One Enchanted Giveaway!

Enchanted headerYou guys…I kinda technically have two books releasing today. And I’m kinda totally delighted about the whole thing!

‘Cause, really, this whole Enchanted series just started off as a whim back in 2015. A complete and total whim inspired by nothing more than my silly love for the cover model on one of my books. (It’s his eyes, man. Specifically, the crinkles at the corners. I wrote said crinkles into the book before I ever saw the cover and then I saw the cover and died of happiness.)

Anyhow, that whim eventually became a full-fledged story which eventually became a full-fledged series and today, the final novella in the series—One Enchanted Noël—releases. Plus, all three Enchanted stories are now available for the first time as a collection…in both paperback and ebook.

MTagg Front Cover (1) one_enchanted_noel-melissa_tagg (1)One Enchanted Noël is available for just $1.99 for a few more days. Price goes up soon. The full Enchanted collection includes One Enchanted Christmas, One Enchanted Eve, and One Enchanted Noël and is available in both paperback and ebook.

 

That’s twice the book release fun!

I’m really overjoyed about the whole thing…and I’m grateful, too. This last Enchanted novella, as sooooo often happens when I’m writing, massively struck a chord with me. Leigh Renwycke, one of the main characters, is dealing with an inner restlessness (something I hugely resonate with) that scares her…in the past, whenever she’s been restless, she’s ended up looking for thrills in the wrong places. She’s convinced she needs to learn to be content with the life she has.

But as I wrote Leigh onto the page, I couldn’t help wondering if sometimes she, if we get the idea of “contentedness” wrong. I don’t think being content means we don’t want or wish for something more or simply different. I don’t think it means settling. In fact, I think we can be content and grateful even while dreaming or desiring or pursuing something new.

And sometimes, those whispers of restlessness might actually be the nudge God is using to get us to tiptoe closer to that “something new.”

These were the thoughts swirling in my brain as Leigh and Seb came to life…and they’re swirling still. And this is what I loooove so much about writing stories! While fictional people burrow their way into my heart, their journey always somehow becomes my own.

And it’s what I hope happens for you, readers to whom I’m so grateful, as you crack open the pages of this final Enchanted novella.

Enough of my rambling! It’s release day, so of course, we need to do a giveaway. I’m giving away a copy of the full Enchanted collection (paperback or ebook, winner’s choice), a $25 VISA gift card and a super pretty Noel ornament hand-lettered by my talented sister, Nicole Schwieger of DuckandDoll Designs.

Release Day Giveaway 1

You’ve got one week to enter…and multiple entry options.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

p.s. If you read these new books, would you consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads? I’d be so grateful!

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    Comments 281

    1. Congratulations on the release of the Enchanted Collection and One Enchanted Noel!
      One of my favorite Christmas memories was when I was thirteen. My little brother (three) had been in the hospital with pneumonia again and was home for Christmas. We didn’t dare get a tree, because of his asthma, my mom and I got creative and used a pool cue rack and some green garland to create a “tree” on the wall. I wrapped one box in a brown grocery bag to make the trunk. We hung lights and ornaments making it the perfect tree It was one of the best Christmas’s ever. Not because of the gifts but because of the delight in my little brothers’ eyes.

    2. Every Christmas Eve, my family all gathers around and listens to the dramatized version (by Focus on the Family) of the Christmas Carol. It is something I always look forward too.
      As to a favorite Christmas movie, there is no doubt about that. It’s a Wonderful Life!

    3. I’m absolutely in love with these covers! They’re all so gorgeous! For favorite Christmas movie, I’d have to say Elf or It’s a Wonderful Life. My family has a tradition where we officially start the Christmas season by watching Elf on Thanksgiving to kick off our Christmas movie. And we then end it with It’s a Wonderful Life.

    4. I love looking at lights after church on Christmas Eve. We make a little picnic of cheese, crackers, and salami—and sugar cookies!—and just take drive and oooh and awww.
      Lash year my in-laws we’re visiting and we had a record snow fall. Just as we started our light adventure, our van got stuck in the snow. My father-in-law got put to help push on the hood while my husband tried to back up. The van gained traction—and down went my father-in-law, face first in the snow.
      My mother-in-law laughed maniacally and yelled, “Woops! We lost Dad!”
      My favorite tradition and memory wrapped in one.
      So excited to read the last installment! Your first in this series was the first “Melissa Tagg” book I read and I’ve been hooked ever since!

    5. Congratulations on the release of two new books! I have yet to read anything by you and would love to win this giveaway. Your stories sound wonderful and the covers are beautiful. What a great Christmas gift! Have a happy Thanksgiving and a very blessed Christmas.

    6. Congratulations on the release of the Enchanted Collection and One Enchanted Noel!

      One of my favorite Christmas memories was when I was five and I woke up hours before my brother and sister, making a break for the tree and the presents. When I got there, my mom had a black Labrador puppy waiting to be played with. Plus, it was snowing outside, the tree was decorated beautifully with a train circling around it and I got to spend a lot of quality one-on-one time with the puppy. We even watched Elmo’s Christmas together…What can I say? I was five. It felt like the perfect Christmas.

      My top 3 Christmas movies are It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and anything on Hallmark.

    7. I am so excited about the release of this novella. I just finished reading All This Time. My favorite Christmas tradition is decorating the Christmas tree.

    8. I remember going around in our old station wagon late at night with my whole family (5 kids, 2 parents) and looking at Christmas lights. Our dad would wake us up after we’d gone to sleep and put us in the car in our pj’s. Then we’d come home and have hot coco. Fun!

