Is there a special food or drink that makes you think of Christmas? Have you ever used this idea in a story? Maybe as a way of using your own experiences or feelings to influence the characters? I would love to hear what you did and how it worked out.
On this subject, are there foods, or types of drink that you would only have over the Christmas season? I will offer a couple of my favorites. I love mulled wine, I make it every year and offer it to those who visit. I love the smell of the spices, the warm sweet scent of the wine and fruit. For me, it just is the smell of Christmas. A second offering is a German-Austrian drink, fantastic in the cold. It is called Jägertee, google it, this is also a hot drink and rather alcoholic. I had it the first time in Austria, I had taken a ride in an open carriage train up a snow-covered mountain, it was freezing and my Bavarian friend bought me a glass of Jägertee (hunters tea) just a clue, there is not a lot of tea in it. A similar idea to a Long Island Iced Tea, except there is no tea in that at all. The third drink is an odd one. I love a drink called Advoccat it is sort of thick eggnog. It is something that reminds me of Christmas with my parents, happy times, friends. The last drink would be Campagne, what else at this time of year?
What if you don’t drink alcohol? Or maybe you are driving? A favorite of mine is mulled apple juice. You use the same spices as you would put with the wine, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little allspice, a touch of ginger and some brown sugar. You can add a little orange and lemon zest, then heat it up. A good seasonal driver-friendly drink.
I will look at food tomorrow.
In the meantime, forgive the shameless plug. As we are in the run-up to Christmas, I thought I’d mention our stocking fillers. The offers are for Starla Kaye Christmas Love. A 2 for 1 deal, a collection of short Christmas stories, Cowboys in Charge and Holly’s Big Bad Santa. The other offer is a Buy 2 Get 1 Free from author Leslie McKelvey, Accidental Encounters Trilogy the first time all three volumes have been sold together and is available from now until Christmas.
I would love to hear your views, thoughts, and stories you might like to share, on the blog, Facebook or Twitter.