Even though Christmas is over, today we’re going to share a little Christmas Joy with an interview with a sweet little girl named Joy.
Interviewer: Hi, Joy. Did you have a good Christmas this year?
Joy: Joy nods. Christmas is also my birthday. So I get lots and lots of presents.
Interviewer: That’s cool. Do you like having your birthday on Christmas?
Joy: Most of the time. This year I didn’t get the bike I was wishing for.
Interviewer: Why is that?
Joy: My mom says our apartment is too small, and we don’t have any other place to store the bike. She says it would be better to wait until we live in a house.
Interviewer: She’s probably right. Do you think that will happen any time soon.
Joy: Maybe. We haven’t lived in the apartment very long. We moved to Hallburg because my mom lost her job, and she was looking for a new one. We have relatives here that she said would help. That’s why we’re living in her cousin’s old apartment. She also got to be in her cousin’s wedding. That was fun. I had never been to a wedding before. We got to eat good food and dance to music.
Interviewer: That does sound like fun. Have you made new friends in Hallburg? Do you like your new town?
Joy: I like it here. Mom’s cousin’s new husband has two kids, Maddie and Owen. I hang out with them sometimes. They’re older than me, but that’s okay. They have other friends I have met, too. I got to have a sleepover with the big girls. That was fun!
Interviewer: What did you do at the sleepover?
Joy: We laughed and talked a lot. We had popcorn and watched at movie. I also got to play with Maddie’s dog, Charlie. I want a dog someday, too. My mom keeps trying to convince me to get Mr. Tony’s dog, Pippa.
Interviewer: Who is Mr. Tony?
Joy: He’s a friend of my mom’s. He’s really nice and helps me with my homework. I want my mom and Mr. Tony to fall in love, so I have a plan.
Interviewer: What is your plan?
Joy: I can’t tell. It’s my secret.
Interviewer: I wish you the best with your plan.
Joy: If my plan works, I get a dad and a dog. That would be the best!
Interviewer: It would. Thanks for talking with me, Joy.
Joy: You’re welcome.
Take a visit to Hallburg and join in the Christmas spirit.
Click on the link for more information.
What is something that brought you joy this Christmas? I will give away a paperback copy of one of my books that ends during the Christmas holidays, A Place to Find Love, to one person who leaves a comment. I will draw the winning name on December 28, 2023 at 9PM MST.
“Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.”
Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty plus years, and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida but now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she does the plotting for her novels.
Getting to spend Christmas with my 98 year old dad brought me joy.
Baking cookies with my mom, my daughters, & a friend of theirs brought me joy this Christmas…my kids are getting older & I know I don’t have to many more years to do it with them ❤️
Spending time with my family at my daughter-in-law’s mother’s house brought me joy this Christmas.
That was such a cute interview.
My kids all went down with a stomach bug at the end of last week, fingers crossed everyone seems OK now but it wasn’t quite the Christmas we were planning lol. But not having to deal with a massive pile of washing this morning for the first time in days definitely brought me joy!
I got to spend time with friends, and didn’t have to cook!!
Hi Lori,
That is a special joy.
Hi TexasMomma,
Sharing fun times with family is always a joy. We have to treasure those moments.
Hi Bonnie,
Families getting together can bring so much joy. My daughter had a big crowd at her house this year.
Hi Ruthie,
Thanks. So sorry to hear that your kids had a stomach bug. Christmas isn’t a good time to get sick. My granddaughter had a bad cold just before Christmas, but thankfully she was much better by Christmas day.
Hi Trudy,
I’m right there with you on the cooking. I did make my rolls and pumpkin pie, but I didn’t have to do anything else.
Going to Midnight Mass and Spending time with Jesus on his Birthday with my daughter, son in law, and our granddaughter and grandson and hearing a Great Homily. I enjoyed reading Joy’s interview, your book sounds like a great read! May you and your family have a Blessed New Year.
That interview is precious (I’ve read the book and it really suits the story perfectly). We’ve had a fairly quiet Christmas, but my husband and I have enjoyed a dinner out with friends of 50+ years (even though traffic made the attempt to view the Nights of Lights less than perfect), our annual get together with friends who live about an hour away, and spending Christmas with my mother.
My 96 year old grandfather passed away the day after Christmas after falling and breaking his hip we are sad but also happy that he is no longer in pain and he got reunited with his wife in heaven that died in 2020 so Christmas we were all around his bedside when he was dying it was cozy as when my grandma was dying only her children could be by her bedside as it was covid.
Knowing that the celebration was for the Lord’s birthday brought me joy. It was a very lonely Christmas. It was the first one without my Mom. My husband and I spent it alone. It gave me a lot of time to think, memories as well as blessings. Thank you for the wonderful interview. God bless you. Happy New Year.
My brother hadn’t spoken to us in a year but he finally is speaking to us again. It makes us very happy but also worried/concerned for him because he didn’t realize it had been anywhere near that long or the whole reason we weren’t speaking to each other. He had an accident months before that which had messed with his memory but it’s clearly a lot worse than we thought it was.
Getting to spend time on Christmas Eve with extended family members that I don’t see very often.
Having a relaxing Christmas afternoon. I chose to prioritise self care and ironically ended up learning how to make japanese gyoza – definitely not how I envisaged celebrating our Lords birth, but there you go!
Hi Joanne, As someone who has sustained a brain injury, if you are able encourage him to have his cognition assessed. It can open up a myriad of possibilities for helping him adjust to what can be a scary new world. I comment most days on the blogs so if you would like I am happy to help if I can. xoxo
My condolences.
I loved getting to spend lots of time with my brother and his family and my parents on both Christmas eve and Christmas day. I even got to play a game with my brother and SIL, which doesn’t happen often right now since they have two little kids.
I hope Joy gets her wish of a dad and dog.
I was given a white soft toy squirrel with a red and white Scarfe and holding a Christmas decoration (you may have seen it on fb.) with gold shoes and mittens. It is so sweet and my friend saw it last year after Christmas and had to get it for me. I love it and it brings joy.
The other thing is a toy on a stick that Libby (cat that is still living with me) thinks is the best thing since sliced bread to play with. she is so funny and just loves it. and its a joy to watch her
Sorry to hear about your grandfather, but so nice that you all got to say goodbye. That means a lot.
Hi Debra,
Special days like Christmas are always hard when we’ve just lost a loved one. Happy New Year.
Hi Mary,
Glad you think the interview fit the story. Glad you had a lovely Christmas. Love that you have friends of 50+ years. That is special.
Hi Joannie,
Nice that you are communicating with your brother again.
Hi Diana,
Those times are definitely special.
Hi Dianne,
What is Japanese gyoza?
Hi Jessica,
So glad you were able to spend time with your family members.
Hi Jenny,
Sounds like you got some fun gifts. I love cats and how they play.
They are dumplings
They come ready made or you can make your own.
https://houseofgoodness.com.au/ is where my friend gets her gluten free mix to make the wrappers, but we are going to try some ready made ones before taking the plunge.
Happy New Year