left inside. I drain them and dump them in a bowl to which I also add two cloves of thinly sliced garlic, a few grindings of coarsely cracked pepper and two-three sprigs worth of fresh rosemary. I add a spoonful of olive oil to blend the flavors and leave on the counter for an hour or more to let things meld.

Barb: I’m not really the party cook in our house, so I’m sharing the Hot Lobster Dip recipe developed by my husband Bill Carito for the forthcoming Musseled Out.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

¼ cup snipped chives

8 ounces cream cheese

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

½ pound cooked lobster meat, roughly chopped

2 Tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

 Directions:

With food processor running, drop garlic clove through feed tube and finely chop. Add chives and pulse about six times to finely chop. Add cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Process until fully combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and fold in the lobster meat. Process about thirty seconds to combine. Spoon into baking dish or pie plate and refrigerate for at least two hours. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake dip for twenty to twenty-five minutes until bubbling. Garnish with scallions. Serve with crackers, chips, or slices of baguette.

Julie: I just made this a few days ago–it sounds disgusting, but trust me.

3 bricks of cream cheese

2 T steak sauce

1/4 cup ranch dressing

2 cans smokes oysters, drained and chopped

1 cup chopped pecans

1 t garlic powder

2 t onion powder

Mix it all together. Form it into a log, and roll it in 2 cups of pecans mixed with 3T chili powder. Spread on crackers.

Edith: Oops, late adding mine! And all those make me wish I was hosting a party. I’m a Californian, and in my opinion you can’t beat a good guacamole. Take two ripe avocados and mash roughly. Add juice of half a lime, a good teaspoon of cumin and another of chili powder, and a quarter cup of salsa, then salt and pepper to taste. I like to add a couple of shakes of habanero hot sauce, but do that as your hot pepper taste buds allow. Dip some of your favorite tortilla chips in and enjoy!

Readers: Your fave party consumable?

 

 

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: bellini, chocolate crackles, guacamole, hot lobster dip, olive salad, party food, recipe

One Memorable Moment

Edith here, on the penultimate day of the year!

Wickeds, tell us one memorable moment from 2014 that is NOT writing related.

Edith: I’ll start. On my California trip in March, I spent a few days with my last remaining uncle, San Francisco author Richard Reinhardt. I have

adored this man my entire life. His dear wife Jo, my father’s sister, passed away several years ago at age 82 after nearly sixty happy years of marriage to Dick. And now, despite still missing Jo deeply, he has found love again in the person of Judy, with whom he worked on John Kennedy’s presidential campaign many decades earlier. I was delighted to see them both happy, bantering together, cooking together, and enjoying each other’s company in their mid-eighties. Life goes on for them in the best of ways. And I even got to go to his birthday party!

Sherry: What a lovely story, Edith! I had to sort through a lot of events to come up with one. But it has to be my ride along with the Fairfax County Police Department. We did a bit of everything from the mundane — going to court and sitting at a non-injury accident waiting for a tow truck to show up. To the exciting — responding to alarms, pulling people over, teens with pot, helping who I call “the crying girl”, and heading down the road with lights and sirens blaring to help look for a stolen car. My respect for the dangers the police face with every stop multiplied that night.

Liz: Can I share two? They’re kind of related…First, my surprise 40th birthday party was definitely the highlight of my year, full of fabulous family and friends.

And to continue with my birthday celebration, we finally got to visit the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, which was amazing. Full of rescued farm animals, this place is a fabulous experience for people to really get to know farm animals and see how very sweet and grateful they are. We got to pet the goats, talk to the chickens, hug turkeys and hang out with sheep. Highly recommend!

Barb: This is hard. One highlight of my year was our two and a half weeks in Paris this August. Thanks to a friend, we stayed in a gorgeous apartment right behind the plaza of the Musee D’Orsay with a view of the Seine and the Tuileries. It was the best vacation evah, both a great sight-seeing trip and a relaxing time. It’s not often you achieve that combination. Plus, Paris.

Julie: As I write this as I’ve had a brief but wonderful visit with both sisters, my parents, my brothers-in-law, and the nieces and nephews. Honestly, hard to top sitting around playing Uno and laughing with some of the people I love most in the world. My blessings are many.

Dear Readers: Please chime in with yours, too.

