Authors of Medieval Mistletoe set share favorite Christmas traditions
The authors of the Medieval Mistletoe: One Magical Christmas Season boxed set — Catherine Kean, Denise Domning, Eliza Knight and Laurel O'Donnell — share their favorite Christmas traditions with us and tell us a little about their stories in the set (which is 99 cents!).
Denise Domning, author of Perfect Poison
Although my maternal grandmother was born in Wisconsin, she didn't speak English until she was a teenager. Instead, she and her entire community located outside of Eau Claire spoke Norwegian. Yes, their "yelly yiggled." What that meant to me as a child was a Christmas defined by Jule Kaga (Christmas Bread, a sweet wheat bread flavored with Cardamom and candied fruit), Fatigman Bakels (a fried cookie flavored with Cardamom), Rosettes (another fried cookie flavored with, you guessed it, Cardamom). Grandma Skistad was ever hopeful that her grandchildren would someday eat Lutefisk. It didn't happen. We couldn't get past the smell. Oh, and if you're wondering about the Lefsa, Scandinavia's crepe-like potato pancake, well, that went the way of the Dodo after we discovered the Mexicans had done us one better with flour tortillas. As far as my siblings and I were concerned, these were just as good buttered, sugared and rolled up as Lefsa.
About Perfect Poison: Obviously, traditional food defines Christmas for me much as it does for my characters in my novella Perfect Poison. In my story set in 1203, Jocelyn of Freyne, the squire from Spring's Fury, has become Freyne's lord and is dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after joining King John's war in France. Yes, the warriors of the 12th century not only knew what PTSD was, they did a better job accepting it than our own modern military. Not wanting to participate in the celebrations, Jos prepares to spend Christmas alone only to have his betrothed wife, Avice of Lavendon, appear unexpectedly at his gate. She brings with her the foods and good cheer that define a Medieval English Christmas. That includes mistletoe, but that poisonous herb isn't being hung in the great hall as a kissing trap. Instead, the leaves and berries get used in a way far more traditional for their time.
Catherine Kean, author of One Knight Under the Mistletoe
Our family has several holiday traditions that make the Christmas season extra special for us. I collect tree ornaments from places we've visited during the past months or that relate to things that happened in our lives. For example, we have a beautiful seahorse decoration I picked up in a gift shop on Sanibel Island (in Florida) to commemorate a stay there with my parents. A glass orange tabby ornament reminds me of a beloved cat who passed on a few years ago. Since my husband is British, on Christmas Day, after opening presents, we tuck into a traditional English Christmas dinner, which includes turkey (or turducken), gravy, homemade sage and onion stuffing (my mother's recipe), Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, roast parsnips and other veggies. To finish, a steamed plum pudding with a custardy brandy sauce. Yum!
About One Knight Under the Mistletoe: Plum pudding (also called Christmas pudding) containing suet, dried fruits, and spices is one dessert that dates back to the Middle Ages, as I discovered when doing research for my novella One Knight Under the Mistletoe. My heroine, Lady Liliana Thornleigh, would have eaten this pudding at the end of the Christmas Day feast. Kissing Lord Renfred de Vornay, her late brother's best friend, under the mistletoe was the last thing she ever expected days before Christmas. Seven years have passed since Ren played his foolish prank on her, but she hasn't forgotten that humiliating incident — and neither, it seems, has he. Now a wealthy and respected lord, Ren has important information for her father, but Liliana is suspicious of Ren's reasons for spending Christmas at her sire's castle. As dangerous secrets involving her brother come to light, will her hatred of Ren intensify, or will she finally put the past behind her and accept Ren's love?
Eliza Knight, author of Wild Highland Mistletoe
We have many holiday traditions in my house, one of which seems to be me getting my Christmas cards out very late! But on a more serious note, we always watch A Christmas Story, and I beg for the leg lamp, which my husband loudly tells me will never happen. We bake cookies with Christmas music in the background. We decorate the tree as a family and talk about all the ornaments, where they came from and how special they are. Because I'm allergic to the sap on "real" trees, we have a fake one — so every holiday season I break out the scented pine candles. Also, on Christmas Eve, I gift my family with new holiday PJs, and then my dad (their grandpa) calls and reads them 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. No Christmas morning is complete without a mimosa for me and my knight, and hot cocoa for our little princesses.
About Wild Highland Mistletoe: In my story, Wild Highland Mistletoe, we get to visit with some of my favorite characters — Magnus and Arbella, the hero and heroine from The Highlander's Reward, and we get to see a few of Arbella's holiday traditions, including scented candles! Here's a little bit about the book: A week before Christmas, snow falls gently on the Highland hills, and once more an adventure awaits the Sutherlands! Dunrobin Castle is overflowing with excitement and holiday spirit because of the upcoming Sutherland clan gathering. Arbella and Magnus' marriage has flourished, their passion and love growing stronger daily. But when a mysterious missive arrives begging Laird and Lady Sutherland for help in a rescue mission, they leave the safety of the castle and ride headlong into a trap. Will they thwart their enemy and make it home in time to celebrate the holiday season in good Scottish fashion? Or will warring clans prevail?
Laurel O'Donnell, author of Mistletoe Magic
Christmas Eve has always been our biggest family tradition. It's a magical time when we get together with family and celebrate. It starts with a huge feast. Smelt, spaghetti with octopus, turkey and stuffing and more food than one could imagine. All the children would then gather in the great room waiting for the arrival of Santa. Excitement and anticipation would vibrate through the air. Finally, the jolly old elf himself would enter carrying a bag of gifts. He would hand some out, one to each of the children, and then go on his merry way to deliver the rest of the toys to the good little boys and girls. It was always a magical time, even after I knew the truth. The glow of wonder somehow never left me.
About Mistletoe Magic: While Mistletoe Magic doesn't have a Santa figure, it is about family and loyalty. A confident knight arrives home to find his childhood friend grown into much more than he remembered. The lady of the castle keeps a dangerous secret that threatens all she holds dear. Will Mistletoe Magic save them?