    9. I can’t wait to read Leigh’s story! Two favorite Christmas movies, an oldie and a newer one – White Christmas and The Christmas Card.

    10. Thoroughly enjoyed the first two & am eager to read the new one. Woke up to find it on my Kindle this morning. The covers are all so gorgeous, who could resist! Would love to win a paperback for my keeper shelf.

    11. Love reading the Christmas passage from Matthew chapter one with our family. Favorite Christmas movie is Holiday In with Bing Crosby singing White Christmas.

    12. My favorite Christmas memory… Going to my grandparents’ house I Christmas day and Grandpa sneaking around with his camera, taking pictures of us when we weren’t expecting it. We’d be going about our business and there would be a sudden flash of light. We would turn to see Grandpa with this ornery, pleased-with-himself grin on his face. I miss that…

    13. I Love Miracle on 34th St.. hanging out with family! We always have lots of stops to make and enjoy each one so much. I also love going to the Christmas Eve service! Can’t believe it is that time of year again!

    14. Oooh, ooh, ooh! I am so excited. I forgot about the collection, and I am THRILLED that the paperback is available at the same time as the ebook. Yay! No waiting!

    15. My favorite Christmas tradition is putting up our tree after Thanksgiving Dinner. My mom always put up her tree on Thanksgiving, but I was firmly in the “not until the second week of December” camp! The year that she passed away, I missed her so much that I decided to put up the tree while my little ones napped after Thanksgiving Dinner. The kids woke up and thought it was just magical that this beautiful tree had appeared while they napped, and a tradition was born. Now the kids are old enough to do most of the decorating for me, but we still love reminiscing about Grammy and all of the special ornaments that were hers while we put up the tree!

    16. My favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas! Favorite Christmas tradition is getting together Christmas Eve for our church’s candlelight service and after having a family dinner of crab legs!

    17. I love Christmas, and my favorite memories are of reading Christmas stories to my young sons, throughout the Christmas season. I enjoy Christmas music, too.

    18. We love Elf and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I love the covers of the new books and am so excited to read Leigh and Seb’s story. Thanks for the giveaway!

    19. My favorite Christmas memory is when my husband and I were able to surprise our entire family, his mother, our kids, grandkids, sister, and cousins with the help of friends. We were living in Florida and told the family we would not be coming home, then explained to the kids that I didn’t get the gifts mailed in time but still hoped they would make it in time.

      I just happened that we had trouble with our phone (landline) a couple of days before we were to leave so I explained that I’d called the phone company (from my cell), they didn’t know if they could make it out before the weekend and holiday or not and they would have to call me on my cell if they needed anything. Whenever they called me I would turn the radio down and my husband would be quiet (they thought he was working), our friends did the same thing once we arrived where we surprised his mom. We then took her with us so if the kids called she would also be quiet.

      We got to town, checked into our hotel, and the wait began for Christmas Eve when they would all be together. We drove around town, went and surprised my uncle and cousin, saw my sister, then it got dark and they were all at one house. The surprise just about got spoiled when we pulled into the driveway and our grandson was taking the trash out so we quickly pulled away spitting gravel to get away, we had a new truck so he didn’t recognize us. He went in and said he didn’t know what was going on but someone just tore out of the driveway real fast.

      We drove around a short time and came back, as we shut the truck off here comes our son up to the window, he was waiting for whoever they thought might be trying to break into their cars, lol. I rolled down the window and asked him if he had a problem, let me say he was a a loss for words, lol. He was going to hurry in to tell the family we were here, I stopped him and told him, NO, take these Santa Sacks (I had made one up for each family) in and tell them someone left them. He proceeded to do that and they could not figure it out until our daughter-in-law pulled out my husbands homemade beef jerky, the bedlam arose, lol. One granddaughter came running out with boots on the wrong feet with no coat, and lots of tears. Our daughter thought maybe her husband knew and accused him of not telling her, then she couldn’t even finish eating. Oh my, none of us will ever forget that Christmas, even though we were only able to stay the one day, it was the best!!!

      Sorry for the long story but I just love telling this true story.

      Thank you for the chance to win a print copy of enchanted and the other prizes.

      wfnren at aol dot com

    20. One of my favorite more recent Christmas memories was when my family made a surprise trip up to be with my husband and I for Christmas Day, It was a year we hadn’t really seen each other and my husband secretly planned for them to arrive really early Christmas Morning. He woke me up, I was super groggy and I asked him could it wait? I just wanted to sleep and He said no, it couldn’t wait because he had a surprise for me, so we walked out into the hall and I opened my eyes to my family waiting in the hall, they yelled “Surprise!” Merry Christmas!” My mouth fell open and then I started crying and rushed to hug them all. It was a wonderful day, filled with simple joys and time together even though we were all sleep deprived and later took naps! 😀 I’m not big on surprises but I loved that one!

    21. I love all my memories of spending Christmas at my grandparents’ house with all of my cousins when we were young. A lot of them were older than I, but I had a couple close to my age. Plus the older ones were fun and then they had babies that were fun to hold 🙂

    22. I have a few favorite Christmas movies. I always enjoy Christmas in Connecticut and White Christmas. Last year I discovered It Happened on Fifth Avenue and think it is a new favorite!

    23. my favorites are Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone 1&2, Die Hard 1,2,3, A Christmas Carol and Hallmark Christmas movies

    24. I love Christmas! One of my favourite Christmas movies is “A Miracle on 34th Street” (the newer version, cause that’s the one I grew up with). Christmas movies and books are always so fun and get me into the holiday spirit! 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading Leigh’s story!