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: Fairfax County Police Department, family, One memorable moment, Paris, police ride alongs, Richard Reinhardt, Uno, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

The Sad Saga of Suicide Santa

by Barb, somewhere on the road between Boston and Key West

Suicide Santa

Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love all the traditions and rituals, both high and low, big and small. One of the great things about spending time with loved ones over the holidays is the common experiences that build up, which provide fodder for wild stories and quiet conversations for years and years to come. One of the small traditions at our house is the still evolving Saga of Suicide Santa.

Suicide Santa is a small pewter ornament who always goes near the top of the tree. Because he is tiny and unshiny, he was often overlooked when it came to taking ornaments off the tree. For several years, every time we dragged the tree down the front steps, we’d hear,

Suicide Santa in situ

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk

Clink.

And there he’d be on the step.

“Oh, we forgot Santa again,” we would say, blaming ourselves.

After that we were more conscious. “Did you find Santa?” my husband, Bill, would ask, as we took down the tree.

“I can’t find him anywhere,” I’d complain. “He must have burrowed his way to the center of the tree.”

The tree

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Clink.

Santa started getting farther and farther from the house and closer and closer to the curb where the Public Works truck would pick up the tree. But we always found him–on the walk, on the curb, and once, memorably, in the driveway, in April, after the snow had melted.

“He’s doing it on purpose,” Bill said. “I think he’s trying to do away with himself.”

After that, Bill became even more vigilant, but for me, bitterness set in.

“Did you take Suicide Santa off the tree?” Bill would ask.

“I’m sure I did.”

“Is he in the ornament box?”

“I’m certain he is, but I’m not pawing through all those layers looking for that damn thing.”

Suicide Santa on the sidewalk

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Clink.

Of course, there are more benign explanations. Perhaps he doesn’t like us and is trying to find a home where he’ll be more appreciated. After all, I’ve just said he is small and dull and a pain in my @#$, which are probably the worst things you can say about a Christmas decoration. Maybe I should have titled this post “The Exciting Escapades of the Escaping Ornament.”

Suicide Santa does it again

But Santa is stuck with us, and we are stuck with him. I took the final photo here as we got into the car to head south. I scooped Santa off the sidewalk and put him in my bag. Can Santa survive and 3500 mile round-trip journey and find his way back to the Christmas ornament box?

Stay tuned.

Readers, do you have a silly, idiosyncratic holiday tradition? We’d love to hear about it!

Filed under: Barb's posts

A Flash from the Past–Blessed

Hi everyone. We hope you had a great day yesterday. The Wickeds are in full recovery mode. Plus 2/3 of us are on the road at some point or other over this long holiday, visiting family up and down the entirety of the east coast.

So today, we’re rerunning a favorite post from the past. In this one, from just about a year ago, Jessie Crockett ruminates on why it is so meaningful to her that a special relation is contemplating murder.

Blessed

In this most magical of seasons, I feel truly blessed. I am warm and dry and over-fed. There are people who love me and people who need me. I have energy for my work and time for my play. All of these things are worth celebrating. But today I am feeling most grateful for understanding.

Last night one of my beloved sisters phoned. She called to let me know that a friend of hers had inter-library loaned my latest book, Drizzled with Death, and to tell me which city had it in their collection. I was grateful that she thought of me and is helping to spread the word about my work. But the appreciation went deeper.

We chatted about other things and then she told me a about a walk she had taken at a nearby land trust. She told me that while she was there she had noticed how easy it would be to hit someone over the head and to hide the body without a trace. And that, of course, she had thought of me.

A couple of weeks ago the same sister called me to say she had been driving behind a cement truck and had thought what an ideal place that would be to hide a body and that, of course, she had thought of me.

When money goes missing from a trust fund, when men leave their families for parts unknown, when buildings burn mysteriously to the ground, my sister, of course, thinks of me. And I feel grateful. And I feel loved.

My sister doesn’t even like mysteries. She doesn’t read any except mine. Even so, her perspective on life has been altered by her desire to help me to live my dream. My highly moral, optimistic, glass is three quarters full sister, now finds crimes lurking behind every tree on a pleasant walk through the woods. She no longer thinks of how beautiful an uninterrupted expanse of unbroken snow appears to be. She thinks about how hard it would be to commit a crime in winter and to not leave a trace. Truly, I am blessed.

