Memories, Lights, and Moments by Kristina Knight

I’ve got holiday music (right now it’s Burl Ives singing “Silver and Gold”) playing the background, Sparkling Cinnamon melting in my Yankee Candle Scenterpiece (it’s red with white snowflakes on it), and a cup of cocoa at my elbow. Our tree is up and decorated, the last of the gifts have been wrapped…

We are ready for the holiday season.

As it always does, getting ready for the holidays got me thinking about a few of my favorite things – there is the Christmas ball that my grandmother made for me, the year I was born. The red velvet ribbon on the top is frayed, and the little girl and Christmas tree are so faded you can barely see them, but it’s still one of my favorite ornaments. There is our Elf on the Shelf – a holiday trinket I swore would never enter our house but when you have a seven-year-old…things happen. Then the seven-year-old turns fourteen and the Elf doesn’t have to roam the house but it still has to *be* there…So we have an Elf, and I’ve learned to love that sketchy thing. The 12 Days of Christmas wall hanging is up, a new wall hanging featuring stockings is up, and the actual stockings are hanging on the mantel.

But, my top-of-the-list favorite thing hasn’t happened yet: we haven’t made that first drive around our city to see the lights. I love driving the lights, and I love even more wandering through them with a warm cup of cocoa and a bag of freshly roasted chestnuts to munch on. As adults, it’s easy to get lost in the hubbub of the holiday season – the office parties, all the baking, the wrapping, the last minute shopping. Taking a moment to stroll through a display of holiday lights is one of my favorite ways to slow the season down. To really take in all of the beauty in the season, before for those minutes, it’s almost like going back in time. You can smell the snow, you can feel the magic in the air, and you’re transported back to somewhat simpler times that are filled with all the joy and excitement and none of the stress.

In my book Christmas in a Small Town there is a holiday dance, and weekends filled with live music because Slippery Rock is a touristy type town and the mayor is trying to extend tourism season into the winter months. Levi and Camden aren’t looking for romance during the holiday season, but romance is looking for them, and they’re finding it harder and harder to resist the magic of the season. I loved writing the scene at the dance because it’s so much fun to see characters cave – for the first time, and for just a moment – in to the attraction they feel for each other.

What are your favorite holiday moments?

Running out on her wedding was the best decision ever!

A cheating fiancé sends Camden Harris fleeing to her grandparents’ home in Missouri. When her ex follows, determined to win her back, Camden makes a deal with neighbor Levi Walters: they’ll pretend to be in love and she’ll support his plan to buy her grandparents’ land.

 The boy from her childhood has grown up into an impressive man. His charm, good looks and sweet gestures make it difficult for Camden to remember this is fake. And Levi’s kisses only confuse her more…

Find out about Kristi's books at http://kristinaknightbooks.com/books/christmas-in-a-small-town/

Kristina Knight began her writing career as a radio and television journalist, working for NBC affiliates throughout the midwest as a reporter, anchor, and producer. After covering everything from a serial killer’s capture to the National Finals Rodeo, she decided to leave the TV biz in favor of writing stories she was passionate about.

Today, Kristina is a freelance writer as well as published romance author. She writes about family/parenting, covers entertainment news, and writes content for a small business website in her non-fiction hours. During her fiction time, she writes romances filled with great characters, fun communities, and always with a happily ever after.

In her personal life, Kristina is a wife, mom, and author, living her happily ever after one deadline at a time. A life-long Midwesterner, Kristina has lived in Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio, where she job-hopped her way through college before eventually landing in the world of journalism. After a ten-year career reporting and producing news for several NBC affiliates, she traded in her journalism cap for yoga pants. She now writes stories that always end in happily ever after.

Kristina writes sassy contemporary romance novels; her books have appeared on Kindle Best Seller Lists. She loves hearing from readers, so feel free to email her!