Sara
Karen W. (who has been following: ...Dean Koontz, whose books I've loved for about 20 years!)
Skitty
Deidre Durance
Winners, when you have a chance please send your full name and ship-to info to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get you on the mailing list and send your first mailing out to you. Thanks to everyone for sharing the authors you follow with us.
The holidays are already here for some (Hanukkah began yesterday at sundown, so let me wish my Jewish visitors a joyous and peaceful festival of lights) and just around the corner for others. For many, the next couple of days will be a blur of baking, gift-wrapping, partying, picking up family at the airport, keeping the kids sneaking peeks in the closets and so forth. I will extend in advance my sincere sympathy to all parents who will spend Christmas Eve trying to figure out how to put together that complicated toy from instructions written in what looks like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics (quick tip: if you see Osiris holding a hex bolt over the Nile, you need to use that squicky little wrench tool for that, not the hammer.)
I accomplished the last of my baking this weekend, and after I send off some packages and take around some goodie baskets to our friends, I have the rest of the week to hang out with the kids, cook, play Christmas music, paint, quilt, and generally make merry. I plan to take some short winter walks, followed by some long winter naps, and drink hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it. I will also wear my favorite red and green garments together because this week no one will think it's weird. And I'll likely spend some time on the porch sunning myself and reading while birds raid our feeders. Because while I'm sure it sounds boring to everyone else, that is what I really love to do during the holidays -- be happy at home with the ones I love.
For the eleventh PBW Holiday Giveaway, I have:
Two Crystal Dreams
The winner of this giveaway will receive Crystal Dream, a handpainted, hand-beaded art mini-quilt made and signed by me, which if you've followed my photoblog you've probably watched me making; and a signed first draft copy of Crystal Healer, StarDoc book nine, in manuscript or galley format printed by me (I'll leave it up to the winner to choose which format they prefer, and if they want I'll also put it in a three-ring binder.) This novel is currently in production but is not scheduled for release until August 2009, so the winner will literally be the first person besides my editor to read the story.
To have a chance to win this giveaway, in comments name something you love to do during the holidays (or, if you can't pick just one thing, toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Tuesday, December 23, 2008. I'll draw one name at random from everyone who participates and send the winner the mini-quilt and the signed manuscript copy of Crystal Healer plus an extra stocking stuffer -- a signed, printed* copy of my December Darkyn novella e-book release, Master of Shadows. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something from PBW in the past.
*Printed by me on bond paper and placed in a three-ring binder.
I love the night before Christmas - my entire family sleeps over at my parents' house and while my parents finish wrapping, we kids giggle and stay up watching It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story, and generally act like we're ten years old again.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually make a ton of cookies, but I was planning t go all out this year. Unfortunately, the over had other ideas. The heating element died a fiery death Friday, about the time all the repair shops had closed for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love putting bells on my dog and walking my dog through the neighborhood to see all the kids peeking out to see if it's one of Santa's reindeer come early. I also walk him after midnight mass to enjoy the quiet and all of the light displays around the neighborhood. It's very peaceful on Christmas Eve after mass, and any kids who are still awake might hear the bells and get excited.
~ Mitch
i love to open presents and watch loved ones open theirs
ReplyDeleteI love giving presents. It's the best part about any holiday, as far as I'm concerned!
ReplyDeleteNot really something I do exclusively at the holidays, but when it snows I like to get up at 2 or 3 in the morning and walk in it. All around my neighborhood its quiet and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteI love baking during the holidays. I make an army load of cakes and cookies and give them away. I give my goodies to family, friends and anyone else I feel like giving them to. I've surprised neighbors by setting a plate of cookies on their doorstep and ringing their bell, or giving a small cake to the mailwoman as she stops in front of my house. It's fun to give just for the joy of it and have it be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI love to bake, but I also love to take time to read.
ReplyDeleteI love the whole world. It's such a special place.
ReplyDeleteI also love Discovery Channel's catchy tune.
I love celebrating with family and friends, ours are always hectic but fun; and this year, we'll be celebrating my oldest niece's engagement we just found out.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding like a glutton, I love to eat. There's something different about the food during the season that makes everything tastes yummy.