What makes you feel grateful, understood and loved this holiday season?

Filed under: Jessie's posts, Uncategorized Tagged: blessed, grateful, helpfulness, mysteries, sisters

Merry Wicked Cozy Christmas!

The Wicked Cozy Authors wish each and every one of you a warm, safe, happy holiday, however you celebrate it. Our gifts to you are our stories, our guests, our journeys. Your gift to us is reading and commenting on this blog. May you be blessed by family, by food, by the blessing of your choice.

Here are a few Christmas pictures of us.

Edith: Me two years ago with my wonderful sons in their new matching sweaters (from their father) and my ritual wearing of the tacky Christmas vest.

Sherry: Merry Christmas from the Harris household!

 

Jessie: Here’s a shot of our origami creche which one of the kids made a few years ago. I just love it!

 

 

Liz: Merry Christmas from the pawsitively adorable gang!

Barb: Aww, the doggie ones are so cute!

Someone’s coming! I can feel it. It’s gonna be great!

You didn’t tell me it was THIS guy. He’s terrifying!

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: Christmas, tacky sweaters

Wicked Holiday Recipes

It’s Wicked Wednesday, and it’s Christmas Eve! We’re sharing holiday recipes with you today.

Edith: I had clemantines dipped in chocolate at a party last week and decided I must make it for our celebration tonight!

Ingredients

7 -8 medium clementines

4 -ounce dark chocolate bar (60-70% cocoa), finely chopped

Sea salt

Directions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Peel and segment clementines, set aside. Gently melt chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler. Working in small batches, dip segments in chocolate and transfer to wax paper-lined sheet. Immediately sprinkle segments with a few grains of salt before the chocolate begins to set. Once all pieces have been dipped, set the sheet aside until chocolate hardens. To quickly harden chocolate, transfer baking sheet to the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Sherry: That sounds delicious, Edith and easy enough for me to do! I make an olive spread that is easy and delicious. Buy a couple jars of your favorite olives (I usually use one green and one black), drain, and chop fine. Add a bit of minced garlic — a whole clove if you love garlic, less if you don’t. Grate in some Parmesan cheese and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix together and serve with crackers or bread. It’s yummy and so easy. Adjust the ingredients to the amount of olives you use.

Julie: Both of those sound easy and great! Here’s my easy punch recipe. Get the following juices frozen: lemonade, limeade, pineapple, grapefruit, cranberry, orange juice. Mix them together, and freeze half for the next party. Put the rest in a punch bowl, add a bag of ice. Put in one bottle of seltzer, and one bottle of gingerale. Keep adding the sodas and adding more ice throughout the party. Lasts until your last guest leaves.

Liz: I just found the best recipe on Kriscarr.com for 2-Minute Pumpkin Pie Pudding. I’m pretty sure most people who read this blog have heard about my pumpkin obsession at one point or another, and this just added to it. It’s like eating pumpkin pie filling – and it’s good for you!

16 ounces unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 cup raw walnuts
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon pink salt
1/4 – 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup)

Add all ingredients to a Vitamix or high speed blender. Use a narrow container for optimum fluffiness. Start Vitamix on low and move to high speed. Blend on high for one minute. Blend a bit longer for warmer pudding. Serve warm and fluffy or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Jessie: I love to make soup at this time of year and one of my favorites is French Onion. It is fast, economical and my grandmother always said onions cured colds. This is the recipe for a quick, easy version:

Grab a large kettle and set it over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon each olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted add 2 large sliced onions or 1 whole bag chopped frozen onions. Saute until the onions are a light golden brown. Sprinkle on 2 Tablespoons flour and stir until absorbed and the flour smells cooked, like toasted nuts. Add 8-10 cups of  beef stock and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook at just under the boil for 30 minutes. While soup is finishing slice a loaf of baguette, place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with grated cheese. Pop under the broiler until melted. Ladle soup into bowls and top with slices of baguette.

Barb: I forget where I was recently when a discussion broke out about the Jello-based recipes of the 50s and 60s. Here is one, and you’ll have to take my word for it until you break down and make it, it’s delicious. This beet salad is called in the family, “borscht jello,” because it’s a savory blend of beets, onions, onion juice, horseradish, celery for crunch and served with sour cream. My father’s cousin Nora made it one year, and it became forever after a part of the meal, because my mother wanted everyone to have something red on their plate. Nora hasn’t had Christmas dinner with us since she graduated from college forty-five or so years ago. I’m sure she doesn’t know we still serve this dish every year. I wonder if she still makes it herself or if it’s a long forgotten recipe? I’ll have to ask her.

