Sunday 15 December 2013

Day 15 of the Magical Christmas with Susanna Fraser + $50 Gift Card Giveaway


We are going to celebrate day 15 of the Magical Christmas with Susanna Fraser.  Don't miss the previous giveaways!

Day 1 with Amalie Howard + Paperback Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 2 with Karla J. Nellenbach + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 3 with February Grace + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 4 with CJ Lyons + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 5 with A.J. Aalto + 20 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 6 with Anne Perry + Hardcover Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 7 with Natalie Damschroder + $5 Gift Card & short story Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 8 with Holly Webb + Paperback Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 9 with Helen Docherty and Bill Cotter + 2 Print Copies Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 10 with Jessica Shervington + Print Copy Giveaaway (US/Canada)
Day 11 with Ophelia London + Swag Pack Giveaway
Day 12 with Mark D Evan + 5 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 13 with Callie Hutton + $25 Gift Card Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 14 with Miranda Kenneally + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)

And Entangled Publishing is giving away $50 Gift Card (Amazon or B&N) for the winner of today's giveaway.  The giveaway will run till December 31st, 2013 and the winners will be announced on January 1st, 2014!  But, before that, don't forget to read Susanna's great post about what a regency Christmas wasn't!



Original Title: Christmas Past
Author: Susanna Fraser
Publisher: Entangled: Ever After
Release Date: November 25th 2013
Genre: Historical Romance, Time Travel

Time-traveling PhD student Sydney Dahlquist’s first mission sounded simple enough—spend two weeks in December 1810 collecting blood samples from the sick and wounded of Wellington’s army, then go home to modern-day Seattle and Christmas with her family. But when her time machine breaks, stranding her in the past, she must decide whether to sacrifice herself to protect the timeline or to build a new life—and embrace a new love—two centuries before her time.

Rifle captain Miles Griffin has been fascinated by the tall, beautiful "Mrs. Sydney" from the day he met her caring for wounded soldiers. When he stumbles upon her time travel secret on Christmas Eve, he vows to do whatever it takes to seduce her into making her home in his present—by his side.

WHAT A REGENCY CHRISTMAS WASN'T

- Guest Post by Susanna Fraser

In my new novella, Christmas Past, my heroine, Sydney Dahlquist, travels back in time from 2013 to 1810. She becomes stranded there—and, this being a romance, finds love—so she’ll be living out her life in the 19th century.

The Christmases of two centuries ago prove a bit of a culture shock for Sydney, because the elements of her family’s typical 21st century American celebration for the most part don’t exist yet. Obviously, she’ll never again watch It’s a Wonderful Life, the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, or A Christmas Story, though I have a feeling she’ll work them into bedtime stories for her children, once she’s un-modernized them enough.

Christmas music won’t be the same for her, either. Most of the songs we associate with the holiday are from the 20th century. Though after the year I worked in a shopping mall where the season’s novelty gift was a mini Christmas tree that played “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Jingle Bell Rock” on endless loop (ENDLESS!), I’m not sure she’s missing much. (I’m more of a “Fairytale of New York” fan.)

Even some of the best-known religious Christmas carols aren’t as old as you might think. “Silent Night” dates from 1818. “We Three Kings” is 1857, and “Away in a Manger” is from the 1880’s. At least she’ll have “Joy to the World”—it’s 18th century.

Christmas trees were just getting the tiniest toehold in the British Isles at the time my story is set. The German royal family had one, so some of the high aristocracy would’ve at least seen a decorated tree. And the Hanoverian soldiers of the King’s German Legion who fought alongside the British army in the Napoleonic Wars put up Christmas trees when they could—which allowed me to work a Christmas tree into Christmas Past. And when Sydney and her new husband settle down to life in England after the wars end, they’ll be their neighborhood’s earliest adopters of the custom.

Odds are they won’t teach their children to believe in Santa Claus/Father Christmas, though. Up until the middle of the nineteenth century, references to “Father Christmas” in England have little to do with children or gift-giving. It’s more a symbolic reference to the general spirit of the season, especially the drinking and partying part. That said, “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (aka “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”) dates to1823, so maybe Sydney will be an early adopter there, too.

What about you? What are your favorite holiday traditions?


GIVEAWAY

That was a great post, Susanna!

Entangled Publishing will be awarding $50 Gift Card (Anazon or Barnes&Noble) to the winner of the below Rafflecopter widget.

Giveaway open to International residents.

Come back tomorrow for more giveaways!  And did you enter the previous giveaways?

Day 1 with Amalie Howard + Paperback Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 2 with Karla J. Nellenbach + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 3 with February Grace + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 4 with CJ Lyons + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 5 with A.J. Aalto + 20 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 6 with Anne Perry + Hardcover Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 7 with Natalie Damschroder + $5 Gift Card & short story Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 8 with Holly Webb + Paperback Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 9 with Helen Docherty and Bill Cotter + 2 Print Copies Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 10 with Jessica Shervington + Print Copy Giveaaway (US/Canada)
Day 11 with Ophelia London + Swag Pack Giveaway
Day 12 with Mark D Evan + 5 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 13 with Callie Hutton + $25 Gift Card Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 14 with Miranda Kenneally + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the lovely giveaway

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  2. Thanks for the chance to win!

    purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

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  3. Nice post - I think it's interesting to see how Christmas celebrations have changed over time.

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  4. This is an awesome giveaway thank you.

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  5. thanks for the great giveaway!happy holidays!

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  6. I guess I've never thought too much about what Christmas was like, or how it was celebrated, in the 1700s or early 1800s. I know the very early church didn't even celebrate the birth of Christ - don't know when that began. And I also knew Christmas trees came from Germany. Besides, Christmas celebrations changing over time, they are also different in different parts of the world. I'm afraid, sometimes we Americans - and that's really North American United States-ians - think our Christmas celebration is the only way.
    I guess my favorite tradition now is the Christmas Eve service. That's the one thing that seems to stay constant for us -- 'course now that hubby is a United Methodist pastor it's a given. But even before, the Christmas Eve service (the later the better) has been meaningful and reverent.
    And my family is still carrying on the tradition of trying to be the first to say "Christmas Eve Gift" on Christmas Eve morning.

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