The Great Christmas Bowl

The Great Christmas Bowl
by
Susan May Warren

Susan May Warren has written a fun book that is guaranteed to get you into the Christmas spirit! If you are overwhelmed by the craziness of the holiday, the busyness of your life, and the sense that your family is moving on with their lives while you are stuck in place, pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and take some time to read Susan's newest short book, The Great Christmas Bowl. The story of Marianne Wallace may not be your story, but you will definitely recognize the the emotions and difficulties she encounters as she tries to update longstanding traditions of the women's Christmas Tea, maintain the 'perfect' Christmas at home even though her family is growing up, and find meaning in this new phase of her life. Reading this light-hearted book just may become one of my favorite Christmas traditions!

You can purchase your own copy on Amazon.

The Great Christmas Bowl

Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son's team in their bid for the state championship.

Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot-the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea.

When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can't come home for Christmas.

As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays?

Meet Susan!

Susan May Warren is the award-winning author of seventeen novels and novellas with Tyndale, Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing. Her first book, Happily Ever After won the American Fiction Christian Writers Book of the Year in 2003, and was a 2003 Christy Award finalist. In Sheep's Clothing, a thriller set in Russia, was a 2006 Christy Award finalist and won the 2006 Inspirational Reader's Choice award. A former missionary to Russia, Susan May Warren now writes Suspense/Romance and Chick Lit full time from her home in northern Minnesota.

Learn more about Susan here: www.susanmaywarren.com

What 'makes' Christmas for you?

I was at a mall last week and I was actually distressed to see Christmas decorations and hear holiday music. It seems our society wants to skip right past the sentiments of Thanksgiving to focus only on giving. I know things are tight for many people this year and the stores are working hard to ensure they are able to make ends meet, too.

Please don't get me wrong -- I absolutely adore Christmas decorations. The lights, the scent of pine, and the joyful sound of Christmas music is a highlight in the year. It just feels wrong to jump into that season without having time to fully appreciate the changing leaves and the crisp fall air.

This year we will be spending the holidays preparing for Alicia's wedding. Our usual activities and traditions will change, and I'm actually excited about that! It gives us a chance to determine the basic things that make the holiday meaningful.

Do we take our nativity set with us? To be honest, it wasn't my first thought. Is that bad? My first thought of Christmas is the tree. I don't think that makes me any less spiritual...I don't need to see a feeding trough to remember that God gave us the greatest gift possible in sending his son to Earth.

So what traditions will we take with us? And what new traditions will begin as a result of this opportunity? I'm excited to discover the answer!

What holiday traditions 'mean' Christmas to you?