Enjoying the season again

The holidays are under way. No matter where you look, you can see the trappings of the season. Those of us who cannot see snow or Christmas lights (yet) outside our windows can see other signs of the time.

With COVID-19 still a factor, many of the signs have moved online. People are sharing photos on social media. Advertisers are flooding retail web sites. Streaming services, such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix, are touting a slew of holiday movies and programs.

In spite of the commercialism, I love Christmas because it prompts people to take stock of their lives and situations. Along with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve, it reminds us of things that are bigger than ourselves. It invites reflection and introspection.

Writers have known this for some time. Some of the most beloved works of literature have holiday themes, from A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, and Little Women to children's favorites like The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The most famous newspaper article of all time is still an 1897 New York Sun editorial that proclaims, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

Despite being a fan of the season, I have not explored it much in my own works. Only four of my eighteen books even touch Christmas and only two, The Journey and The Show, address it with substance.

Even so, I inject the season into my stories whenever I can. In Camp Lake, Cody Carson refers to a beautiful vision, later a love interest, as the Ghost of Christmas Future. In Sea Spray, coming out next month, thirteen-year-old Ashley Lane alludes to It's a Wonderful Life when she teases a friend who likes a boy named George Hailey.

I hope to do more with Christmas in future books, including book four of the Time Box series. Set in Oahu, Hawaii, in 1941, it will portray life in prewar America as it edges closer to a December to remember.

In the meantime, I plan to make the most of this one. I wish my readers and others a happy, productive, and most of all, safe holiday season.