    25. Congratulations and thank you for the giveaway! Christmas is absolutely my favorite time of year. I can’t wait to start the traditions, especially now that I have a 3-year-old niece and a 2-year-old nephew! One of my favorite traditions growing up was decorating the tree. Most of our ornaments had a story behind it…baby’s first Christmas, vacations, etc. I loved hearing the stories every year!

    26. My favorite Christmas memory would have to be the Christmas eve my husband asked my Dad’s permission to marry me. We then announced our engagement to my family after the Christmas eve service and then to his family on Christmas day. We had been keeping it a secret since Nov 6th!
      I’m so excited for these novellas to be in print!! And my birthday is tomorrow so…

    27. Our family tradition for Christmas is staying in our pj’s all day and eating snacky food. My favorite Christmas movies are While You Were Sleeping and White Christmas.

    28. I have so many favorite Christmas movies–“It’s a Wonderful Life,” the original “Miracle on 34th Street,” “Holiday Inn,”–but my all time favorite is “White Christmas.” The songs, the cast, the story–it’s magical musical perfection!

    29. The Holiday is my faaaaavorite Christmas movie! Christmas caroling and candlelight Christmas Eve services with family are my favorite.

    30. I love the covers of both books!! 🙂 My favorite Christmas tradition is going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church.

    31. I take each of my kids out for lunch and Christmas shopping; just the two of us on different days. It’s a great way to have one on one time away from our busy schedules. Thanks for the chance to win.

    32. My favorite Christmas memory is when I was 3 or 4 my daddy made our Christmas tree talk to me….NO, the actual tree did not speak, but my daddy spoke for it. I would go talk to the tree and it would talk back. During the day, it would not talk to me, so I asked my mom why the tree wouldn’t talk with me and she said, “Because honey, that is when the tree sleeps.” LOL! I loved that Christmas but I don’t think my mom and dad did when they had to get rid of the tree…….LOL!

    33. My favorite Christmas tradition is waking up on Christmas morning, sneaking into the living room in the dark with my little sister (and partner in crime) to turn on the Christmas tree lights to see the tree for the first time. Little sister is married with three kids now, so we’re rarely together on Christmas morning anymore. It’s still my favorite tradition <3

    34. Oh Melissa, I love your books! Some faves: hot chocolate to drink with popcorn while decorating the tree and Christmas carols all at the same time. One memory at age 4 was I woke up early and I heard Santa’s reindeer on our roof. I told the whole world about it for many years, so of course I believed in him since I had audible proof! It turns out we had a German Shepard puppy running around on the kitchen floor that made lots of “hoof” sounds!

    35. I love baking cookies and the wonderful smell as I decorate the tree and put my village out. Also wrapping gifts while listening to Holiday music. On Christmas Eve I always loved going to the candlelight service at church and seeing people I know..

    36. Your latest novella landed on my kindle just in time for a cross-country flight! I think for my favorite Christmas movie it’s a tie between White Christmas and Holiday Inn. One of my favorite Christmas memories is leaving chocolate snowball cookies for Santa, because my dad said that those were Santa’s favorite. Now I always make him (my dad, not Santa) a batch, just for him.

    37. My husband and I watch Elf every year!
      We also have a tradition of loading the kids up, in their pjs, into the van equipped with cookies and hot chocolate. They have to have a ticket to ride like the Polar Express. We sing Christmas songs and go look at the lights! It’s one of my favorite nights!

    38. Congratulations on the double release day, Melissa! 🙂 I’ve wanted to read these novellas for a while but haven’t had a chance, so here’s hoping!

      Hmm, favorite Christmas movie…there’s an old Angela Lansbury movie, “Mrs. Santa Claus.” If you can find a copy, check it out! I also love those cheesy old animated children’s films – Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc.

    39. I love the Coat Of Many Colors Christmas Movies with Dolly Parton. Also her Smokey Mountain Christmas. The traditional ones like Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman too. And then the Grinch stole Christmas. So many favorites.

    40. My favorite thing at Christmas was spending Christmas Eve with one side of the family and Christmas day with the other. It was special to celebrate for two entire days!

    41. My husbands family(well, the ladies anyway!) always make tamales on Christmas Eve and I love making them with everyone and the fellowship with everyone. I also love eating them at 10 pm as well!

    42. My favorite Christmas movies are It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas – the good old classics! 😀

      I’m so excited for this novella, Melissa! I hope you have a blessed holiday season!

    43. As of right now, we don’t have any specific Christmas traditions. But I distinctly remember as a kid going to a specific restaurant every year (and being forced to eat green beans…YUCK) and coming home to presents under the tree.

    44. I love Christmas time, reading a book about it, watching a movie about it, or living in it so wonderful. I can’t wait to read this awesome book!

    45. My favorite Christmas movie is Elf. My favorite Christmas memory is the blue bike my parents got me. They really couldn’t afford it and my sister got one too.

    46. My birthday is the day after Christmas. We lived in Philadelphia and every year on my birthday we went to New York City to see the show at Radio City Music Hall and would spend the day in the city. Such fun memories!

    47. My grandmother used to make Swiss cookies at Christmas time. There were several kinds, and they don’t use as much sugar as we do in the U.S., so they’re not as sweet. My mom made them, also. Now, I think only my sister makes them. We also have a delicious Swiss bread recipe. My mother used to make lots of loaves to give to her friends and neighbors at Christmas.

    48. One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to bake and decorate gingerbread men and women cookies on Christmas Eve with my grandchildren!

    49. Christmas tradition is new pajamas, and an ornament each year – my husband and I got married this year and I’m excited to share some more traditions with him – we have created bacon cheeseburger Christmas. We both work a lot – and he is on overnights, so instead of some big fancy meal, we make bacon cheeseburgers and enjoy just being able to spend time together!

