by Darlene GardnerMy sister used to be so enamored of freshly fallen snow that she’d erupt in anger if some neighborhood kid dared cut through our front yard.
"Hey!” she’d yell out the door. “Stop messing up our snow!”I understood her stance on the unsightliness of footprints except I’d rather there be no snow at all. Give me sun and sand over the cold and snow any day.
Except Christmas Day.
I’m as much a sucker for a White Christmas as anyone else. Maybe more so. I even write about it. Without snow, The Christmas Gift would be a very short book. Here’s how it would go. Krista Novak would still be tricked into coming home to Pennsylvania for the holidays by her mother. She’d still discover the man she’d loved and left now lived next door. Then she’d get on a plane and go back to Europe.
The snow drives the plot. It won’t stop falling, resulting in Krista’s return flights being repeatedly cancelled. She can’t leave her former home town. More importantly, she can’t run away from Alex Costas. Not again.
The Christmas Gift is based on a real-life story, by the way. Well, at least the snow part of it is. When back-to-back blizzards blanketed the Northeast with record snowfall a few years back, my flights kept getting cancelled, too. The photo at the top of this blog shows the way my street and mailbox looked after 32 inches of snow fell. Don’t you think my sister would appreciate the pristine nature of the snow? Oh, I wasn’t there to see it. I was stranded — in South Florida.
So here’s my question. If you had to be stranded somewhere, where would it be? Would it make any difference if it were Christmas Day? Or, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, New Year’s Day? Remember if you post a comment before Nov. 30, you’re eligible to win a Kindle and a $25 Amazon gift card.
25 comments:
I would love to be stranded in Ireland. It sounds like a place full of lore, magic and history. But deep down if it's the holidays I'd want to be stranded at home with my family and in familiar surroundings. I find vacations exciting but also exhausting, quite the opposite from rest and relaxation.
If I had to be stranded somewhere, I'd want to be stranded at home :). But if it couldn't be home, it would be somewhere with the warm ocean. No snow for me. Don't mind playing in it, but don't want to be stranded in it. Believe it or not we do get snow, though it's mostly just on top of the mountains. We got snow a couple of days ago, but it melted right away.
I've been stranded at home, by flood waters. It's the only place I would not feel SO anxious. If I was stranded elsewhere my mind would leap to worst case scenarios. Anxious about what's happening to folk back home.
Actually, the entire town was stranded, 75% of QLD was inundated by flood waters. That's a LOT of rain.
I'm another one who would find it very stressful to be stranded anywhere but home. I have two cats I would worry about.
However I have been to quite a few places that I would love to revisit so I'll pick somewhere warm like Hawaii to be stranded in. I really enjoyed both Maui and Oahu so maybe one of the other islands.
On the beach in Mexico? Maybe NYC with all its shows and good restaurants? Or London would be nice. I'm itching to go there.
Having the weather drive the plot is an oldie but goodie in stories. It's always legitimate and something readers can relate to because we've all been hampered by the weather. One of my best friends got caught up in a hurricane on her honeymoon to Hawaii - nice stresser to start a marriage. It would be just as good of place to start a romance. Hmmm...I think I need a research trip to Hawaii. Maybe I'll get stranded there :)
Everyone has such good answers. It occurred to me I didn't answer my own question. I'm like Snookie and Kaelee. I'd much prefer to be stranded somewhere warm like Bali or the Greek Islands or the South Pacific. If it were Christmas, I'd want my family to be stranded with me!
Darlene, thanks for the reminder the weather here is just fine so far--we've had no snow yet.
Stranded? I'm with you about my family. Anywhere if they're with me. If I'm alone, I'd go for warm, whether that meant palm trees or a lodge with a big fireplace. But I have nothing against home either.
I was stranded in the blizzard a years back! I was stranded at my boyfriends house! Let me tell you, it's not fun to be stranded somewhere you don't keep your own clothes and personal items! Haha. So I would like to be stranded at home sweet home :) or Grammys house with my aunts, uncles and cousins !
Hmm. If I were stranded (alone), I'd get a kick out of being stuck in Texas, on a cowboy's ranch. I have no idea how that would happen, but if it did, I'd be one excited stranded girl. All that wide open land, the horses ... and, of course, the Stetson-and-boots-wearing cowboy himself! Though I'd rather this not occur during Christmas because I'd definitely be too homesick to be without my home and family.
