If you’re someone who pays close attention to the blog calendar and/or Sunday Editions, you might be scratching your head and thinking, “I thought Jaycee Weaver was up today.” Well, fear not, you’re not wrong! But Jaycee needed someone to step in for her, and I was happy to do that to take this off her plate so she was free to focus.
And happily, Jaycee has one of my favorite Christmas romances, so I knew just what to talk about for her!
Growing up in Northern New Mexico, one of my favorite memories is of the luminarias decorating driveways, sidewalks, and the outlines of adobe houses. (And other houses, but there’s something about luminarias on adobe that is stunning.) (Sadly, I wasn’t going to pay $12 for a stock photo to show you all how gorgeous they are.)
What is a luminaria? (Sometimes they’re called farolitos.) It’s a brown paper bag with sand in the bottom and then, nestled in that sand, a candle. And when they’re run in lines and lit at night they are magical.
So when I first saw Jaycee Weaver’s book Love, Laughter, and Luminarias I knew I had to read it, if only because it was the first time I’d seen someone mention luminarias in a book. (Or, to be fair, mention them at all since leaving New Mexico. Maybe they exist outside the southwest US, but they surely aren’t in northern Virginia.)
This was the first ever book I read by Jaycee, and oh what a book. It has everything. Albuquerque (or as I grew up calling it, the big city). A geeky heroine. A book-loving best friend who’s also secretly in love with geek girl. Banter. So much geeky and flirty and fun banter. And finally, all the swoony feels.
Here’s the blurb:
He has his books. She has her fandoms. They’ve always had their friendship. Could Christmas projects, snowball fights, and local traditions spark feelings neither knew were there?
Surprisingly successful action-suspense author Garrett Wilson is struggling to write a summer novel in December. That is, until he witnesses his best friend, Nina, chase down a shoplifter and realizes that maybe his tough, attractive heroine might not be based solely in fiction.
Geeky-chic Nina Trujillo finds herself contemplating a God she’s never believed in after her brush with danger taking down a thief. That one decision could change the whole course of her life, and quite possibly, her feelings for the one guy she’s never considered more than a friend.
When Nina dives head-first into a series of Christmas projects and ideas for new traditions, she drags Garrett along for the ride. Will her newfound courage and all the extra time together bring their feelings out into the open, or will Nina escape back into the comfort of her fandoms and lose him forever?
I had so much fun in the pages of this story–and not just because it assuaged that subtle sense of homesickness for New Mexico that follows me everywhere, despite it not having been my actual home for more than *cough* a lot *cough* of years.
What I love even more? It got me hooked on Jaycee’s books. And every time I open one of her stories, I find myself back home. She shares her love of place so thoroughly that I don’t think you can read her books and not want to visit.
Do you have any Christmas traditions that are a little unusual? I’d love to know what they are! Or, have you ever seen (or set up) luminarias? Or what’s your favorite book by Jaycee?
Talk to me in the comments – and I’ll choose a lucky winner to get an ebook copy of Love, Laughter, and Luminarias (gifted from Amazon.com, so I think that limits it to US residents) on Saturday.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Hi Elizabeth! Best wishes to Jaycee! No need to include me in the giveaway, because I already have the book and it is on my to read pile.
In our SW Michigan neighborhood during the holiday one retired neighbor outlined their driveway with plastic milk jug luminaries. So uplifting on Michigan gloomy wintery mornings.
This German American and retired world language / culture teacher enjoys exploring how other cultures celebrate with a Festival of Lights. From Hanukkah, St. Lucia (Dec. 13), to Diwali (Nov. 4). We have new neighbors, who are Siks from India. As Germans, we celebrate St. Nikolaus on Dec. 6, since the Christ Child brings presents Christmas Eve. My book club friend is Swedish, so last year I explored St. Lucia day with my granddaughter. Lots of European cultures include gingerbread type baked goods as holiday traditions. In Sweden they Pepparkakor, a thin ginger cookie. The tradition is you place the cookie in the palm of your hand, think of a wish, press down on the cookie and if it breaks into three parts your wish comes true. For this believer I am inspired by the example and stories of people like St. Nikolaus or St. Lucia. Very giving people, who understood the true meaning of the season. Happy Holidays.