    50. My favorite Christmas movie is Miracle on 34th Street (the original). I also love A Christmas Story!

      Thanks for the giveaway and for being such a great storyteller!

    51. I have several favorite Christmas movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, George C. Scott’s version of A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, and the animated The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I also catch as many Hallmark movies as I can too, they are always heartwarming!

      Happy release day, Melissa! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.

    52. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is gathering with Grandma and Grandpa to read stories, including the story of Jesus from the bible, and a fun Santa story from my Grandpa’s childhood. 🙂

    53. Melissa, congrats on the double release! I love to attend a Candlelight Christmas Eve service. I enjoy watching The Bishop’s Wife.

    54. I must have a couple boxes of chocolate covered cherries for Christmas. My grandfather always gave each of us a box at Christmas. I am 49 and that still stays with me today.

    55. I love allllll Christmas movies, especially Elf, White Christmas, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation & Christmas with the Kranks! I like to watch them all year long, but especially during the holidays.

    56. We attend Christmas Eve candlelight service and then share lots of finger foods, play games, sing carols, and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus with a cake and a single candle.

    57. All of your books are amazing Melissa! They are the kind you cannot put down, but then are sorry you read it so fast. I am looking forward to reading this latest Enchanted installment!

    58. My favorite Christmas memory was dressing up in our pajamas and driving to the light show at the zoo and seeing Christmas lights in our car.

    59. Now that both of my parents are gone, I think back to those Christmases before inlaws came along and how it was a much simpler time but the sparkle and excitement of Christmas as a child was so thrilling.

    60. Favorite Christmas memory: I received my engagement ring for Christmas 55 years ago and then went for a walk in the new snow!!

    61. Favorite Movie is, of course, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, but second would be “The Little Drummer Boy”
      Sitting in a dark room with a fire going and seeing the magical lights on the tree as a child. It was so beautiful! I have always loved the lights!

    62. My favorite Christmas tradition is on Christmas Eve when my family opens the stockings that we fill for each other. And one of my favorite movies is White Christmas.

    63. Christmas Eve service at church, singing Silent Night with only the candles held by everyone for light. Christmas carols, the smells of baking and tree and candles. Snow falling. The reality of why Jesus came…for me. Sola Christus!

    64. Congratulations on your new release . I loved it . We have all the family at our house Christmas Eve , being with everyone and I cook for everyone . This is one time when we all try to get together , but there is always some that has to work . Love your books . Thank you

    65. It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf and White Christmas are favorite movies of the season. I love the wintery covers on your books! Looking forward to reading them.

    66. Congratulations on your double release AND the conclusion to a marvelous series! My favorite Christmas tradition is just having the Christmas dinner with my whole family, spending time with them (catching up or just enjoying each others company), get to see our neighbors’ fireworks show, and open the presents after it. I was away from home last Christmas, so now I truly appreciate this tradition (guess I had kind of taking it for granted), and am sooo looking forward to it!
      One of my favorite Christmas movies will forever be Home Alone because my brother and I used to watch it on Christmas day with my grandparents, but I’d also have to add Elf as of last year, since my roommate’s family introduced it to me for the first time then (I know, *gasp!*)

    67. My favorite Christmas movie is still the original Miracle on 34th Street because it’s so brilliantly written. They took a seemingly simple idea – what if a crazy old man insisted he was the actual Santa Claus – and work out every ramification of it.

    68. My favorite Christmas movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I love our Christmas tradition/memories of cutting down our tree as a family!

    69. The only tradition we carried on from my childhood is that each person gets a new pair of pj’s on Christmas Eve to wear to bed and open presents in on Christmas Day, so I guess that’s my favorite… The kids’ favorite is that they each get a new calendar for Christmas – I almost forgot about it this year and my oldest (13) made a point of making sure I got the calendars. 🙂

    70. My favorite tradition is having Christmas Eve with my extended family. My favorite Christmas Movie is Elf and Miracle on 34th Street!

    71. I love to watch Hallmark Christmas movies and read Christmas novels also. At least six Christmas celebrations/parties during the month.

    72. We have several favorite Christmas traditions. Every day of the month of December, we open a little door with part of the verses about Jesus’ birth. Each day starts with the first door, rereading until the new door is opened and read. It combines Matthew and Luke, so the whole story is told. Some of my kids could recite the whole thing by the time they were around 4 or 5, just because of the repetition.

    73. My favorite Christmas tradition was my Dad always arriving very early so he could go down the hall saying “Hohoho Santa’s been here!” and waking up my daughter to go see what was under the tree. It was a tradition that we all loved – including his granddaughter. When she had just turned a teenager, she actually woke up very early to get dressed and fixed up (you know teenagers when it comes to having their photos taken) and then crawled back into bed just so Pappaw could “wake her up” Christmas morning like he always did. I cherish these memories since both Dad and our daughter have gone on to heaven.

    74. Looking forward to reading these, hopefully copies i win.
      One of my Christmas memoires: watching my children tell the Christmas story using the nativity set pieces to act it out

    75. Yes, that is something I’ve been learning a lot about, myself. Contentment, especially in a season of life that seems to be merely consisted of “waiting”.
      I’ve realized that though our life has different ‘seasons’, and some definitely consist of ‘waiting’, that does not mean all we are to do is wait. Wait for the right feeling. Wait for the next big exciting thing to come. Wait for a good opportunity.

      I’m very ambitious and a big time dreamer, and waiting leaves me feeling incredibly restless and frustrated. But this year I had a sort of revelation. Why not use my extra time for bettering my skills, gaining knowledge, and preparing myself for what comes next? It’s not a waste of time by any means! So I’ve focused on working hard, gaining knowledge, getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things, getting my hands dirty, overcoming my fears, and I’ve grown and learnt SO much.

