'Tis the Season to Be Wicked...by Collette Cameron

 As always, when researching for my stories, I learned several fun facts pertaining to Christmas in Scotland and England during the early 18^th century. To begin with, Christmas and Yule weren’t openly celebrated in Scotland.

Late in the 16^th century, St. Mungo’s Cathedral wished to abolish the pagan rituals associated with Yule (originally the Viking festival jól) and the Kirk threatened everyone with excommunication caught participating in Yule. In 1640, an Act of Parliament made Yule illegal, and the intolerance was taken a step further when an ordinance passed (supported by Oliver Cromwell) that banned the feast of Christmas as well. Several sources record that during that same time period, he also forbade the eating of pie.

Those are fighting words! I adore pie.

Though the ordinances and laws were repealed a few years later, the Kirk (Church) still frowned upon the celebration of Yule and Christmas. Hence, most Scots didn’t openly acknowledge the holiday until 1958. Another interesting tidbit I uncovered was that Christmas was outlawed in Boston, Massachusetts from 1659 to 1681.

My research regarding clove oranges also proved quite fascinating. Pomander balls date back to as early as the mid-thirteenth century. However, the clove orange gained popularity in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. I used to make them myself as a child.

To stay within the bounds of historical accuracy as much as possible, I researched the origins of sugar plums and gingerbread. First mentioned in literature in the 16^th century, sugar plums are not sugar-coated plums but comfits. A comfit is a sort of sweet with a sugar shell around a center, often an almond.

I was delighted with what I learned about gingerbread. The very first recipe for gingerbread is attributed to the Greeks over two thousand years before the birth of Christ. A European version was developed by the late Middle Ages. However, lavish decorated gingerbread is attributed to Queen Elizabeth I. Those cookies were decorated with gold leaf.

Finally, in order to embellish the homes in my stories with holiday greenery and to allow the ladies to make kissing boughs, I needed to snoop around a bit to see precisely what types of greenery grew in the Highlands or Midlands in 1720. I was delighted to discover holly is a native plant to Scotland, and although mistletoe isn’t common, it can be found. Other greens such as pine boughs, rosemary, and ivy were all easily accessible to decorate with as well.

I’m tickled to share four holiday-themed books with you. Three are multi-author anthologies, and the fourth is my contribution to the second round of the Wicked Earls’ Club.

Earl of Scarborough,
The Honorable Rogues
(Wicked Earls’ Club)

’Tis the season to be wicked…

When a woman desperate for a job saves the life of an earl…both of their plans for the future are thwarted.

Amazon: https://collettecameron.com/EOSam

Barnes and Noble: https://collettecameron.com/EOSbn

Ibooks: https://collettecameron.com/EOSit

Kobo: https://collettecameron.com/EOSko

Google Play: https://collettecameron.com/EOSgo

Winter Wishes (A Yuletide Highlander)

Exciting new anthology of thirteen never-before-published Regency Christmas Romances.

Amazon: http://bit.ly/WinterWishes_Am

Barnes and Nobel: http://bit.ly/WinterWished_BN

Kobo: http://bit.ly/WinterWishes_K

iBooks: https://apple.co/32YCtEC

Once Upon a Christmas Rogue (A December with a Duke)

Allow yourself to be enchanted by these delightful Regency Christmas romances.

Amazon: http://bit.ly/OUACR_Amazon

Barnes and Nobel: http://bit.ly/OUACR_BN

Kobo: http://bit.ly/OUACR_Kobo

iBooks: http://bit.ly/OUACR_IB

Stars are Brightly Shining (A Christmas Kiss for a Highlander)

From the bedecked halls of Regency England to the cold and crisp air of Medieval England, and everything in between, welcome to the magic of a holiday collection that will bring the joy of the season into your heart and into your home.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2mYVZRE