A holiday inspiration from Carol Henry

You never know when inspiration for a novel will strike. Sometimes it takes a few years—like 30! Well, it didn’t take me that long to come up with the inspiration for my novel, but that’s how many years my husband, a Freemason, and I have helped at the local Freemasons’ annual ‘Breakfast with Santa’ event that is free to children twelve and under. While the Masons cook and serve breakfast, the Boy Scouts help clear tables and wash dishes, and a few of the wives pitch in to serve and make sure everyone gets a chance to sit on Santa’s lap where they can tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Santa always has a gift for everyone. It’s a wonderful, spirited morning with the jiggle of Santa’s bells, and the room full of excited youngsters waiting to get a peek at Santa in his red suit and snowy white beard.

And it’s always heart-warming when small children come up to me and give me a hug, thinking I’m Mrs. Claus because I have my Santa Apron on. Of course, I flit around the room talking to everyone (knowing many from the community), and entice the kids to make sure they go see Santa and sit on his lap, and sometimes even take their picture with Santa. I’ve seen children bring their own Christmas list for Santa to take back to the North Pole. Always an up-lifting, fun day.

In the afternoons, a couple of the wives and our husbands, accompany Santa, as we take the show on the road and visit the local Elderly Housing Center. Playing Santa’s elves, we take gifts, and everyone who wishes to join us in the community room gets to sit on Santa’s lap, many of them never having had the opportunity in their lifetime.  Everyone gets a gift.  Those who aren’t able to attend, Santa and his elves make sure they also receive a gift, which is left in front of their door. Again, it’s so heartwarming to see their reaction to Santa, the happiness in their eyes and wide smiles on their faces, and almost excited anticipation waiting their turn to actually sit on Santa’s lap regardless of their handicap—to share in song and the wonderful spirit of the season.

Of course, we all come from both events with our own hearts full of having spread good cheer to young and old alike.  A tradition that is priceless.

So, when I needed a sequel for my Lobster Cove Book—Juelle’s Legacy—and the fact that I was leaning toward a Christmas theme, I immediately thought of the local Masonic Lodge’s Breakfast with Santa, and how I could use my own home-town’s local event to immerse the small town atmosphere in Lobster Cove  with the same Christmas spirit and family love. Not to mention find a way to reunite one of my characters from my previous novel with her one-time love from high school.

I’m not very good at coming up with titles, but this one seemed like a no-brainer. Basing the novel on my community’s Breakfast with Santa, it seemed like the title—Breakfast With Santa—was the perfect fit. And so my Lobster Cove sequel was born. Of course I couldn’t resist having my heroine dress up as an elf for the occasion, especially as the hero was Santa!

Breakfast With Santa is also included in a recent Boxed Set entitled: A Holiday Pomise.

May you find your own holiday traditions that warm your heart, and share your spirit with others.

Carol Henry

Destination: Romance—Exotic Romantic Suspense Adventures

Nothing Short of a Miracle: #1 Best Seller Amazon Encore Holiday Romance

http://www.carolhenry.org