      The best part? I know that I’m so much more ready for the next season in my life, whatever it is, because I’ve had the opportunity to learn and grow so much during my time of ‘waiting’.
      And I’ve witnessed God’s amazing timing over and over again, which makes the waiting less frustrating and gives me a sense of REST instead of restlessness!

    76. No favorite holiday movies. Christmas Eve we go to our church for service and then come home for a light supper and the kids get to open one gift. They’ve been scoping out which one to open and are excited.

    77. We like be to watch Elf and even though I have seen it so often I can quote large sections of the movie it makes me laugh so hard so many times that I cry!

    78. Hi Melissa. I do have your entire series here in the ebook form. How ever if they come in print form I can give to my best friend as a Christmas gift. She’s a bigger read than I am.

    79. My favorite holiday movie is How The Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey. I love that song in it by Faith Hill. I love to read Christmas books. I get together with my two sons at Christmas. I would like to start a tradition, get them a new ornament every Christmas.

    80. My granddaughter and I have started 2 traditions when she was 4. One is we go to Hobby Lobby and we pick out 3 special oranments (1 for her, 1 for my husband (her papa) and 1 for me) the catch is they have to remind her about us. This year she got my husband a deer head, she got herself a bear and she got me a manger. I plan on letting her have all her oranments when she gets grown and on her own.

      The second one is we watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (w/Jim Carrey) while we wrap gifts.

      For my granddaughter and I this has been very special times and I pray we can continue these traditions for many years and she can pass it down to her children.

    81. Every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, I have gone for a Christmas Eve walk to look at the decorations and lights. I started as a child with my family, next as a bride with my husband, then as a parent with my children, and now as a grandmother with my grandson. It is a peaceful time, often made merry by discovering neighbors out walking, too. Then home for hot chocolate!
      Congratulations on your books and have a Merry Christmas!

    82. My favorite memory is the year I received a tape recorder and my Daddy had taped a message on it Sure wish I still had that recording.
      “It’s a Wonderful Life is my yearly watch.

    83. My favorite Christmas memory was going with my family to the Christmas Eve Moravian Love Feast at Friedberg Moravian Church in Clemmons, NC. They play a pipe organ, handbells, and have a choir that we all sang along with. They served everyone a love feast sweet bun with a mug of coffee while listening to the children’s choir. After the mugs were collected, the ushers gave everyone a beeswax candle with red crepe paper around the bottom to protect your hand against candle drips after it was lit. My favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Carol.

    84. It’s a Wonderful Life…AND family videos from previous Christmases. I know technically they’re not movies, but that’s what I like to watch. Especially when they include trips we’ve taken to Disney World during December!

    85. We enjoy It happened one Chistmas, It’s a wonderful Life and The Santa Clause. My husband will read about Jonathan Toomey and to the kids and he will cry. He will also read Jotham”s Journey to the kids each night during the holidays and leave them on the edge of their seats. Candlelight Christmas programs and hopefully at least a couple Christmas concerts all to turn our hearts to Jesus and celebrate the gift he was and is.

    86. My newest tradition is watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. It’s moved from more of a tradition to a flat out addiction!!

    87. Melissa, what a great note! And your thoughts on contentment? Yeah, those hit home.

      Let’s see….I have so many favorite Christmas movies! I’ll mention two. A classic I always love to watch is Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby. A modern story I like is, Christmas Child.

    88. My favorite Christmas Classic is “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It reminds me that we each affect other people’s lives in ways we don’t see. I Pray that I will be a positive in the lives of those around me.

    89. Forgive me if this posts twice, I got an error message on my first attempt.

      My newest tradition is watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. It’s moved from more of a tradition to a flat out addiction!!

    90. I was so excited to see the notification that the novella landed on my Kindle yesterday!

      Favorite Christmas tradition…..turning out all the lights except the tree and singing listening to Christmas music with my dad (growing up) or singing Christmas carols with my kids when they were growing up!

      Favorite

      1. Oops! My finger hit Enter before I finished. I was going to say my favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas. And silly though it may be, I adore the American Girl movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. I love AnnaSophia Robb and that’s such a sweet memory. My 22-year-old and I still enjoy watching it!

    91. Thank you so much for this opportunity! I would love to read and review books for you. I am trying to learn to relax and know that God is truly with me during this trying time for me.

    92. My husband and I haven’t established a lot of traditions since we don’t have kids of our own, but we do have a tradition of making a playlist of holiday Christian music songs. We greatly enjoy listening to that each year and finding new songs to add to it! We added Danny Gokey – Lift Up Your Eyes and Natalie Grant – I Believe last year.
      I’m a teacher so my favorite Christmas movie is “Why Do They Call It Christmas”, part of the “What’s In The Bible” series. I get pretty excited about things that teach truth to kids and do it WELL!

    93. Congratulations. I love it when God works and we get to see the results. It is so cool when we have a whim and it turns out fantastic. My favorite Christmas song is, Mary Did You Know?. One of my favorite Christmas memories is when the kiddos where 4 and 2. They got me a bread maker. I had been wanting one so bad, but the extra money just was not there at the time. So I opened it while my son is so excited he is wiggling all over the place and my daughter is trying so hard not to tell me what it is. I got the last of the wrapping off and I started to cry. Both of the kids did not know what to make of this. Poor Richard thought I did not like it and he started to cry and Heather didn’t know what was going on, but say that mom and her brother were crying so she started to cry. And now at this time I am laughing and crying. My husband really had his hands full. The kids were having a hard time understanding that there are happy tears as well.

