Christmas decorations – Linda Mahkovec

The scents of Christmas

Published on December 4, 2024December 29, 2024 by Linda Mahkovec - Author5 Comments

There are many scents that evoke the Christmas season – pine and citrus,

peppermint and gingerbread,

the spices of mulled wine and cider,

cookies being baked.

In the Christmastime series, https://a.co/d/7VG17Qu , old-fashioned ways of celebrating Christmas are woven throughout,

and the scents of Christmas play a big part. Especially the use of citrus and pine.

Greenery decorating a doorframe, mantel, or table,

sprigs of pine and cedar scattered throughout the house.

The cloves and citrus of pomander balls,

the preparation of orange-slice ornaments scenting the kitchen.

Scents can be powerful triggers of holiday traditions and good memories. Evergreens and colorful citrus fruits have the added benefit of also being beautiful and wholesome –

old-fashioned, natural seasonal decorations with scents that are both invigorating and calming.

This holiday, add some beauty and scent to your holiday decor with a bit of woodland greenery and refreshing citrus.

The Christmastime series (to date, years 1939-1946) https://a.co/d/7VG17Qu

Christmastime 1939: images

Published on September 27, 2019September 24, 2020 by Linda Mahkovec - Author6 Comments

For all my books, I’ve created corresponding Pinterest boards to provide readers with a glimpse into the worlds I write about. The boards for the Christmastime series capture the charm of an old-fashioned Christmas, and a few black and white photographs help to provide a historical context.

Below are images for the introductory book in the series, Christmastime 1939: Prequel to the Christmastime Series. I hope you enjoy them!

In the prequel, we are introduced to the series’ main character, the young widow Lillian Hapsey, and her two sons, Tommy (8 years old) and Gabriel (5 years old). Many of the scenes involve Lillian’s determination to give them a happy Christmas.

The theme of transformation runs throughout this book, and I’ve woven in threads of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol to emphasize this,

as well as other Dickensian themes of struggle, home and family, and general Christmas merriment.

Other images evoke Lillian’s recent Thanksgiving visit with her sister, Annette, in upstate New York,

the cupcakes Tommy and Gabriel see in the window of the German bakery,

holiday toys and candies,

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

and the excitement of New York City at Christmas.

Come! Step into the world of Christmastime!

The Christmastime series is available on Amazon, Kobo, B&N, iTunes, and Google and in libraries by request, on Ingram and Overdrive

Amazon — https://amzn.to/2xFgnt0

(Christmastime 1945: A Love Story, the final book in the series, will be available in October.)

Christmas — in the details

Published on December 9, 2018September 24, 2020 by Linda Mahkovec - Author4 Comments

The scent of pine, a shimmering ornament, a melody from a Christmas carol running through your mind — part of the magic of Christmastime is in the small details that pervade the season.