If I had to be stranded somewhere I would like it to be somewhere warm and preferably with a whole lot of books. (Hey that sounds like my home so I guess if I had to be stranded I would prefer to be stranded at home.)But that sounds familiar too. When my parents were alive I lived across town from them and one year we had a hurricane blow thru and the damage had us stranded for a couple of days while clean up took place.
I am also one of those that would want to be stranded at home. Whenever we go away, it is OK for about 2-3 days and then I have a NEED to get back home. I must take after my father - my mom always said he had a 5 day expiration time limit - that was all he could stand being away from home.
Great topic, Darlene!
If I were stranded, I'd want it to be somewhere with good restaurants, lol.
Darlene, I'm like most here--I would want to be stranded at home, preferably with family members during the holidays. OR, I could go for a really lovely little cottage with plenty of food, books, a fireplace and a faithful, affectionate dog ;-)
When my daughter was born, we spent her first Christmas in the Hospital. She was released the next morning. I would chose to be stranded at home with heat, power and water. I am a homebody anyways and I would be very happy to spend Christmas at home with my family and 3 cats.
Hi Darlene,
I have an anti-romance stranding story. The opposite of yours!
My husband and I are both from Pennsylvania, but when we met I was living in Seattle and he was in Hoboken, NJ.
I flew home to Scranton (PA) to see him and he took the bus in from NJ. We both made it to our parents' homes, but the Great Blizzard of '93 struck and we were stranded within miles of each other, but separate!
I had come 3,000 miles and was within 20 miles of seeing him and there was no way to make it through. On the second day, my best friend shoveled out her Toyota Corolla and we went to get my honey.
I couldn't believe the blizzard landed right at the exactly wrong time.
Other than that, I actually kind of like it when emergencies happen as long as they're not dangerous. I like adventures and days that aren't the norm. I wouldn't mind being stranded anywhere--as long as I was just stuck, not threatened.
As long as the whole family is stranded together, I wouldn't mind being stranded for Christmas by a snowstorm. We'd have to be able to go outside and have an impromptu snowball fight, build a snowman and make snow angels. Then, wherever we are, needs to be warm and toasty and have an abundant supply of hot chocolate, goodies and comfortable seating. A TV wouldn't hurt.
Don't think an airport would accommodate this.
Great story, Ellen. I like how you found a way to see your man even in blizzard conditions.
I'm not surprised so many of you would like to be stranded at home for the holidays. You know that song with the lyrics about how there's no place like home for the holidays? There's a lot of truth to that, I guess because the most important thing in life is love. Who you're with matters more than where you are. (Do you see why I write romance?)
I would love to go to Scotland but if I had to be stranded on Christmas day I would rather it be with my family. Christmas is all about spending time with family.
I wouldn't mind being stranded in Hawaii. I guess I would miss spending Christmas with my family and friends, but the tropical setting would help my mood a little.
If I had to be stranded, a tropical island somewhere sounds good. I'm not sure how snow could strand me there.
Being Australian, there’s no such thing as a white Christmas. In some places – like the Blue Mountains – Australians host a “Christmas in July” so they can have a winter Christmas (but still no snow!).
I used to live in London, and the entire city shuts down on Christmas Day. There’s literally no way to go anywhere. I felt stranded then, and it was pretty boring! I also spent a Christmas stuck in Sri Lanka’s Colombo International Airport. That was even more boring than the other one!
Being stranded is no fun without a romance hero!
You said it best, Sonya! Being stranded would be a whole lot more fun with a romance hero, no matter where we were!
I wouldn't really want to be stranded anywhere, but if I had to be, it would be somewhere warm and laid back, where there are plenty of amenities but not much stress. Yep, I could handle being stranded somewhere like that for awhile!
I would not mind being stranded anywhere hot and sunny if my family was there. I have been stranded at airports too many times and it's no fun without family.
I would love to be stranded in Paris, my favorite place in the world! It wouldn't matter if it was Christmas or New Year's, in my opinion its the most beautiful city in the world. Carol
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