What is it we all crave during the holidays? Chocolate? For sure. But what do we really want from all our efforts? Why do we put up the tree and tangle with the same strands of temperamental lights every year or dig through 45 awful sweaters to find the ONE that will fulfill Mom’s wish list? What we’re looking for is a sense of family, a connection, that love and peace promised in every tiny Christmas song heard throughout department stores the Nation over. It’s that feeling we worked to capture in Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology and it’s that feeling that Connie Sokol wants to help us find this Christmas. I’ll turn the post over to her and let her get to it.

3 Tips to Simplify & Savor the Season by Connie E. Sokol

The holidays are upon us and like many women, my mature response often goes like this: panic, stare, shudder and roll over, desperately clutching a tin of Danish butter cookies.

But no more. This year, women can enjoy the holidays with a few simple and useable tips.

Step 1. Focus on a feeling

This seemingly warm, fuzzy consideration might be overlooked but is actually the underlying driver of a memorable holiday. Answer this question ahead of time: What feeling do I and my family want to experience and remember the most this holiday season?

The particular feeling isn’t as crucial as being intentional about it. Choose a feeling that fits your needs or desires: peaceful, exciting, joyful or spiritually grounding.

What matters most is that you choose what matters to you and your family. Then ask each member to choose one family tradition that is the most meaningful. As you enjoy those traditions, each person will experience that personally satiated, contented feeling.

2. Get the family buy-in.

Too often women feel solely responsible for creating a successful holiday season. But when we involve our families, they feel more joy, create memories, and learn life skills. To do this takes getting the buy-in — meaning holding a semi-official meeting to ensure that with time, energy and enthusiasm, the family will put aside electronics to help hang the holly wreaths.

The holidays are for family, so let them help. Let go of your inner controlling Mrs. Claus, and understand that even she uses elves (I have it on good authority). When everyone pitches in, each can enjoy the experience and you can let go of “The Mom Show.” Not only is that a gift here and now for you, but it is also a future gift for your children, because they will use those life skills year after year and prepare them to be stellar adults (and relieve your holiday stress).

3. Keep it simple

Especially during the holidays, conventional wisdom encourages women to consciously review and reduce their expectations, because emotional and physical overload can create “yo-yo” emotions. Too much to do combined with the desire to please too many people can create a lose-lose situation.

So the point here is, to keep it simple. Ask yourself:

• Am I doing this to create family memories or for show?

• Am I making this because I love my family or to check it off the list?

• Am I being present in the moment and enjoying this event or am I thinking ahead to when it will be done, or planning the next thing?

Consider how much holiday stress you’ll eliminate by focusing on those who matter most and not on how someone might perceive you or your item, event or decor.

The holidays can be a time of joy and peace and giving. With a bit of simple organization and intentional savoring, we can experience just that.

Happy Holidays,

Connie Sokol

Mother, Author, Speaker

http://www.fromthelivingroom.com–Downloads

Website, Twitter, Facebook

Enjoy a little more holiday cheer with the delightful, Christmas Kisses, a collection from five bestselling and award-winning authors for only $.99.

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.

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Kobo * iTunes * Smashwords

Add it to Goodreads

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This week is a busy week. Between the release of Echo Ridge, the start of the holiday season, and the candy high the kids are riding after Halloween, we could use some hearty and healthy food. These Turkey/Veggie Joes from The Healthy Family Slow Cooker Cookbook are perfect. They cook the day away in the slow cooker and are hot and ready to serve just in time for my big and busy boys.

Turkey, Veggie Sloppy Joe
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
2 celery ribs
1 green or yellow pepper
½ cup chopped broccoli or cauliflower
½ cup chopped carrots
1 green onion chopped
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cilantro
3 tablespoons no salt added tomato sauce
6 crusty wheat rolls

Directions
Place the turkey in the slow cooker. Add the celery, pepper, broccoli or cauliflower, carrots, onion, honey, vinegar, and cilantro. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove the turkey and cut it into ¼ inch pieces. Return it to the slow cooker and combine with veggies. Add the tomato sauce and allow to cook for 30-45 minutes longer. Cut the rolls in half and fill with meat sauce. Top with additional veggies if desired and serve.

Because it’s release week for Christmas Kisses and we’re all so excited, we decided to organize a multi-author book sale. Talk about the perfect time to stock your Kindle!! All the books featured on this sale are only $.99 and they are all amazing!

Don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for $200 in Christmas Cash found at the bottom of the post.

Happy book shopping!

Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology

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.

Amazon * iTunes * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * Kobo * Goodreads

Brownies & Betrayal by Heather Justesen

Pastry chef Tess Crawford thought moving from Chicago to quiet Silver Springs, Arizona would simplify her life. That was before she found the body of a woman with whom she had traded heated words the previous night, left her fingerprints on

the murder weapon, and came under attack for trying to clear her name. When her cheating ex-fiance shows up, intent on convincing her to come back to work for him, Tess—armed with an extra batch of éclairs—decides to take control and solve the mystery herself, with the help of friends and frenemies alike.

But will that be enough to save her when she gets too close and the killer decides it’s safer to get her out of the way?

 $200 Giveaway

Click below to enter the giveaway for $200 of Christmas cash. Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I want to celebrate this day by eating chocolate with all of you!!

My kids often ask, “If you could have one special power, what would you want?” Of course, they mean the ability to fly (which could be handy when we’re running late for the school bus) or lasers shooting from my eyes (also handy for cooking dinner) or super speed (great for cleaning the house in the blink of an eye) but what I would really want, would be the ability to make baked goods appear out of thin air and then send them to anywhere in the world on a thought. I believe that power is the true path to world peace.

Anyway, to day is release day for Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology and I wanted to share a little known fact about the book. We slipped in some pretty awesome recipes. That’s right, each story has a recipe that goes with it!