ReplyDeleteWalking the dogs in a silent Christmas morning
ReplyDeleteI love listening to live Christmas music - at a church, a concert hall, the mall - wherever I can find it.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh! Wonderful prize there! :D
ReplyDeleteDo during the holidays? Mmm. I don't really know. I like for things to be spontanious during this season, so whatever comes along is what we end up doing. The only "fixed" bit is food preparation. I usually like to create dished with a bit of extra pizzazz for Yule. If my mate was home with me...he would be spoiled absolutely rotten with random little tidbits and would be showered with random affection. :P
The rest of my family will have to make do with just my company though. ;-)
i love spending time with family and all the amazing food of course!
ReplyDeletevwow great giveaway and great blog! please enter me in!!
ReplyDeleteglittergurl04 (at)hotmail.com
I love decorating for the holidays and having little reminders of the season everywhere you look.
ReplyDeleteBeing with my family...and watching Christmas movies. Lots of them. It's actually the only time of year you can get me to sit still long enough to watch movies back to back. :)
ReplyDeleteI also like to catch up on my reading during the holiday season.
Lynn, those quilts are just gorgeous. Just absolutely beautiful.
My oven doesn't work right now, so baking is out. I'm still decorating, and I've knitting to finish and wrap. But. It all depends on the upcoming weather whether or not I'm able to drive to my sister's farm Christmas day.
ReplyDeleteMany Blessings for a wonderful holiday season.
I love Christmas lights, so it's always fun to wander around and see all of the fabulous ways people decorate. And here in DC, we also do a "Parade of Lights" with boats covered in Christmas lights and decorations; it's wicked fun to ride around on the boat, freezing and drinking cider.
ReplyDeleteI love Christmas dinner. Yum!
ReplyDeleteBeing with family, hands down.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours, PBW!
Being with family and cooking/eating (more than is permitted by law)but my overall favorite thing is the peace of the day. No shopping, no malls everything is closed and no one has anywhere to be.
ReplyDeleteI love going for a carriage ride with my hub and little girl.
ReplyDeletei love staying up all night on christmas eve, then waking my family up early to open presents.
ReplyDeletealso, watching how the grinch stole christmas.
Watching the kids tear into the presents Christmas morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm also having a LOT of fun this year, teasing them about their 'big' gift.
I love taking my 4 y/o to look at lights. She's still at that age where any lights are a major deal to her and she gets excited to see them.
ReplyDeleteI also love to bake. I don't really love to eat what I bake (one or two and I've had my fill) but I love the baking, so I bake to share.
I love when the Christmas tree lights are on, a new book in hand and a glass of wine nearby.
ReplyDeleteThat and the yummy turkey dinner has to get a mention as well.
:-)
I love driving around and looking at all the wonderful lights!!
ReplyDeleteI love singing carols, hanging out with my family, watching snow fall, eating cookies, and making things in the kitchen. It's a good time to experiment and make things that take more time than I'd usually spend.
ReplyDeleteGiving presents is the best part for me. Seeing the child's or adult's reaction is the greatest thing for me.
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays and Merry Christmas everyone!!!
There's a stillness that comes over the house on Christmas Eve. You know, after the kids are finally asleep, the presents are all under the tree and there's nothing left to do but give thanks that you actually made it through another year. That hush is most profound to me, for I take a moment to remember Who it's all about and What He did. And be thankful.
ReplyDeleteWe always get together with friends for some holiday baking. This year we decided to do candies from scratch as well, and watching the reactions from some of the kids who'd never seen anybody make homemade caramels (some of which have been stuffed into turtle molds) was great.
ReplyDeleteI just love being with my family. Nothing else really matters to me.
ReplyDeleteChristmas Eve we drive around to see the lights. We celebrate Christmas Day at home with close family and friends but Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) is a day to visit with extended family and to give gifts to the less fortunate. The day after that is our wedding anniversary so we keep it just for the two of us (at least till we have some kids!)
ReplyDeleteLynn, those quilts absolutely beautiful. Thank you for holding these giveaways.