    94. I love traditions at Christmastime! We always do a Prussian, (which country doesn’t even exist anymore but is where my Oma was born) dinner on Christmas Eve. As for movies, I have lots of favs, but my number one is White Christmas – I could watch it everyday! Of course, then I wouldn’t have time for anything else, so I try to keep it to every other day. 😉

    95. So many wonderful Christmas memories. Getting up Christmas morning and seeing the tree for the first time. My parents put it up and decorated it after we went to bed Christmas Eve. As for favorite Christmas movie,

    96. When I was a freshman in high school and my sister was a junior , Christmas time brought the chance for us to buy tickets to see Les Miserables from our French club, & we both wanted desperately to go. My mom handed me her “last” $20 & convinced me that it might be the last chance for my sister to go, so I should buy the ticket for her for Christmas. Meanwhile, she handed my sister her “last” $20 and told her that I loved French so much, that I would love it more than she would. I’m not quite sure how my French teacher kept a straight face, but neither of us realized that we had gotten each other the gift we most wanted ourselves until Christmas! We both went, and had a marvelous time!

    97. We used to all (5 of us) wait at the top of the stars on Christmas morning, waiting for our parents to give us the go ahead to come downstairs and see what Santa had left. All 5 of us had to be up and waiting to come down together. What fun!

    98. One of my favorite Christmas traditions was going to look at Christmas lights as a child, and one of my favorite movies to watch is Polar Express. 🙂

    99. My favorite animated Christmas film is an obscure Disney short that my mom had taped for us long ago, and which Disney would probably never get away with making these days, being as it has [gasp] religious connotations. But it’s a sweet story called “The Small One.”

    100. My favorite Christmas movie may be a version of the nativity story we have, but (although I haven’t seen all of it) “It’s a Wonderful Life” may be moving up there on my list! Favorite Christmas tradition? Perhaps cinnamon rolls and sausage on Christmas morning.

    101. My favorite Christmas memory is driving home from Grandma’s on Christmas Eve night and listening to “A Christmas Carol” on the radio. My favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life”!

    102. Loved the first two books and just bought the third for my iPad – so sad this series is ending! I love Christmas romance novellas and this is a great collection.

      My favorite Christmas tradition – my mom would put our stockings on our beds after we fell asleep on Christmas Eve. The deal was we could open the stockings when we woke up, but couldn’t leave our bedrooms until they came to get us. (Best part – there was always a small box of chocolates and that became our first breakfast.) They got to sleep later on Christmas morning, we got to open stocking presents early!

    103. Favorite Christmas movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
      Traditions, hmm, Christmas Eve stuffed shells for dinner followed by Mass and my husband reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to the kids before bed.

    104. It’s A Wonderful Life is my hands down favorite Christmas movie. The scene at the bridge where George realizes he wants to “live again” gives me chill bumps every time! Plus, everyone knows that every time a bell rings , an angel gets his wings!

    105. My favorite memory is decorating the house and yard and then piling everyone into the car and going to see all the Christmas lights. I love going to church and hearing the Christmas musical and singing carols.

    106. My favorite movie ever is “While You Were Sleeping,” which I guess technically is a Christmas movie, but I never think of it that way, as it originally released in the spring (which I remember because my cousin and I walked our junior high selves to our small town theater to watch it … and there would be no walking to the theater during a Nebraska winter!). As far as Christmas movies go, I love “A Holiday to Remember,” a TV movie from the 90’s starring Connie Sellecca and Randy Travis. My mom and I try to watch it once each season 🙂

    107. Favorite Christmas movie: the very cheesy made-for-TV “The Christmas List” in which a woman who works at a department store gives in to whimsy and writes a letter to Santa — and then her wishes start coming true in unexpected ways.

    108. My favorite Christmas memory is Mom putting Ray Conniff Singers Christmas music on. My very favorite song was Christmas Bride. It sparked something in my little heart. I used to have the album, but Mom died almost five years ago and I can’t play it without bawling. My very favorite Christmas movie is: The Nativity Story. It’s the one with Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac in it. Joseph and Mary were so brave and I love how they portray the story!

    109. My favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Carol or Scrooge. We put our Christmas tree up a couple weeks before Christmas and it stays up until the New Year.

    110. Congratulations Melissa on the release of your 2 books! The covers are beautiful!

      Christmas traditions….my grandson (now 13!) comes over and puts up our Christmas tree and decorates it, he loves doing that. He loves to bake (I think he is going to be a pastry chef), we bake lots of Christmas cookies, pumpkin bread and goodies. Love to go to our church’s Christmas Eve service, very inspirational and moving.

      Some favorite Christmas movies we watch each year are: White Christmas, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Christmas Card, The Nativity Story, Miracle On 34th Street, Christmas In Connecticut, some of the Hallmark Christmas movies and my hubby loves A Christmas Carol (he has several versions and watches them all, I like the original the best).

      May you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas!
      Blessings, Tina

    111. Christmas has become increasingly special to me over the last couple years. Just that cozy, restful, blissful family time! ^_^ We made chocolate cherry pudding cake one year, which was really fun and yummy.

