Holiday Ever After

I never WAIT until the last minute.  That little sucker (the last minute) just creeps up on me while I’m busy and whacks me in my keister—every time. And thus, November happened all too soon and my blog was due before I could take a breather from trying to resolve a universal question of monumental importance: why are Christmas decorations out before Halloween?

Sometimes our monthly theme whispers to me and I’m inspired to write about a related topic. However, this month’s theme, Holiday Romance, created a big old blank space in my brain. Desperate for inspiration, I googled the theme.

And surprise, surprise! I didn’t get a list of sweet and/or spicy holiday books about falling in love
over figgy pudding, or about a runaway one-horse sleigh. Nope. I got list-after-list of how to survive a romance while ON holiday.

Say what? People go on holiday to meet people? 

Multiply x 10 if couple met on holiday

You know what else I learned? Only 7% of holiday romances actually last. Being a numbers geek, I didn’t worry about the other 93% (apologies to all of you who ended up at the Heartbreak Hotel in Paradise). Instead, I immediately began to puzzle over how (and who) they came up with that percentage of success. Did they pick a sample group and say—go on vacation, have a one night stand, and see if love lasts?  Or did they hack travel.com, identify single travelers, and then do a follow-up survey. Aye-yi-yi. Let’s just say that 7% has a 99% probability of being inaccurate.

Even worse, the sites give you advice for making holiday romances last.  Silly me, I was thinking, linger over eggnog (spiced with Godiva liqueur, of course).  No such luck.  Google-located love-advisers recommend you “keep the lines of communications" open after the holiday. Well duh.

Holiday significant-other-hunters are also advised to: “have a plan.”  A what?  Don’t know about you, but I’m thinking nothing inspires true love more than creating a plan, maybe with Microsoft Project. And milestones. And critical paths. NOT!

The internet also offer suggestions for keeping long-distance relationships fresh. Again, silly me. I presumed our holiday lovers-to-be would look for mates from their own state—at least from the same region of the country! Okay, the 7% is starting to make a bit more sense.  If you seriously expect to find real love while on holiday with someone who lives more than five-hundred miles away, well… No comment.

I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule. I'm guessing however, if you know of anyone who really has found love while on holiday, s/he didn't go on the trip looking for a spouse. I'll bet (93 to 7) that the lucky vacationer "happened" to meet that special one, and then the magical chemistry that just happens when two people are right for each other, coincidentally happened on holiday.

So what did I learn from all this? Probably what you already know. There isn’t a topic that I can’t use as an excuse to be snarky. My sincere side, however, hopes you and yours (especially if you met on holiday) have a very happy Thanksgiving.



Coming Soon--a Happier Holiday Romance
THE GINGERBREAD SKIRMISH
A Holiday in Merryvale Romance
Available 12/16/2016
from Amazon.com and TheWildRosePress.com

A freak snowstorm represents financial ruin for Kaley McIntire. She can’t transport a special order of gingerbread. No delivery means no payment; no payment means Kaley can’t make the rent on her in-the-red coffee shop. Abandoned in the middle of nowhere, the same snowstorm represents frostbite for Tanner Clayton. Instead of showing appreciation when Kaley rescues him during a blizzard, he fixates on getting home to his violets. Not understanding his plants are part of a NASA experiment, Kaley assumes he’s gay, and Tanner doesn’t correct her mistake. Stuck in her cabin for three days, chemistry heats up the mountain home, but can love possibly grow from a friendship built on a lie?