Sunday Post: Merry Christmas Eve!

Posted on by BonnieReadsAndWrites

Doug took this Christmas picture three years ago, and I use it every chance I get.

Sunday Post is hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a place to catch up on the week, share news, and showcase new books. 

It’s Christmas Eve. I’m going to make omelets this morning and we’re having chili tonight. I made some chocolate chip cookies yesterday, and I’m making a chocolate Yum Yum tomorrow. So, with the Christmas candy that’s in the stockings, that’s enough dessert for this week. I’m going to make an Ooey Gooey Butter Cake for New Year’s. I found that recipe in one of my Mom’s recipe books. 

I know I asked about food-related traditions last week, but I was wondering if you have other non-food Christmas or holiday traditions that you follow. One of our favorite traditions is the way we label our gifts. The gift-giver on the label is a hint as to what’s inside. For example, many years ago I gave Doug a DVD player. So the label said To: Doug From: Dick Van Dyke. Because his initials are DVD. Right now I have a gift waiting for me from Elizabeth Zott (fictional characters are allowed), so I assume it’s something regarding science or food. It’s a really fun tradition because we make attempts to guess the present before we open it.

What non-food holiday traditions do you share with your loved ones?

Big shout out to Gail Meath, who made me a new logo for the website. Here it is:

She sent me a few different colors and styles, and I’ll be using them all. I appreciate you so much Gail! The ebook of the prequel novella to Gail’s JAX DIAMOND series, called TWO OF A KIND, is free right now, so pick it up on Amazon HERE while you can.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

Last week I reviewed A Winter By The Sea, did a double review of The Curse of Penryth Hall and Coconut Drop Dead, and also reviewed The Girl Who Tried To Change History. I did a Spotlight of The Finding Machine and participated in Book Blogger Hop.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG

I plan to review Pierogi Peril, The Seamstress of Acadie, and The Lily of Ludgate Hill. I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop. I’m going to be working on a list of my Top Ten Books of 2023 as well, to be posted after the New Year.

BOOK HAUL

I already had the ebook of Random in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts), but I picked up the audiobook this week as well.

I also picked up The Ark and the Dove, The story of Noah’s wife! I’ve never thought about her too much, so this should be interesting.

Have a wonderful Christmas! Remember to share your holiday traditions in the comments below! 

Unknown's avatar

Published by BonnieReadsAndWrites

I love to read and write book reviews in my free time. I review advance review copies of books on Netgalley for various publishers. I am also a reviewer for Historical Novels Review Magazine, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. I review books from publishers of all size, large to small. I have a special place in my heart for indie authors. I will sometimes post a little writing that I might dabble in occasionally. I also am lucky enough to live in the Smoky Mountains, so I'll be sharing photos of the beauty around me from time to time.

48 thoughts on “Sunday Post: Merry Christmas Eve!”

  2. I love the adorable picture of your pups! I tried to think of any non-food holiday traditions, and we don’t have any! They’re all food-related! You are very welcome for the logo, Bonnie. It’s the very least I can do for you after all you’ve done for me. I hope you, Doug, the pups, and your family have a wonderful Christmas! xoxox

    1. Happy trio of pups! How lovely!

      Thank you ever so much, Bonnie, for your support in 2023 and the best is yet to come for you and your family in 2024! Wszystkiego najlepszego w Nowym Roku!!!!!

      2. Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia Christine! (my grandparents taught me a few words, like dupa…as in ‘I’m going to spank your…” 🙂

  3. I LOVE the photo of your pups!! It’s perfect. I also love how you sign the gift tags. We don’t have any non-food traditions that I can think of. I guess for us it’s all about the food. I’m about to start the trifle. It’s always better on the second day and it takes a few steps to assemble with setting in between. Have a fabulous Christmas and you must tell us what you got from Elizabeth Zott. xo

  6. Merry Christmas to you, Doug, and those adorable pups! Kudos to Gail for your new logo. Our main Christmas tradition is driving around Christmas Eve to see the lights. (My dad started this tradition when I was a kid, and my husband and I have continued it. Our daughter and son-in-law are carrying on the tradition as well.

  7. Keep posting that picture, it’s perfect and beautiful! Love the pups.
    Have a loving Christmas Bonnie, Doug and your family (the 4 and 2 legs kind 😉).
    New year, new logo, great idea! Bravo Gail!
    Sending you my love.💞
    The ark and the dove is a book I definitely want to read. Even more since I visited The Ark Encounter last month. Can’t wait to read your review.
    Keep shining Bonnie ⭐️, thank you for all you do! All the authors that you are helping (including myself) will never thank you enough!!! 🤗xox💝

  9. Merry Christmas to you and your family, Bonnie. 🎄🎅👼💖 I love that picture of your fur babies, adorable. What a great tradition with the gifts and so much fun. Our traditions have changed as our family dynamics change. My son and his family will come over around 10:00 tomorrow morning. We will have brunch (french toast and pecan casserole, ham and veggie fritatta) and then we will open gifts. Christmas movies in the afternoon before my brother and his wife come over, then dinner. We don’t have turkey, so this year I am doing ribs, macaroni and cheese, broccoli salad and tiramissau for dessert. Maybe that will be a new tradition for us. Of course, I always go to church on Christmas Eve, and never know who will accompany me. I have not heard of that book about Noah’s wife and it definitely sounds interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

    1. Your Christmas dinner and brunch sound great! We used to make those Pillsbury orange rolls every Christmas morning until I got sensitive to soy, so I made homemade orange rolls this year. They were so good! Same tradition, but healthier.

  10. I love those JD Robb In Death books. Your new graphics are great. We haven’t done the roll out, cut and frost sugar cookies we love in years now because I am not sure how well it would go with gluten free flour. But I found a recipe for sheet pan sugar cookies which are frosted and then we decorate with sprinkles and they taste the same. It’s a lot less work and mess, too. Merry Christmas, Bonnie!

    Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

  12. Merry Christmas! One of the holiday traditions we used to do were luminaries. Bags with sand in them and a candle. We’d set them down the driveway and along the street. The neighborhood I grew up in used to all participate. Beuatiful on a nice snowy Christmas Eve 🙂

    1. Chocolate Yum Yum is a layered dessert popular in the South. It goes by other names too but I don’t know what they are. The bottom layer is a baked pecan shortbread crust. Then a cream cheese layer, then chocolate pudding, then whipped cream, garnished with a little chocolate or pecans. It’s so good. You can also make it Cherry Yum Yum by putting in cherry pie instead of the chocolate filling.

  16. I can definitely see why you use that picture of your dogs. It’s adorable! They’re adorable. I hope you had a fantastic Christmas!

    What a fun gift giving tradition. It reminds me a little bit of what my parents did for each other when they were still alive. My dad always wrote To: Marilyn (Monroe) and my mom wrote To: Robert (Redford).

    My Post

  18. This mention of your Christmas and New Year’s treats is making me drool. LOL I love your gift labeling tradition! That really adds an extra layer of fun to the gift. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

Leave a Reply