Friday, November 15, 2019

NEW RELEASE + Favorite Holiday Memory Blog Hop



Thank you for visiting! I am hosting this blog hop to celebrate the newest addition of A Gregory Green Adventure series: SLEIGH RIDE

Read about my favorite holiday and then hop around to read the favorite memories of the other participants!


Blog Hop Question: What is your favorite holiday memory?

(This includes Hanukkah, Kwanza, Yule/Winter Solstice, Christmas, etc.)


My Memory:

OLD TIME CHRISTMAS

Christmas is and always will be a magical time of year, whether you are one year old or 101. For me, the magic started when my parents took me and my younger brother and sister to a huge Christmas tree lot to pick out our tree. Back in those days, a fake tree did not exist. We lived in a tri-level house with the living room ceiling tall enough for a twelve-foot tree. The hard part was tying the tree to the car, take it inside the house, put it in the stand, and lift it up to stand tall. I remember my dad having to climb up a step-ladder to put the lights, ornaments, and tinsel on the top of the tree. But it was the most glorious tree in the world.

The next evening, we would go to town to go shopping, mainly for mom and dad. We split up into groups for about an hour and met again at the Sears, Roebuck, & Co store, which was a block long with every display window fully decorated with holiday animated figures that moved. Crowds of people wandered from window to window in awe.

December 23 was our family Christmas, the only night we could exchange gifts.

December 24 was a full night with the church choir concert where I sang. (I started out in the children’s choir and worked my way up to the adult choir.) After that we celebrated my mom’s birthday, and then we went to my grandparents’ house on my dad’s side.

December 25 was for Santa Claus, and in the evening, we loaded up to go to visit my grandparents on my mom’s side. The women cooked goose, turkey, and ham to serve to the twenty-three relatives!

And I can’t forget December 27, my brother’s birthday when we held a dinner with all the grandparents together.

Whew! But wonderful, wonderful memories!


My New Picture Book Release:


BLURB: On Christmas Eve, Gregory and Sammy get a special visitor—Santa Claus! Santa brings them on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world and to the North Pole. Bundle up and come along for the ride!


General Age Range - Kids 4-8 (Story Picture Book)


Book Links:




About Me:

Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup.                                                                                                    Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher's assistant in elementary schools. She currently lives in Florida, but has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.



QUESTION: What you're favorite holiday memory?


Hop around to the other blogs participating:




15 comments:

  1. You had a lot of celebrations in a very short span of time there.

    We've never had a real tree. My parents had a fake one from the beginning and I've carried on the tradition. We did go to Sears though and I also remember it being a really big building.

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    1. So many celebrations. :)

      Since I've had kids, we've only had fake trees.

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  2. What a jam-packed week of festivities. Sounds like fun. Time with family really is the best.
    Thanks bunches for hosting this hop and congrats on your new release. I adored it.

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    1. It was a lot of fun. I'll never forget it.

      Thank you! And thank you for participating in the hop!

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  3. Happy Release Day, Mom! Love you!!!

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  4. What wonderful memories. You certainly packed a lot in a short span of time! Best wishes on your new release.

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  5. Great memories! When I was a kid we also had real trees (fake ones were just coming in, but looked awful). We usually had some on our own property that we could cut, and if they were a bit skimpy and uneven (as real-world trees are wont to be), Dad would wire on some extra branches!

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  6. i remember when my son was small, he loved when we went to the christmas tree farm. i forgot about it until i read your about you doing the same. we would cut the tree, then have gingerbread cookies with hot cider. it was a fabulous time and a wonderful memeory. thanks for bringing it to mind.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  7. Thank you for the memories of the real trees. It was always so much fun going to the tree lot and helping my parents pick out just the right tree. We also did it after I was married. Then we went to the fake ones. I don't know why. Congratulations on your new book. I love Santa.

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  8. Lots of great family memories. Congrats on the new release.

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  9. My mother's house has cathedral ceilings, so my sister always picks out the tallest trees she can find. They're usually at least 15 feet tall. I've never had a tree in my own house. Too lazy!

    Congrats on your new release!

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  10. Sounds like you had some great holiday memories!

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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  11. Congratulations on your new book release!

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