ReplyDeleteLove baking and then eating cookies LOL, especially ones like Butter Tarts that I only make during the holidays.
One of our traditions is to read 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' right before bed Christmas Eve.
I love everything about Christmas from the music and decorations to the time with family. Good stuff!
I love sitting by the fire, sipping hot chocolate, and eating ginger cookies.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy spending the holidays with family.
ReplyDeleteNat
My DH works 60 hours a week and often it's very hard for us to connect through the week. In the summer, we sit out on the deck together in the early morning on Sundays and have our coffee but in the winter, we seem to be just too busy.
ReplyDeleteOn Christmas eve, after everything's done, the girls are in bed, the house is quiet except for the dogs who are snoring, we pull the pillows off the couch and pile them in front of the fireplace, turn on a little soft Christmas music, have a nog and Bailey's and reconnect, what's been going on at work, at home, all those little tiny things that never get mentioned during the weeks prior to Christmas. It's just...nice.
theo
Wow, what a gorgeous prize! It's beautiful. Wow!
ReplyDeleteAlso ... waving at Mitch ... what a neat idea to bells on the dog collar. I might have to try that with my dog, too. What fun.
Christmas ... most special to me is having friends over for Christmas Eve dinner. I love cooking and baking and dressing the table. The sparkling crystal and the gleam of silver. My late mother-in-law's bone china. Candlelight and the delicious cooking smells. A log fire going....
I love having some time off from work, seeing friends who would otherwise be too far away to drive to, if not for the time off, and a little break from stress.
ReplyDeleteSLEEP!
ReplyDeleteI love giving an annual open house. I bake cookies, look for new dip and cheese recipes as well as make old favorites. We invite everyone we know. It is a wonderful Christmas tradition.
ReplyDeleteI love being with family and giving them gifts.
ReplyDeleteSinging/ listening to music, cooking, eating, reading, walking, decorating, sleeping…too many things.
ReplyDeleteCrick
I love putting up the tree and the lights.
ReplyDeleteI love spending time with my family.
ReplyDeleteYour plans for the holiday sound great.
ReplyDeleteSpending time with family is my favorite thing to do. In order to do that, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are a flurry of activities in a few different places. Christmas Eve involves mass, a few hours at my dad's mom's house with his whole side of the family (60+ people cramming into grandma's house), and then a few hours at my mom's parents' house with all of her side of the family who live in town. Christmas Day involves breakfast over at my brother's house with all of my immediate family and some of my sister-in-law's family, and then dinner is at my parents' house, again with all of my immediate family plus my dad's mom since it's our year for her to have dinner with us.
OMG I LOVE That quilt!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, um.... I really don't like the holiday season AT ALL, it's just family hell week as far as I'm concerned, but I DO enjoy baking. I make 10-12 different cookies and candies and things, which I never give myself permission to do during the rest of the year.
So, I guess, I love going nutz in the kitchen with baked goods! :)
Watch some of the old holiday movies that appear on channels I might not watch normally, see the kitten explore the tree for the first time and see if it is still standing the next morning(s). Watching my daughter wrap to her hearts content the pile of gifts with "who's this for" asked more than once.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your bird watching while I watch the snow fall.
I, too, love to relax and hang out at home with family.
ReplyDeleteI love going skiing and then coming back to eat a massive christmas dinner!
ReplyDeleteI love to give presents and watch the recipients open them. I love being with family and just enjoying the day.
ReplyDeleteI love the food. All the recipes that my family only makes during Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be winning at the poker game we play every year after everyone all opens up their gifts!
ReplyDeleteI love to sit down to dinner on Christmas Day with my family.
ReplyDeleteWe love to drive around and look at Christmas lights.
ReplyDeleteI love to spend time with family, sing Silent Night with the choir at church at midnight candlelight service, and sit in the livingroom with my husband and pets with only the Christmas tree lights on and soft music playing.
ReplyDeleteI love to have a drink (or two!) and play the games of charades that come in the Christmas crackers. Ah, I'll let you google that :).
ReplyDeleteeat, open presents, and visit family.
ReplyDeleteI love to watch the children open their presents and to spend time with family.
