An easy and cheap way to stay connected with loved ones this holiday season…
What Books To Read this Christmas Holiday Season!
What Holiday Book Should I read?
It’s that time of year! Time to curl up in a front of a fire – or go to bed early – with a lovely, cozy holiday book.
But there are so many! How can you choose?
I developed the Lindsay Emory Holiday Book Quiz to help you pick the perfect read this Christmas.
Get a piece of paper and a pen and answer this easy 6 question quiz!
1. My favorite holiday recipes come from …
a. Great Grandma Margaret’s time tested recipe books
b. Pinterest
c. Hallmark Home & Family
d. Nigella Lawson
2. My feelings about Emma Thompson…
a. She was iconic in Sense & Sensibility
b. She’s ruined Christmas with Last Christmas
c. Oh! She married her cute coworker, right? That actor?
d. I just love her British accent. It sounds so posh.
3. My perfect holiday season isn’t complete without…
a. Traditions like Christmas crackers, stockings & caroling
b. A re-watch of Love, Actually
c. A marathon of Hallmark movies & baking cookies
d. A charcuterie board & champagne
4. My Spotify holiday playlist includes…
a. Carols and Celtic music
b. Last Christmas by Wham!
c. All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
d. Classics by Michael Buble and Tony Bennett
5. My must-have holiday wardrobe accessory…
a. A hand-knitted Scottish wool scarf
b. A red Starbucks cup
c. A fun Christmas sweatshirt & holiday leggings
d. A French linen apron & Loro Piana sweater
6. The holiday recipe I most want to try to make:
a. A traditional figgy pudding
b. Hot chocolate spiked with Peppermint Schnapps and Godiva liqueur
c. Stuffed Caramel Pretzel Skillet Cookie (from Hallmark Channel Home & Family)
d. Martha Stewart’s classic eggnog with fresh grated nutmeg
Now review all your answers… Did you get…
Mostly A’s? You will LOVE a historical romance!
Carriages, long walks in the country and yule logs make you swoon like a debutante at a Christmas ball.
A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong – Cecilia Grant (FREE!)
How the Dukes Stole Christmas – Tessa Dare, Joanna Shupe, Sophie Jordan and Sarah MacLean
Mostly B’s? You’re a Rom Com Fan (Who’s Probably Pissed about that Last Christmas Plot Twist)
Mix meet cutes with a little banter and add a whole lot of romantic tension and that’s your recipe for a perfect holiday read…
The Island Christmas Spirit – Lindsay Emory
Royal Holiday – Jasmine Guillory
One Day in December – Josie Silver
UPDATED FOR 2020: Try the Christmas Actually anthology! 11 short holiday romantic comedies!
Mostly C’s? You’re a Tried and True Hallmark Addict
You know exactly what you want to read about - a reindeer farm, a baking contest, a small town inn. Lucky for you, I have the best Hallmark movies in book form picked out for you…
The Secret Ingredient – Nancy Naigle
Sleighbell Sweethearts – Teri Wilson
A Gingerbread Romance – Lacey Baker
Mostly D’s? You Will LOVE yourself some Designer Destination Holiday Porn
How does Christmas in Cornwall, Colorado, Nantucket, or Wales sound? You’re sure to love a literary trip to a beautiful spot where breathtaking views, charming villages and decadent dinners await…
Christmas with the Duke – Katrina Cudmore
Named of the Dragon – Susanna Kearsley
A Perfect Cornish Christmas – Phillipa Ashley
A Wedding in December – Sarah Morgan
Did I get it right? Or just mostly right? I can’t wait to hear what you’re reading and loving this season!
Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!
All These Things That I Love - 2016 Gift Guide Edition
Murphy is very tired from 2016.
Most of us feel a little worn out, huh?
No matter what side you were on, I think we're all exhausted from a long, nasty election cycle. Many people are hurt, confused, scared. I'm doing a lot of praying these days. Last Sunday, my pastor said some stuff and I'm sort of stealing the gist of it for this post.
Love each other like lambs so that tomorrow we may be warriors.
It went along with what I was feeling as we rolled into December. I had this cautious optimism creeping back into my bones. Mostly because we're all here together. November (hell, all of 2016) was rough, but we can still fight together and laugh together.
obama + biden= 4eva
I have faith in us. Because we're a people who can make up really great memes. But we still need to take care of each other's hearts. With simple comforts. So here are some simple things I'm loving, that maybe people in your life would get some joy from.
There's a good chance this is tea.
I mentioned the Yeti before but this is the one I use in the winter for tea. It keeps it at a perfect temperature while I'm running around town and also confuses the other moms in carpool line who think I'm drinking booze.
photo2-3
There's a really long story about how I first bought this lip balm in Paris. But I rebuy it on Amazon (in stick and pot form) to luxe up a basic necessity. I keep the pot next to my computer and sometimes I dab it on my dry cuticles, too. Because cuticles need French love, too.
You know what makes everyone feel good? A really awesome hardcover book. For me, I'd love a classic that feels like an old friend who makes my heart sing.
pride-prejudice
Or a different classic that I've reread four hundred times.
anne
Or something that makes you laugh until you pee yourself on a cross-county flight. Hypothetically.
sedaris
There's also alternative gift giving. My heart is always with women, children and families and so those are the causes that I support. Environmental, health and animal causes are also in need. The organizations I'm supporting this year are:
Ronald McDonald House - I give to the one in Houston, because that's the one that helped my family when my nephew was in the hospital, but you can give to your local house. You can call to see if they need other items - like toilet paper, soap or a homecooked meal!
Planned Parenthood - because all women of all income levels deserve health care
Fisher House - like Ronald McDonald Houses, this organization provides housing for military families to be close to loved ones during their medical treatments
International:
Clinton Foundation - I supported this organization long before it was a hot button topic this year because it is consistently a leader in initiatives that help girls, women and education around the world.
Heifer International in Haiti - the recent hurricane wiped out a lot of the progress that the country has seen in the past five years. Help them restock with goats and hens, small livestock that can feed families for years.
Basically, take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. That's pretty much all we ever need to do. And why I'm leaving you with this gift. My favoritest Christmas music video. Turn it up. Sing along with someone you love. See you in 2017.
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