      The American Girl Felicity movie ends with a Christmas party, and I believe I watched it twice during the Christmas season when I was younger. Kinda has a special place in my heart. 😉

      Thanks for the giveaway opportunity! Hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

    112. Congrats on the new release and not only that thank you for offering a paperback as for those of us who are disabled and can’t do ebook so thoughtful! We have several traditions the one I hold dearly to my heart is when I was 10 a social worker for another one of the kids came and she brought all of us a christmas stocking with our name on it and it was stuffed with goodies. We didn’t get any gifts from the house we lived in but when we saw her get out of the car and open her back door we all were so happy. That just got me so what I do every year is all the grandkids get a new stocking every year with their initial on it and it is stuffed with goodies. Then we also send a gift to them! Another one of our traditions we do is that we buy a tree in a pot and before the ground freezes my husband shovels a hole so after Christmas we plant out tree out with all the others on our land and we have done that since we built our house . We love doing that as we remember every holiday that we had in our house and we are so thankful for it.

    113. My Favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas with Bing Crosby. Thanks for the opportunity to win this giveaway! Happy Thanksgiving!

    114. OH YES! I have SO many CHRISTmas memories and traditions I don’t think this comment could hold them! 🙂 I also LOVE many CHRISTmas movies, but the ones that top my list are Bells of St Mary and It’s a Wonderful Life!!!

      HAPPY THANKSGIVING and MERRY CHRISTmas! 🙂

      Amada (pronounced: a.m.a.th.a)

    115. My favorite Christmas memory is going to candlelight service at church. We had a legend we read – first my mother and when I was old enough I read it.

    116. At this most beautiful time of the season, it is with added blessing to congratulate you on the release of such a glorious collection of writings through these beautiful books…May everyone who reads be touched deep in their hearts as I am sure they will since each one came from YOUR heart and soul! Be Blessed! Sharon “<3"

    117. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is on Christmas Eve. Right before we go to bed us kids will sit down with dad in the living room and he’ll read to us ‘Night Before Christmas’. He has since we were born and I’ll always cherish those memories.

    118. We always go to a Christmas Eve Church Service. That is very special to me. I always make krumkake during the Christmas season to give away and eat ourselves.

    119. I remember when my daughters were preschool age and they received some “fairy dust” powder. One of them was concerned. Before she would use the powder, my mom had to place a hand on my daughter’s head to keep her from floating off.

    120. It is really hard to choose a favorite Christmas movie when there are so many great ones to see!! 🙂 If I have to choose, I would say some of my favs are: Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, It’s A Wonderful Life, and Christmas Carol.

    121. My favorite memories are the different smells of Christmas: the food, the Christmas trees, the fireplace, the cool, crisp air of a Winter day to name a few. My favorite Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life. My husband and I are also great fans of the Hallmark Christmas movies.

    122. My favorite Christmas memory was going to my grandparents house and after all present were open …..but grandparents would start handing out their gifts……the grandkids gifts were 5 silver dollar coins……..back then that seemed like alot of money…..wow thats been 50 years ago lol.

    123. I love the holiday tradition we started when our daughter was born. We make a gift each year with her (from her when she was younger) for her grandparents, aunts and uncles. She is 9 now and loves this tradition too 🙂

    124. Our Grandchildren come over every Christmas Eve and one of them get to read the Christmas Story out of Luke. They always keep up with whose turn it is to read the Bible.

    125. thank you for a beautiful Christmas giveaway. One of my favorite songs is White Christmas by Bing Crosby and I also like the Drummer Boy. Movies: I like It’s a Wonderful Life and when we are at our Daughter’s and Family Traditional movie night Elf.

    126. My favorite Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life. My favorite Christmas tradition is eating all the delicious fish dishes on Christmas Eve!

    127. My favourite Christmas movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Between that, and Christmas Story, they are the only movies I can watch year after year. I normally don’t like to watch a movie more than once.

    128. My favorite Christmas movies are A Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

    129. When I was little, our family would go to my aunt and uncle’s house on Christmas Eve and drive by the houses looking at Christmas lights.

    130. There are many Christmas movies I love! And I’m always finding new ones. A couple of my long times favorites are It’s a Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn.

    131. Congrats on the releases. Our celebration has shifted a bit lately. More than likely with an empty nest on Christmas, we listen to a lot of music, go to mass on Christmas. I’ve recorded a lot of Movies. Because of weather the family comes more on Thanksgiving.

    132. One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories is of my dad reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke. The other is of my parents trying to quietly fill the Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve after we kids had gone to bed, but they’d invariably end up dropping some candy on the hardwood floor. We didn’t have a fireplace so we hung the stockings on the stair railing, so the sound would carry up the stairs to us.

    133. My mom, me and both of my sisters have a tradition of going shopping. We spend the whole day from breakfast to late at night. We get a lot of shopping done but best of all we spend time together, laughing and making memories!

    134. First, I have loved all of your stories and can’t wait to read this final Christmas novella! Thanksgiving to Christmas is my favorite time of year. All the baking, all the Christmas movies. Top 2: The Holiday (because of which fettuccine alfredo has become a Christmas Eve tradition) and The Family Stone.

    135. For Christmas, my mom and I always try to put the tree up the weekend after thanksgiving and we listen to Christmas music the whole time from then until Christmas. We don’t really have a favorite Christmas movie, but we love the hallmark ones! We love the Saturday movie marathons and it’s great mother daughter time.

    136. Me and my kids make oir own homemade advent calender to count down the days to christmas day for santa. We also make gingerbread houses !

    137. I married and Italian, and one of the fun things we do is get together every December and make home made ravioli together. My husband has a whole bin of Christmas movies we watch through out December. For sure It’s A Wonderful Life tops the list.

    138. The most fun for me is always our family get-togathers and numerous yearly Christmas traditions: church music programs, exploring the Christmas light displays, Christmas Eve candlelight service, etc., and of course celebrating the day designated as the day Christ was born (my birthday also). I especially enjoyed a living replica of the town on Bethlehem on Christmas Eve – a number of year ago, so inspiring!!