ReplyDeleteI love decorating the tree and wrapping presents.
ReplyDeleteI love to relax with my family.
ReplyDeleteSinging. Up until four years ago, I was continually in one choir or another from fourth grade on - sometimes several at a go. I adore choral singing, but for the last few years it just hasn't happened. But I know the descants to lots and lots of Christmas carols. So on Christmas Eve I go to midnight mass and sing my heart out doing descants to all the congregation hymns.
ReplyDeleteSinging with the Christmas music. My kids are amazed how many songs I know.
ReplyDeleteI love to watch my 3 kids open their presents
ReplyDeleteI love being in contact with family & friends and catching up. Somehow I seem to find time, which I can't find the rest of the year, to reach out and either see or talk with old friends.
ReplyDeleteMarie
I love the repetitiousness (is that a word?) of it: For my family, it's the same every year. On Christmas eve, we'll have dinner at my aunt's and catch up with what everyone did during the last months. And I'll spend Christmas day at my parents' place: we'll have roast duck with red cabbage (yes, every year)for lunch, then we'll have a nap on the couch, and in the evening, we'll even watch the same movies on tv that are broadcast every year...
ReplyDeleteI love spending time with my family
ReplyDeleteI love to eat the special things of the season (panetton and nuts, specially).
ReplyDeleteI enjoy putting the ornaments on the tree with our three kids. I hand them the ones that we have purchased or made and we all get to remember the story behind each one. They really look forward to it each year.
ReplyDeleteDeidre
I love my dad making homemade pizza for Christmas Eve dinner. Then we go to the 11:00 pm church service, so we are in church when Christmas actually starts. Then we go home and eat a little left over pizza before going to bed.
ReplyDeleteI love to take my daughter out to see the Christmas lights. The first time we did it this year she didn't just say "wow." She said "wow" in italics.
ReplyDeleteI love to go out and see all the Christmas lights.
ReplyDeleteI love to look around and know that it's all going to be okay--the world, our own personal trials and challenges~everything works out and the Christmas season allows many of us to have the hope to make it reality.
ReplyDelete~am
I like to bake during the holidays and catch up in my reading.
ReplyDeleteTerri W.
I love putting the ornaments on the tree and remembering where each came from and re-living those memories with the children and hubby.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy decorating the trees and remembering all the Christmases past when I take out 33 years of ornaments that my husband and I have collected over the years.
ReplyDeleteProbably my favorite thing to do durring the holidays is making cookies for my family and friends. I get my girls to help. This year I am the ONLY one in my family to make cookies so Mom made sure I knew everyone is counting on me. For the next few months I dont think I'm going to want to see another cookie sheet or bag of flour. I love making cookies but after 20 dozen it gets tiring! How did grandma do it all those years? I'll never know.
ReplyDeleteTJ
I love eating all the yummy food, catching up with family and just doing nothing but reading!
ReplyDeleteI love being with family and we love going around town and looking at all the beautiful lights.
ReplyDeleteFor the holidays, I love hunting for that one special toy that I know my kids will really love opening on Christmas morning. This year it took hours of driving and internet hunting before we found the discontinued item the girls wanted. But we got it. Whew!
ReplyDeleteDecorating the tree is probably one of my favourite things to do at Christmas. But just being with my family is probably the most important.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to cook nice food (poor rabbit) to read storys out ,to play with our grandkids .
ReplyDeleteOn Christmas eve most of the kids in German are waiting for Weihnachtsmann
who looks like Santa or waiting for a
Christmas angel who brings gifts to them .They are so excited ,forget all-about them.Its really fun .Next day I like the silent in my home after the storm.To have a lot of free time to read my favorite book ,watch Titanic on TV (very sadly)and I will drink my Earl Grey .
Best regards and merry Christmas
Diana
A friend of mine makes the *best* homemade fudge. He and his wife bring some over a few days before Christmas and we sit around and enjoy the goodies.
ReplyDeleteI love eating Christmas cookies and laying out in front of the fire. It's the only time of year I can sit there as the fire burns down and not feel guilty for being lazy.
ReplyDelete