Christmas Morning Breakfast

It was her own personal tradition.

My mother had a special breakfast that she enjoyed once a year.

Most years, she enjoyed it alone.

Sometimes my father or sister or I would stop by and she would offer us a bite or two.

She was happy to share her tradition.

Now, it’s a great memory.

Mom’s in her nineties and doesn’t cook much anymore, but her culinary skills of days gone by were legendary in our family and community.

On Christmas Day in the morning, while some slept late, some read the paper and others enjoyed the fruits of Santa’s labor, my mother was in the kitchen. 

She was at the stove and the aroma filled the house.

Homemade cornbread produced a unique stimulation to the olfactory nerves.

While the cornbread was still hot, she was melting cheese on a griddle.

Mom’s Christmas breakfast was melted cheese on freshly baked corn bread.

It always got Christmas off to a good start.

Image credit: Wikicommons

Maybe I’ll have some this morning.    

Childhood memories of Christmas music

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the traditional music.

Christmas music wouldn't be Christmas music without Johnny Mathis.

My parents made sure that when my older sister got married and moved out, we would still have music in the house.  They purchased a Zenith stereo record player. 

They subscribed to the Columbia Record Club.  

They let me select the monthly purchase -- sometimes.

Johnny Mathis' Christmas album, pictured above, was an annual favorite.  

We had it on vinyl.

When I married and moved out, I made sure my family had a copy of it in our music library.  For years, it was on the shelf between Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland and my favorite Steppenwolf album -- the one with "Magic Carpet Ride."

Now, I have a CD version of Merry Christmas and for the past two weeks, it's been in my truck. I often listen to music on my commute to work. (Yes, I sing along. Sometimes, very loudly!)

One of my favorite winter songs is included, "Sleigh Ride."  

Music of any kind often brings back memories.

This music brings back memories of a special place.  Home.

And you can't go back.

The Mangham, LA of today is much different in many ways than it was in the sixties.

Most places are.

We still have great memories.

And the wonderful memories will live on forever.

________________

Here's another favorite memory:

My review of "Knockout!" by Emma Calin

My father’s sister was a prolific reader.  The librarian in my small hometown of Mangham, LA was a friend of hers and made sure that Aunt Maude got all the new releases.  Irving Wallace’s novels were a favorite -- with one caveat.  In my aunt’s vernacular, they were “racy.”  The more explicit tomes earned a special designation.  Aunt Maude would say, “I had to wear my ski mask when I read that one!”  She did most of her reading in the small neighborhood convenience store she ran and didn’t want people to see her reading that genre. But read them, she did!

A description on the cover of Knockout! by Emma Calin alerts readers that this is “A Passionate Police Romance.”  And it’s not talking about Law and Order.  Romance and romantic thrillers/mysteries are not genres with which I’m familiar.  But dear old Aunt Maude’s (R.I.P) bibliophilic legacy must be in the family genes. I decided to give it a go and Knockout! was my maiden voyage into the category.  I’m a virgin no more.

Readers learn early on that Calin’s protagonist, Anna Leyton is a detective inspector with Scotland Yard and is on special assignment for Interpol.  What appears to be a chance encounter with a man who eventually shares her cab (and her bed) turns out to be -- wait -- no plot spoilers here!  We do learn that it’s been “so long” since she’s had sex, that her hormones are primed and ready to boil over any minute.  Men have often been criticized, condemned, and complained about because they let their hormones affect their judgement -- and their ability to tell the truth.  Will that happen to Anna?  Perhaps the fact that her new boss on this special assignment is a former lover will be a clue. View the video book trailer HERE.

For readers familiar with romantic thrillers, Knockout! will be a treat!  It’s a fast, fun read and will certainly satisfy their desires.  Anyone not familiar with this genre will find Knockout! a representative introduction, and like me, may learn a few things about body chemistry and anatomy.  

One thing’s for sure, Aunt Maude would have loved it, ski mask and all! 

This is a man reading the e-book version on his computer. It could be me, but I can't tell because of the ski mask! I don't have a  portable e-book reader and no plans to acquire one.  

Follow the author's blog HERE.

Knockout! is available on Amazon worldwide.  Here’s the link for U.S. customers.