      Thanks for your generosity and sharing your writing gift with us, Melissa!! Blessings!!

    139. My favorite tradition is cooking with my mom, and my favorite holiday films are: The Polar Express and Christmas Bounty.

    140. White Christmas is probably my favorite Christmas movie of all time because it has Bing Crosby in it (of course), the story is just so heartwarming and sweet, I LOVE how the movie ends, and it is a tradition to watch it with my family. But I also like pretty much all of the Christmas hallmark movies too!

    141. Tradition that my Dad started and carried on by his children (including me): Baking a birthday cake together as a family on Dec. 24th for Jesus Birthday on the 25th. Then decorating it together. It can have as many or few candles that you want on it. Then the family sings Happy Birthday to Jesus on the 25th. Together we blow out the candle or candles on the cake and then say this after blowing them out “We are not blowing out the LIGHT of this world, we are taking HIM into our hearts.” The cake can be whatever flavor you want, but usually it is Red Velvet and is always covered in white frosting (sometimes with coconut flakes sprinkled on). The white covering represents how Jesus blood made our sins white as snow.

    142. When I was little, everyone gathered at my Granparents home for Christmas. At some point, my Grandfather would “disappear” and Santa would drop in to give a Christmas Eve gift to each of the grandchildren. His arrival would be announced to the sound of thumping on the roof and sleigh bells ringing. My Uncle would get on the roof and stomp around and shake a set sleigh bells set in leather. My grandfather would dress in a full-on Santa Suit with wig and beard and come inside carrying a huge Santa bag. Out of the Santa bag would come a stuffed animal for each of us kids. Afterwards my Grandfather would return from whatever we had been told he was doing–running to the store or taking a shower. He did this for quite a few years until we were all mostly too old for it.

      My fave movies are all the old clay-mation and animated cartoons with Frosty the Snowman and Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer. I also love watching classics like Scrooge and It’s a Wonderful life and newer movies like The Santa Clause and Elf. Oh, and all the Hallmark Christmas movies….what can I say? I love Christmas movies LOL

    143. I’ve already watched so many Hallmark movies that my husband says I’ll be sick of Christmas before it gets here. Never!!! I’m hoping to hear that “The Star” is a good rendition of the nativity too. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to win your enchanted giveaway and congratulations on two releases!

    144. Any Hallmark Christmas movie. And my favorite Christmas memory was the year that my sister and I got new bikes. We were about 10 and it had the white basket with flowers on the front & the flowing ribbons from the handles.

    145. We all go to my daughter’s on Christmas day and everyone tries to bring something to eat for a potluck type of meal. Love to see my niece’s four little kids also.

    146. Congratulations!!! How awesome an accomplishment for you. My favorite movie is the Little Drummer Boy. My favorite childhood tradition was going to see the talking Christmas Tree at McCarthys department store.

    147. Even when there wasn’t a lot of money at Christmas, we always had a stocking from Santa. It’s what I love most about buying Christmas gifts now, and I look forward to it all year long!

    148. My favorite Christmas tradition is going to candlelight Christmas Eve service. After church, we always drive around and look at the pretty lights.

    149. My favorite Christmas tradition is listening to Christmas music while baking cookies and making candy to give out to family and friends.

    150. Excited to read the third book in this series! Favorite Christmas movie: It’s a Wonderful Life. Christmas tradition: opening 1 present on Christmas Eve.

    151. Squeal! So excited for you!!! I remember reading your first book and now, God is so faithful! I am very excited for you!!

      My husband and I have been pretty simple people in our marriage. We don’t get hung up on big things, but one of my favorite traditions he started our first year of marriage was to buy me some kind of white ornament for the tree and at that time when it started, it was because I was having seizures. He wanted to get something that would cheer me up that first Christmas and now it has become a yearly tradition.

    152. One of my favorite Christmas memories is when my dad surprised me on Christmas Eve. As a fireman, often he would have to work during the holidays. So, it was always a nice surprise when he could join us. That year, he dressed like Santa and brought presents. Do you know even to this day, he won’t admit that it was him! Also, my mom and I always enjoyed putting the nativity set up. Over time the figures became old and worn, but we still have it. It means even more to me now that my mother has passed from this life. Sure, I could probably go buy a new nativity set, but it just wouldn’t be the same.

    153. I’m so excited to read these new books. I’ve read so many of your books and have lived every one of them! Thank you for sharing your God given talent with the world.

    154. My daughter and I watch Christmas movies together! She properly appreciates the classics like White Christmas and Holiday Inn!

    155. Our Christmas tradition is ,Fly bye the seat of your pants, and hope for the best. Have fun while doing it!
      jennydtipton at gmail dot com

    156. Melissa, I just found you in November through a recommendation by Susie May Warren, and I can’t get enough of your books. I started with From the Start on November 28th, and I only have the Enchanted series before I run out of your books to read. The Walker books were amazing and you’ve firmly entrenched yourself in my favorite authors club (not a large group, mind you) so I can’t help but be upset that you haven’t been writing since you were 3 so I’d have more material to gorge myself on before having to wait (languishing in the mean time, for the record) for your next release. I love the characters that you create – all of whom have become my newest friends. I love the strong spiritual foundations that all of your books are built on, and I always leave off feeling encouraged in my personal faith. Thanks for all you do. I hope you get as much encouragement from your readers as we do from your stories. God has really given you an amazing talent. xo -Tiff

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        Tiffany! What a sweet comment and I’m so sorry I’m just now seeing it…like three months after you wrote it. So sorry about that! But thank you for the wonderfully kind words. I’m more grateful than I can say!

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