The Magic of Christmas Eve

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 20 Comments

  Christmas magic is silent. You don’t hear it — you feel it, you know it, you believe it. ~Kevin Alan Milne One of the times when that magic is so real, especially for kids, is on Christmas Eve. I do remember feeling that magic, that anticipation, that feeling of wonder. Do you? The picture is of my family’s tree …

The Best Gifts Are Wrapped in Love

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 5 Comments

  A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca The stories some of you sent me of special Christmas memories has been a gift to me. Some of the stories made me smile. Some brought a tear. But the thing that connects many of the stories …

The Most Memorable Gifts for All the Right Reasons

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 2 Comments

“All those cliches, those things you hear about having a baby and motherhood—all of them are true. And all of them are the most beautiful things you will ever experience.” —Penelope Cruz On Christmas after the birth of my first grandchild twenty plus years ago, I had her father set her down on the floor in front of the Christmas tree …

Memorable Gifts for All the Wrong Reasons

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal Leave a Comment

Have you been shopping to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones? Sometimes that perfect gift is illusive and sometimes even when you think you’ve found the very thing that will most please someone, the gift doesn’t live up to expectations. That’s when we try to believe it’s the thought that counts. But sometimes we wonder what they were …

Gift of The Little Drummer Boy

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 21 Comments

The greatest gift is a portion of yourself.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson At this time of year with Christmas days away instead of weeks, some of us may wonder how we’re going to get everything done with time enough to enjoy the visits and special events. I’ve got a few busy days to get things ready for fun times with my …

The Blessing of Giving

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 2 Comments

“For it is in giving that we receive.” (St. Francis of Assisi) As most of you know I’ve got a Christmas giveaway going. You can check out the prizes and how to enter on my News & Events Page. I invited those who wanted to enter to share about the best gift they’d ever received as a child or the …

A Christmas Weekend

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal Leave a Comment

    Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world – stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death – and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem two thousand years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?  Then you can keep Christmas.     …Augusta E. Rundel There’s nothing quite …

My Hollyhill Christmas

Ann H GabhartHeart of Hollyhill Leave a Comment

December 22, 1965    Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky at Christmastime or almost Christmas, anyway. I am so excited. Are you? I love Christmas.    What do I love about Christmas in Hollyhill? I like the red and green lights the county workers string up on the street light posts. I like the pine tree in front of …

“A Book Worth Reading”

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal

“If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.” ~George MacDonald Sometimes an encouraging word can be a special gift. I got one of those today from a reader who was reading my book, Scent of Lilacs. …