The holidays can be a time of great fun, but if, like me, you’ve lost someone around this time, or confronted unreasonable expectations and clashing relatives, or agonized over your budget, holidays can feel like an ordeal.

Sometimes the troubles of family and budgets are the small things. Sometimes bigger problems intrude. Three weeks ago I posted about the terrorist shootings in Paris, and last week, terror came much closer to my Southern California home.

The terrorist attack in San Bernardino touched the friends and relatives of some of my writing friends. An author friend who teaches highschool in San Bernardino was on lockdown until late on the day of the shooting. Another friend recognized the male shooter as the health inspector who had visited her grandchild’s school. A local farmer’s market health inspector didn’t show up because she was killed in the shooting. I’m sending prayers (yes, I believe in the power of prayer) for the injured and for that innocent six-month-old, and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

I wanted to share a meme posted by JoyFM.org on Facebook, good advice for de-stressing and braving the holidays:

In addition to this brilliant advice, another good way to get through the holidays is to curl up as often as possible with a Regency Christmas novella. Here are two new anthologies of Christmas novellas and one reissued oldie but goodie:

The Word Wenches, best-selling Regency authors, just released this WONDERFUL themed anthology, built around a “last chance” Christmas ball for selected ladies and gentlemen about to give up on marriage and happily-ever-after.

The Bluestocking Belles, up-and-coming historical authors, have this boxed set out. These are fun and fast reads that will leave you smiling.

And always excellent Loretta Chase has re-released her Christmas novella, Falling Stars, a lovely reunion story.

Those are my recommendations for happy, hope-affirming, holiday reading. Do you have any for me?  I’d love to hear about them!

And, if you’re a Twitter user, look for the hashtag #AKissinTime this Friday, December 11th. Historical Romance Authors will be tweeting out their favorite first kisses. You may find a new author you want to read!

Images: candle: Wikimedia, meme: JoyFM.org, book covers: Amazon