Monday, December 20, 2010

Advent Calendar Giveaway Day 20

I'm still dashing around like a mad thing - but I suppose that's to be expected at this time of year! A migraine hasn't helped so that's why I'm late posting today.

So again I'll just have a post of a book and a question

Oh - and of course - Sid's Winners!

So the winner of Spanish Billionaire;Innocent Wife is Lois


and the winner of The Italian's Baby Bargain is Gaelikka
Please email me your postal addresses and I'll get these prizes in the mail to you.

Today's book is Cordero's Forced Bride (2009)

Taken in payment into his bed!
Alexa Montague is mortified. She's had to call off her sister's wedding, and now the ruthless, arrogant groom, Santos Cordero, is demanding that shy, ugly duckling Alexa, takes Natalie's place!
The Montagues have stolen his money and his convenient bride, so Santos will enjoy taking Alexa instead. For Santos does not - cannot - love. But his body burns for Alexa as it has for no other woman before. He'll keep her captive in his bed until she's begging to be his . .




And the question - one of my favourite things about preparing for Christmas is putting together a stocking for each member of my family. Even though my son is grown up - and so is his partner - I still like to collect silly gifts for this tradition. And the sillier the better.

So do you make up a stocking for anyone or have you given up on that tradition if your famiy is grown up?What sort of things do you think make good stocking stuffers? (I always think that romances make good choice - for the women anyway! And do you wrap the stocking gifts or just bundle them into a stocking?


You know what to do - answers in the comments please.

Lots of my friends are getting caught up in the travel chaos with the ice and snow. If you're struyggling in the freezing weather or the snow (we're supposed to be getting more of that tonight) keep safe and warm and I hope you get to wherever you're going.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness we don't travel at Christmas. All our kids come to us and they don't have far to go. A few live with us, a few in the same town and few in a neighbouring town.

Over here in Europe is chaos right now, airports closed, trains late and road slippery. Dunno about England, but a good part of Germany will thaw out in the next few days...not my part though...sigh.

Valerie
in Germany

Nas said...

I wrap up my gifts and leave them under the Christmas tree! My daughter gets Romance novels, because she reads them!

Laney4 said...

Please take my name out, Kate. I read this book and loved, loved, loved it. I wrote down that I wished I was the heroine ... liked how they spoke with each other ... made sense throughout ... and was a quick read.

As for your question, we will always have stockings. When we have company, if they don't bring their own, we provide one for them to use and keep if they like. Stuffers? Anything small. This year includes books (naturally), chocolate bars (because you can never have too much chocolate), socks (just 'cuz), candy canes, gumballs, and - wait for it - staplers! I'm tired of my kids borrowing mine and never returning it before I need it again, so I got them "cool" ones!

We usually don't wrap them, but we have on occasion. We usually close our eyes and plop things inside each other's stockings the night before, unless the item is too big to fit properly. I'll wrap the staplers....

Julie M said...

When we were growing up we always had a satsuma and and a few nuts in our stockings.

These days we don't bother with stockings, apart from for the cats who share one. That mostly consists of food treats. I don't bother wrapping them as the cats are rubbish at unwrapping them, although they have been known to tear open gifts which contain catnip!

Anonymous said...

I always use to make up a stocking at Christmas for my daughter until she was about seventeen. Now I buy a big gift bag and put all her presents inside it,(big or small).

PS I already have Cordero's Forced Bride. Really enjoyed it.
Anita B.

Lois said...

Well, we seem to be in the only part of the world with absolutely no white stuff on the ground -- and so far, that's not changing, at least for the next week. But it's like we're in between everyone else that is getting socked in, Europe in the East (of course, once you get past the Atlantic LOL), and then in the midwest, and even now in California. But I'm sure that'll change eventually. In fact, once the weather patterns change, we'll probably be dumped on by all the stuff from Europe and out west! LOL

Anyway, stocking stuff -- usually that'll be where the cards are, candy, candy canes, small and cheap things. And the cat has a stocking too, it even has a pouch thingy for her picture. ;) Of course, hers would have treats in it. :)

Lois, who just won, so, of course don't add my name to Sid's treat list anymore! :)

Debby said...

My youngest is now 18 and in college but she told me just the other day that she is looking forward to her stocking. The other girls are as well. So I do make up stockings for them. They are so much fun
debby236 at att dot net

Kaelee said...

My sister does stocking for everyone. Most of us contribute something to the stockings. She always has a Christmas orange, a few nuts, some candy, a new toothbrush, a bar of soap and a small foil wrapped parcel with a piece of coal, a small piece of wood and some rice in it. The rest of us add stuff like favorite candies, small notebooks, pens ornaments and toys for the kids.

I already have this book and enjoyed it a lot so leave my name out of the draw.

lidia said...

Kate,
Sorry to hear about your migrane - Hope you are feeling better now!

I hope that everyone in Europe is staying safe and warm.

I always make a Christmas stocking my daughter and her pets would get their own also. Now that she's in her 20's that still continues. The goodies it contained changed over the years. Lately, it's been gift cards, chocolate, wind-up toys, memory stick, hand sanitizer, holiday themed tissues, etc...

One difference is that she gets her stocking on St. Nick's feast day (December 6th or 19th depending on which calendar you use for holidays). The gifts in the stocking are unwrapped.

Then for Christmas there are additional gifts and those are wrapped.

Kirsten said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BiteMeAsh said...

Hello Kate and fellow fans ...

Greetings from sunny South Africa, its been hot down here in the city of Pretoria! Oops seems there is much chaos in the northern hemisphere. I would have loved to have travelled abroad, but unfortunately not able to now as I was just recently retrenched *sigh* but here is to new beginnings for 2011!

Ciao, Rita

'I'm in your newsletter group'

BiteMeAsh said...

I started a Christmas tradition over 20 years ago, that each year I get myself a new christmas decoration that I can add on the tree.

If I travel I always try to buy a decoration to put on the tree. Let me tell you its very hard trying to buy a decoration when its not the season to be buying xmas knicknacks and if not travelling like this year, I buy something locally. This year for my stocking I got a great buy a lovely musical snowman globe and it didn't cost alot, a xmas miracle I tell you as I have to be fruggle with the monies now...

Regards, Rita

'I'm in your newsletter group'

BiteMeAsh said...

Cordero's Forced Bride was a lovely story to read. I was lucky enough to find this title in the store, as it takes forever for new books to get to this country. I'm not much of an online buyer as the custom duties are so expensive that its not worth purchasing via Amazon *sigh*

So hopefully I'm not selected in this giveaway ;o)

Regards, Rita

'I'm in your newsletter group'

 

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