Love this! So many beautiful traditions out there.
Pepparkakor are delicious. Similar(ish) to the pfefferneusse my German Mennonite grandmother made at Christmas.
And they are similar (ish) again to New Mexico’s biscochitos.
Elizabeth, so true. I also like pfeffernüsse or pfeffernüsse. I purchase mine at Aldi. I enjoy studying different cultures not for their differences, but their similarities. After my study trip to Japan – I always remember this Confucius quote: “Let us NOT remember our differences, but DISCOVER our similarities and the generosity of spirit. By nature men are pretty much alike. It is learning and practice that set them apart.” Different cultures and different holiday traditions, but often similarities. Happy Holidays.
In Greensboro NC there are luminaries in several communities. I think they use white paper bags – beautiful sight!
Thank you for stepping in to help while I’m recovering from covid. It feels so good to be home from the hospital and surrounded by family. I’m exhausted but healing more every day, and God is so good!
I’m so glad you loved LL&L. It was my first ever Christmas book and holds a very special place in my heart! God actually gave me that story start to finish within two weeks, the fastest I’ve ever written anything. He is doing the same thing now within my body, and I’m completely awed by His love and care. Blessings!
Nice!
I’m so happy to do it and especially glad you’re home to recover instead of in the hospital.
Luminaries in Florida are in white paper bags! Not too many people use them, but there are some! They are beautiful! My Christmas will not be my traditional Christmas this year, as last year wasn’t, either. I’ve started new traditions, and this year looks nothing like last year, so I guess my new tradition is totally changing everything from one year to the next until I find what I like!
No unusual Christmas traditions here and I’ve never heard of lumiarias until now.
The only thing I’ve done that’s even similar to this, is when I flew home for my Grandma’s funeral & memorial about 10 years ago we did a paper lantern to set free up in the sky in her memory. That was totally awesome!
No need to enter my name for the ebook as I discovered I already have it on my Kindle :-) I’m adding it to my Christmas story TBR pile!
Fun! I’m glad to see there are other places that are embracing the beauty of the luminaria!
Oh that sounds lovely (the paper lantern) – I always love seeing that in TV and movies (like at the end of Tangled and also Shang Chi )
This sounds like a fun book. Who doesn’t love swoony feels? And the best friend secretly in love is one of my favorite tropes. In Arkansas, I’ve seen luminarias line the aisle at weddings. They are really pretty, but I’m always worried the bag will catch on fire :) I’ve never seen it happen though, so I should probably quit worrying.
the best friend secretly in love is also one of my favorite troupes
Ooh that would be a lovely wedding decoration.
It’s a great trope!
Hi, Elizabeth! And prayers for quick recovery for Jaycee! I loved LL&L. Both of the MCs had an open sense of vulnerability as the story progressed. They both risked their hearts in ways that spoke to mine (beyond just the feels). Let’s be introverts together! I’ve read it a couple of times and it’s still worth another read!
Jaycee has way too many good books to pick a favorite!
So, no need to include me in the drawing (obviously).
Get better soon, chica!
I’m so glad there are other fans of this story!
We celebrate Christmas 3 days in a row with different groups in the families
We have always celebrated my Dad’s Christmas opening gifts at midnight & slowly went a little earlier but a huge dinner.
I am so late but I have watched a couple movies where luminarias are mentioned both set in New Mexico and the other was in an area with lots of Latinos and they made these.
Normally people from overseas if they have an Amazon American account (or can get a gift voucher) can get a book gifted from Amazon America.
We do not have any unusual traditions. This is a year that we are figuring out what we want to have as traditions as this is the first year my Mom is now living in a nursing home. We have lived together for 8-10 years. This is a different season. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Can’t think of anything unusual 🤷🏼♀️
We go caroling on Christmas Eve 🎶