Okay, we all love to wear a little bling on  daily basis. I mean, I’m a fool for a good pair of hoop earrings studded with costume jewels. In a pinch, I’ll settle for glossy lips if I have to. But during the holidays, there’s a whole other level of bling to present and it’s totally okay.

My darling friend, Rachelle Christensen is an expert at DIY techniques. I loved this easy way to keep your diamonds sparkling because I love my wedding ring and it gets pretty filthy. She shares this tip in her book, Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things, and she is one of the authors featured in Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology.

Keep Your Diamonds Sparkling

I’ve been married to my sweetheart, Steve, for 17 years and this is the diamond ring he gave me all those years ago. It’s been through a lot of wear, had to be re-pronged and frequently is dirty since I have five kids and endless household chores.

I am so excited for this Christmas season. My kids are huge, funny, and happy with simple gifts like a new Lego set or a baseball mitt; we’re all healthy and have opportunities to help someone in need; and I finally wrapped my mind around being cold and am somewhat excited for the snow.

I hope you’re gearing up for Christmas as well. If you’re looking for a delightful Christmas romance, check out this fun anthology set in upstate New York. Also, if you’re needing ideas to stay healthy through the holiday, keep reading below the Christmas Cash giveaway. And, for some tips on staying healthy when it’s cold outside, check out this article from Cami Checketts.

Christmas Kisses is a collection from five bestselling and award-winning authors.

Set in the snowy town of Echo Ridge in upstate New York, these inspirational romances are sure to delight while you sip cocoa by the fire and listen to Christmas carols.

 

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 The Candy Counter Heiress by Lucy McConnell Amazon bestselling & award-winning author

Someday Reese Gates will own The Candy Counter at Kenworth’s; but someday can’t come fast enough when the manager threatens to bring in a national candy provider. Reese secretly takes matters into her own hands hoping to save her parents from additional worry and prove herself capable of running the company. Her deception deepens as she ropes computer guru Andy Edwards into helping her expand the business.  Reese wanted to shake things up, but she wasn’t planning on her heart getting caught in the mix by Andy’s stolen kisses. If she can hold it together until after Christmas, then she can reveal her successful online company and her feelings for Andy. Unfortunately for Reese, even the best laid plans can melt like chocolate.

https://lucymcconnell.wordpress.com/ * https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaDymock?fref=ts

 Christmas Makeover by Cami Checketts Amazon bestselling author

Chelsea Jamison has been infatuated with Drew Stirling longer than she’s loved playing basketball, high-top sneakers, and the Knicks. Unfortunately, all Drew sees is the kid who kicked his trash in the high school free throw contest and not the girl whose heart breaks into a fast dribble when he’s near.

Drew makes an unexpected visit home to Echo Ridge and their friendship picks up where they left off as they scheme to make a teenaged boy’s Christmas dreams come true. When Chelsea realizes she’s fallen for her best friend, she wonders if there is any hope of a relationship with Drew or if she’s stuck in buddy-status for life.

http://www.camichecketts.com * https://www.facebook.com/CamiCheckettsAuthor

 Soda Fountain Christmas by Connie E. Sokol Amazon bestselling author

Keira Kenworth has one focus this holiday season: save her father’s old-time department store from bankruptcy. She is not focused on Tayton Wells, the tall, dark, and genius marketing guru from downtown New York, hired to make it happen. He is as doubtful that her nostalgic connect-the-town ideas will succeed as she is about his numbers-first plan. However, it’s not just their different approaches that cause sparks to fly. Working together on a fast deadline to save the store before Christmas, the unspoken connection between them grows. But will the tough decisions they face drive them back to their separate worlds, or will they lead to the beginning of love?

http://www.conniesokol.com * https://www.facebook.com/8basics?_rdr=p

Hope for Christmas by Rachelle J. Christensen Amazon bestselling & award-winning author

