The Holidays and Writing

Susan Reichert

I was so anxious for the holidays to get here as were my daughters. Even though they are grown, they were as anxious as their mother. And this year we were able to get together and put up the old Christmas tree with decorations and all; like we did when they were kids. A special addition was my great-granddaughter, who at ten years of age helped us decorate and had as much fun as we did. Wished our other two daughters could have been here too.

Yet I have not wrapped the presents, but I will and soon they will be under the tree, so everyone can guess what they are getting. (They will have no clue what we have in store for them this year.)

Even though my children are grown, they still get excited about Christmas, not just for the gifts, fun and food, but the joining of  all  together at church on Christmas Eve to celebrate our Lord’s birth. A true blessing for me, that we are together at this special time of year. Because of the pandemic we could not be together last year. My husband and I enjoy the time we spend with our kids and their husbands. We are blessed to have great son-in-laws.

It’s a wonderful time for children, young and old.

What does this have to do with writing you ask? I think this holiday would be a perfect time, to write a few short stories about what Christmas meant to us as children; things we did, places we went. Trees we decorated, presents we got and  family members who were there. Describing all the wonder and joy during those special times would make a beautiful set of stories to pass on to our children, grandchildren, and those yet to come. It will give them an opportunity to see how special holidays were with our families.

So, try it during the holidays. As memories pop up in your head, put them to paper. Who knows, you might have enough short stories to use to write a Christmas book  for the holidays in 2022.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May God bless you all.

The Holidays and Writing

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

I was so anxious for the holidays to get here; I put my Christmas tree up, decorated it, and put a few presents under the old tree. Then I put my tables up and created my Christmas Village, all this November 5.  A little early, I admit…but I get to enjoy it a little longer this year. Next year I will pass the Christmas Village to my oldest daughter so she can put it out for her grandchildren…my great grands. There are four of them. Three little boys and one little girl. At their ages, I can see their little eyes blinking and hear their oohs and ahs as they see the village light up and snow all around.

Even as an adult, I’ve enjoyed that Christmas Village every year and I will admit I will miss seeing it up at my house during the holidays. But, there comes a time to pass to others things that will bring them joy. Next year I will have something new to enjoy when I go to my daughters––watching my great grands precious faces light up as they look at Mimi’s village with all the people and trees. See the churches, schools, houses and buildings plus the cars, trucks and skiing slopes. Oh, and don’t forget all the trees, roads and sidewalks. They will have so much fun.

It’s a wonderful time for children, young and old. What does this have to do with writing you ask? I think this holiday would be a perfect time, to write a few short stories about what Christmas meant to us as children; things we did, places we went. Trees we decorated, presents we got and family members who were there. Describing all the wonder and joy during those special times would make a beautiful set of stories to pass on to our children, grandchildren and those yet to come. It will give them an opportunity to see how special holidays were with our families.

So, try it during the holidays this year. As memories pop up in your head, put them to paper. Who knows, you might have enough stories to use to write a Christmas book and it be published in time for the holidays in 2016.