I am still on my hiatus from writing through Thanksgiving here in the U.S. I plan to pick back up after this week. I am also happy to announce some changes to what I am doing.
First, I will be writing one fiction story a week. These stories may be longer than I have written in the past. However, the reason I’m going down to one story a week is to accommodate the work of my second book in the Berserker series. In addition, I am starting work on another book by Lucius McCray.
The second book in the Berserker Series is due to come out May 2019. Lucius’ book will have a publishing date sometime in the first quarter of 2019.
In addition, I am starting a weekly vlog called “The Berserker Life.” It will be a live stream. I will be covering topics that range from writing fiction, self-publishing to how to be an author if you are currently too ill to work a normal job.
For those who celebrate it, have a Happy Thanksgiving.
…Hmmm guys, today’s post is not one with a happy ending either, neither do I have nice photos to share because the trip never happened since I got bounced at the border of a country I least expected HaHaHa! You can’t even guess…. OK GUESS! It’s Croatia!!!
I really don’t intend to underestimate Croatia, I mean I tried visiting the country, but imagine Croatia of all places bounced me at the border control.
It was a long 3-day weekend, so we thought why not discover Zagreb?! it was supposed to be a fun trip with some friends from work. I was all hyped and certainly, it was gonna be awesome. The usual hype of a road trip, everything seemed to be going fine until we arrived at the border. It was time for passport check and all, as a frequent traveler I had no iota of doubt since I “thought”…
In the bright darkness, we met each other finally. It seemed to me like we aged never. Fitting perfectly in each other, the twists and turns were smoothest this time.
“How did you find me?”
“So desired Richard’s will.”
“So you’ve been staying with Charles all these days?”
“He recently broke his leg.”
There was an awkward silence in the room for a few minutes. Then our conversation continued.
“I stayed with Richard most of the time. He treated me like his only possession. Unwilling to depart from me ever.”
“What then?”
“Cancer, they said.”
“Sorry.”
“Charles knew about me. He knew how possessive Richard was about me. He waited for him to die.”
“So he broke all ties and let him die?”
“He did. Charles broke Richard’s trust many a times before. Richard left Charles with nothing but me. From…
The muddy slush piles up against curbs and trampled footprints scatter about on the snow-covered sidewalks. Storefronts capitalize on impending Christmas shopping with festive, decorated windows. Full of alluring ideas that tax the mind where wallets won’t permit, it’s hard to swallow. But, love consumes our hearts, so we become obsessed with not wanting to forget a single person. We shop online and by foot comparing prices, then wait in long lines. Frustrations mount as, sometimes, we end up paying for overnight delivery because we ran out of time.
Are we losing sight of Christmas? We join together bearing gifts for one another to commemorate Jesus’s birthday on the 25th day of December. But where did the idea of excessive gift-giving come from, anyway? It’s not how this holiday began because there was a time when celebrating this day was a taboo.
Origin of the Christmas Holiday
Jesus’s birth was categorized as a pagan holiday. It is their belief He never existed as a man, only as a spiritual entity. Then, in the 1600s, Rome became the birthplace of Christmas as we know it; so, it’s a fairly new celebration. But, as history reveals, Protestants (the Puritans) in America hated this holiday and banned it in 1644. They believed it was an insult to God to honor a day associated with ancient paganism. The Puritans also considered Christmas trees and decorations unholy rituals as well as traditional foods such as mincemeat pies and pudding.
Pagan Christmas image courtesy of Huffington Post
Commercialism of Christmas
So, how did Christmas ever come to the point of being the ultimate gift-giving experience instead of the rejoicing of a holy birth? Perhaps the commercialization of Santa Claus bearing bags of gifts started the dreaded Christmas creep. New York City’s annual American International Toy Fair is held in February, and the stores purchase and scheme for the following holiday. Isn’t that a little much?
Do you know a whopping 18% of gifts given to others are never used by the recipient? To make matters worse, we spend the next six months paying off the debt we incurred because it was ‘the thought that mattered.’ Scroogenomics author, Joel Waldfogel, summed it up well – “if the spending we engage in doesn’t produce any satisfaction, then it’s hardly a measure of well-being.” Why are we allowing the commercialism of Christmas to affect our purses and create greediness?
Make Your Christmas Count!
I think this Christmas we should, instead, get involved with our communities. Spend money, if you must, giving to those less fortunate. There are orphanages, Senior Citizen centers, hospitals, and homeless people who would appreciate your gift. Take your children with you and let them feel the happiness of another person smiling over an unexpected present. After all, as a Christian, God expects us to help others in need.
Image courtesy of YouTube
Overloading our own kids and others with presents is not the reason for the season! Limit your immediate family gifts to three and make them count. The birth of Jesus should be our celebration. Attend a local church service and enjoy the sensations of the joyous season. Jesus was born to save us – let that be enough for you this year.
God bless and Merry Christmas!
Please join us on Thursday, November 22nd for another “Everything Christmas Blog”!
Give the gift that keeps on giving! Order your book of grace, love, and understanding today!
Once you enjoy God’s love, you will never be the same. Come into his presence with thankfulness in your heart. Seek him with all your heart and cry out to him. He will meet you and invite you to his banqueting table to feast and enjoy his presence. The former shame, barrenness and reproach will leave, because you are a child of the king, feasting at the table with him. He gives you a new identity and his love and acceptance is the only thing that matters. Enjoy!
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” Confucius
I know, I know….it’s Monday again, which means back to work again. Monday can have a really bad effect on us, that Monday blues…
But one thing that Monday cannot do is to stop us, to stop our desire to succeed. And this desire is much bigger than the Monday blues…So don’t feel saddened, think about the things that you enjoy doing at work and go out there and get the work done, you can do it. Be positive and start the week with an attitude of gratitude. Your Monday will be a better day.
by Hazel Straub
Photo credit: Pexels