Anika Fletcher hates Christmas–its promises of good tidings and hope for the future are as tinseled as the ornaments on Kenworth’s Hope Tree. Despite her feelings, Anika wants to maintain her daughter’s faith in the magic of the season and gladly accepts a second job working with the handsome Carlos Rodriguez to restore Kenworth’s old fashioned soda fountain. Carlos is no stranger to hard times and slowly shares his life of light and joy with Anika as they work together. Just as her fragile soul begins to feel hope again, an ill-timed act of charity changes everything. Anika isn’t sure who she can trust or if hope is worth nurturing–especially at Christmas when it’s easy to enjoy a kiss and believe love can last longer than the season.

http://www.facebook.com/rachellechristensenauthor * http://rachellechristensen.com/

One Winter Night by Heather Tullis Amazon bestselling author

Jonah Owens thought moving to Echo Ridge to open his art gallery would solve all of his problems. The need to sell his grandma’s house adds an unexpected complication. It would be easier if his neighbor didn’t have all those farm animals.

Kaya Feidler’s family has owned their land for nearly a hundred years–long before the neighbors were there. There’s no way she’s giving up the animal therapy business she’s been struggling to make profitable. She gets a temp job helping Jonah in the gallery. Spending time together is a recipe for romance, but can they overcome their own hangups to be more than friends?

http://heathertullis.com/ * https://www.facebook.com/HeatherTullisBooks

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Enjoy the Season by Cami Checketts 

‘Tis the season to enjoy time with loved ones, reach out a helping hand to those in need, and cuddle in front of the tree with hot cocoa and cookies. Christmas is a wonderful time of year filled with joyful moments, but I find myself becoming so crazy busy I can hardly fit in a workout and who wants to eat health when the neighbors are bringing over fudge. I’m definitely a believer in savoring that fudge but I also thought of a few ways that I keep my body feeling somewhat healthy throughout the season.  

1- Only eat something if it is truly a Christmas treat. Just because they make Oreos with red and green filling does not mean they’re an exclusive Christmas treat, but Aunt Abbie’s peppermint dessert? That’s worth savoring.

2 – Turn on Christmas music and dance. My kids think Mom twirling to the Nutcracker is hilarious but they aren’t afraid to jump right in.

3 – Go ice-skating, sledding, snow-shoeing, or cross-country skiing. Try out a new sport, the variety is great for improving physical fitness and the challenge is wonderful for your mind. I personally love cross-country skiing, it’s a mix of running and skiing (two of my favorite sports) but it doesn’t take as much skill as skiing and I don’t feel the joint pounding that I get when I run.

4 – Go for a walk outside. When the temperature is below 50 you burn more calories – it’s worth it to freeze the tip of your nose but if it’s so cold your eyelashes crystallize you’d better take it to the treadmill. 

5 – Bake your favorite treats, have a sample, then take them to all the neighbors. The visits will be almost as fun as the baked goods.

6 – Enjoy your family and forget about everything else. Play with your kids. Read Christmas stories and thrive on their childlike joy. Snuggle up with your sweetheart and burn some calories kissing in front of the tree.

7 – Focus on the Savior and following his example of love and service, the real reason we celebrate this blessed holiday, and the joy will continue throughout the new year.

Merry Christmas!

Cami Checketts

http://www.camichecketts.com

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Have you ever known exactly what you wanted for Christmas? As a child, you may have written a letter to Santa, made a wish upon a star, or locked your dream away in your heart afraid that it might not come true if you so much as whispered it out loud. Even as adults, Christmas wishes carry a magic that can’t be explained.

In North for Christmas, Ruby Jeavon certainly has her heart set on an engagement. It’s the first step in creating the family she’s always wanted. But things go slightly off course and instead of flying to Italy with her boyfriend, Ruby heads out of town to work as an elf in Nashville. Even though she’s far away from her dream, she’s about to discover the magic of a Nashville Christmas through the eyes of North Foxwell, her fellow elf and a Christmas expert. Even though North struggles with his own Christmas ghosts, Ruby manages to bring new light to his life. Can Ruby let go of her dream to find what her heart truly desires? Only time–at the North Pole–will tell.