Ingredients:

1 can whole beets

3 Tablespoon tarragon vinegar

1 package lemon jello

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons onion juice

2 Tablespoons horseradish

3/4 cup sliced celery

Green

Sour cream

To make: Drain and preserve liquid from beets. To beet liquid ad enough water to make 1/2 cup, add vinegar. Bring liquids to a boil, stir in Jello until dissolved. Blend in salt, onion juice and horse radish. Refrigerate.

Cut beets in quarters. When Jello is partially (mostly) set,, stir in beets and celery. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/4 quart ring mold. Refigerate.

To serve: Unmold on bed of greens. In center of mold, set small serving bowl of sour cream. This is essentially a condiment. A little goes a long way.

(With apologies to June Lemen. I promised her this recipe a year ago and I don’t think I ever delivered.)

Readers: What’s your go-to holiday recipe? Favorite food at this dark time of year?

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: beet salad, borscht jello, Christmas Eve, Clementines in Chocolate, French onion soup, Holiday recipes, olive spread, party punch, pumpkin pie pudding, tapenade

Favorite Holiday Movies

Hi All. Barb here in full Christmas countdown mode. I love Christmas movies, and I have to admit, I love their familiarity. Since they’re so often an accompaniment to other holiday chores, like baking, wrapping and addressing cards, it helps to have seen them a hundred times before.

So Wickeds, what are your can’t miss movies at this time of year?

At our house, it’s a regular rotation: Love Actually early in the season to get into the mood. (I admit I still tear up at the closing montage of people at Heathrow Airport), A Christmas Story at some point with our kids, often Christmas night after our twenty-five or thirty guests have left and we’re all too tired to move. While doing chores, like wrapping, I’ll definitely watch White Christmas, and also It’s a Wonderful Life. I love traditions and rituals and the marking of the seasons.

Sherry: White Christmas has been a favorite since I was a kid. My sister and I would sing and act out the “Sisters” song year after year. I also love Miracle on 34th Street — the version where Natalie Wood is the little girl. And Love Actually — I’d probably even like it if Colin Firth wasn’t in it (oh, who am I kidding — Colin Firth is the reason I watch it.) But here’s my big confession. I’ve never watched It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve seen bits and pieces but that’s it.

Julie: Sherry, I know what we have to watch on our next Wicked Retreat! All of the above. Plus, I am a Christmas Carol addict. A couple of years ago I even wrote a series of blog posts about the different versions. I was EASILY able to get to 25. My favorite movie Christmas Carols? George C. Scott version, Muppet’s Christmas Carol, Allistair Simm’s, Scrooge with Albert Finney, Patrick Stewart (though I preferred his brilliant stage version). Watched It’s Christmas, Carol with Tori Spelling and A Diva Christmas Carol with Vanessa Williams just yesterday with the nieces. Both really fun.

Liz: I love A Christmas Carol in every version – I have the Patrick Stewart version and that’s usually a Christmas Day favorite. Also love It’s a Wonderful Life. Totally puts me in the holiday mood. I also have my traditions from when I was a kid that I just can’t let go – Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and my favorite of all, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without them!

Edith: I’m the odd woman out in this scenario. I don’t watch any ritual movies at this time of year. I am apparently the only one. Have never seen Love Actually, although now I think I should. Saw It’s a Wonderful Life once many years ago. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Muppets’ Christmas Carol, but it’s not scheduled. What can I say? I am looking forward to knocking off work for a couple of days and just reading, though.

Jessie: Edith, I don’t have any annual Christmas movies as part of my holiday traditions either. Since I didn’t grow up with a television I didn’t end up seeing any of the classics as a kid. I never added them to my celebration as an adult either. I do have a basket of Christmas books I pull out every year to read with my kids instead.

Readers, what are your can’t-miss movies at this time of year?

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: A Christmas Story, Colin Firth, It's a Wonderful Life, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, Muppets Christmas Carol, Natalie Wood, White Christmas