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by Kath Rutledge
from the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries by Molly MacRae
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‘Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not a ghost or a mouse.
(That isn’t exactly true. The Weaver’s Cat, my fiber and fabric shop was packed with last minute customers.)
The stockings were all knit,
We’d been working full tilt,
And Argyle, the shop cat,
Was asleep on his quilt.
(He’s a cutie, isn’t he?)
When up in the attic,
There arose such a moaning,
I dashed up the stairs
And I couldn’t help groaning . . .
. . . and this is why it isn’t exactly true that not a creature was stirring. Mice weren’t the problem; it was Geneva. She was moping and moaning, and it took a while to find out what was bothering her.
“It’s very sad,” she said.
“I’ve been looking forward to this night,
But it just isn’t Christmas,
Because something’s not right.”
“The lights are aglow,
And I hear the church bells,
But it isn’t the same,
Without the right smells.”
“We have oranges and hot cocoa,” I said.
And the fresh cut fir we’ve brought inside.
What smells are missing?”
“Warm gingerbread,” she sighed.
Gingerbread – what a simple and perfect request! How can I deny her? But I’m not much of a baker, and I’d rather not experiment on something so important to Geneva, so I’ll have to search through Granny’s recipes for one that looks both good and foolproof.
Do you have a favorite Christmastime smell that triggers cozy memories?
We’ve been celebrating the upcoming release of Crewel and Unusual, book 6 in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, with five months of giveaways. To win a copy of Knot the Usual Suspects, book 5 in the series, tell me about a favorite Christmastime smell and leave your email address in a comment below. Do you already own a copy? That’s okay! Win another and give it to a friend. Giveaway ends at midnight December 25th.
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Molly MacRae is the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest, connect with her on Twitter @mysteryMacRae.
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We have a tradition of spending Christmas Eve day making treats for Santa, so the kitchen always smells yummy.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422 at gmail dot com
Christmas baking is the best, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by, Jana.
DeleteMy favorite Christmas smell is Cinnamon! Actually, my house smells like cinnamon from October thru December, because I love getting those cinnamon brooms and cinnamon scented pine cones to put around the house, and I use it frequently in cookie and pie recipes. Thanks so much for the chance to win! JL_Minter@hotmail (dot) com.
ReplyDeleteCinnamon and Christmas go together perfectly!
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