You can pick up your copy of North for Christmas at your local book store, iTunes, Barns and Noble, or from Amazon.

You know me, I’m all about a good Christmas Romance. Well, I have a fun one for ya’ll today. Western Romances are one of my favorite genres to read. I haven’t written one…yet. Maybe one day.  For now, I get my fix by reading. Here’s the latest anthology in my Kindle. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can pick up a copy by clicking here.

(Doesn’t the scruff on that guy just make you swoon?)

A rancher, a doctor, a lawyer, a mountain man, and a lawman—all looking for love this Christmas! Curl up with the newest collection of historical romances from five best-selling and award-winning Christian authors. A mix of short stories & novellas, these tales are a yuletide trip back to the Wild West! BONUS material – vintage Christmas recipes!

A Bluebonnet Misfit Christmas
Patricia PacJac Carroll
Come on in to the town of Bluebonnet, TX, where romance blooms with a little help from friends.

Nettie has matchmaking plans while her husband Reed already has his hands full with a troubled misfit named Yancy. Sally’s past haunts her with fears of having to go back to the saloon. Wilbur “Wills” Williams is coming to Bluebonnet to atone for his past. Amelia and Sheriff Justin Wellesley are in love, but her parents are against their marriage, while Yancy has other plans for Amelia. And Cornelia “Cornie” Eustus is intent on sharing her misery.

Whiter Than Snow
Leah Atwood
Tallie Duncan hasn’t known love since she was a young child, but a position as a nanny to two rambunctious boys fills a void left by a life of tragedy. When their mother discovers Tallie’s secret, though, her position is immediately terminated. She finds herself on the streets, in a strange town in a strange land.

Jeremiah Scott returns to Weatherton, Wyoming after a six-year absence, with plans to renew the family ranch he’d left after his father’s death. The train ride from Chicago to Cheyenne reminds him how lonely winters in the West can be without someone to share them. While in Cheyenne, making purchases for his ranch, he decides to find an impromptu bride. But when the bride is more than he bargains for, will his rash decision destroy their plans for marriage?

Hang Your Heart on Christmas
Heather Blanton
U.S. Marshal Robert “Dent” Hernandez has a gift, if you call specializing in death a gift. Under the auspices of his badge, he arrests some of the worst criminals Wyoming Territory can spit out. For Dent, though, the line between vengeance and justice has never been clear. He is determined to find and hang his father’s killer. When a prisoner transfer goes awry in his hometown of Evergreen, Wyoming, and Dent’s good friend is killed, he is forced to serve as interim sheriff. But Dent should be out on the trail hunting down murderers, not scolding candy thieves and escorting the very pretty, but jittery, schoolteacher around. What is she so afraid of? Turns out, a lot of people in Evergreen are keeping secrets.

Mail Order Bride: Husband of the Bride
By Susette Williams
Widowed for years, Ma has been the matriarch of the family, facing the challenges of raising four boys into men. With the arrival of her first grandchild imminent, Ma finds herself face-to-face with the town doctor who has very differing views from hers.

Doc is opinionated, and believes it is time for Ma to look out for her own needs—and desires. He’s old enough to know you can’t live in the past; you need to move on to have a future. But can he convince a stubborn, determined woman he’s worth settling with? Will Ma be able to keep up with her four sons and their new brides and survive the holidays, or will her family grow even larger—in more ways than one?

A Mountain Man’s Redemption
Christi Corbett
Eighteen years ago, Philip Grant—overcome with regret for what he couldn’t foresee and memories of what he couldn’t prevent—abandoned all to live the solitary life of a fur trapper. Years spent roaming Montana Territory left his body weary and his confidence weak. Hopeless, he decides to turn in his last bundle of furs and await the inevitable in a cabin. Alone.
Everything changes when he discovers a battered woman and her infant son, on the run from their ruthless abuser. Seventy miles of mountains and windswept flatlands stand between them and safety. Can Philip trust in his newfound faith to lead the way?