Hanukkah Gelt - A Holiday Story

 

In the spirit of the holiday season, I present Romancing The Genres visitors with this holiday about a teen boy and his family celebration I simply call: 

GELT

When I was little, the Chanukah-Christmas thing confused me. I mean Catholic mother, Jewish father— neither all that heavy into religion— what did they expect after lighting both a tree and Chanukiyah candles? Then I wised up, realizing the season gave me more of everything, including a mountain of Chanukah gelt, chocolate coins wrapped in gold paper.

I also get more relatives.

Today, our house is the spot marked “X” on the last day of Chanukah. I’m surrounded by Jewish and Catholic relatives, all after their own version of gelt: free food like the latkes with jalapeño’s Mom made because Dad likes them. That means he and I have one thing in common.

“Hey there, rocket man.” Dad’s older brother arrives with another young, skinny-as-a-string-bean girlfriend. She giggles. I nearly barf.

Uncle Leon proves my biology teacher was wrong in claiming successful predators had to be masters of deception. He never pretends to be anything except a major player who won’t be caught.

Dad’s father approaches me, rubbing his nose before crouching into a fighting stance. “There’s my favorite grandson.”

“God no,” I mutter to both my family’s deities. I’m 16, too old to play Granddad’s version of fight club. He goes for my shoulder. I surrender, telling him he’s a great fighter. He’s disappointed he won so easily. I love my grandfather. Just…not all the time.

The door opens; a blast of winter air signals Dad’s arrival. I catch a whiff of motor oil as he passes. He plants a kiss on Mom’s cheek, saying, “Sorry I’m late, I had a last minute customer issue I had to handle myself.”

“Hurry up,” Uncle Leon yells. “We’re starving.”

“I’ll shower and be right back.” Dad turns toward the stairs as he speaks. “I’m sorry.”

“Never tell anyone you’re sorry,” Granddad sneers. “It’s a sign of weakness.”

Dad stares at his father, hands clenched at his side.

Tell him to stuff it, Dad.

But he never does. My father lets everyone disrespect him.

I look around, realizing my uncles have disappeared. The door to the den, Dad’s private room, is closed. When I turn the knob, it slides opens, silently. Two walls are filled with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. The only furniture is a lamp and a wingback chair, so much like the one in Dad’s office that I wonder if he found a two-for-one sale years ago.

Mom’s oldest brother, William I-was-gonna-be-a-priest-but, sits in his chair, clasping a crucifix like he wants to beg God’s forgiveness for being here. Tyrese, her younger brother, stands next to Uncle Leon. The three are best friends. Not one ever forgave Dad for not marrying Mom until she was seven months pregnant. Dad makes the most money, but they still tell ugly jokes about the “auto guy,” as if handling engines makes him dirty. Yet every year they come running when he invites them to his house.

“She abandoned her religion for a jerk who ignores her over some ‘customer issue.’” Uncle Tyrese makes air quotes, like a middle-school kid.

Uncle Leon sighs. “Don’t you Catholics ever forgive mistakes?”

“Mistakes?” I yell and rush forward. “Don’t you disrespect my dad!”

“He disrespected my sister first,” Tyrese snarls.

“Not in front of his kid,” William says. “No one blames the boy.”

“Take your blame and shove it.” Dad steps to my side. His hair, moist from a quick shower, is now covered by a red yarmulke; his eyes spit fire. The familiar scent of motor oil still clings to his wet skin. “Neither my son nor my marriage was a mistake.” 

Uncle William fingers his crucifix. “Maybe we should go.” Uncle Tyrese nods. Dad’s brother turns away, like he’s hiding from the truth.

“No. My wife wants you here. You’ll stay to make her happy.”
All are silent as we return to the others and gather around the nine-candle menorah symbolizing light and wisdom. Dad steps beside Mom. She takes his hand. No matter what the family thinks, they love each other.

“Son, would you say the mitzvah berakhah?” he asks me.

I know the Chanukah blessing so well I don’t have to think as I chant:

“Baruch atah Adonai Elo-heinu Melech ha’olam
Asher kid’shanu b’mitzvosav v’tzivanu
l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah.”

As I light the candles, I silently request another miracle to help me survive this evening. Dad isn’t my real father; that was “uncle” Leon. Dad stepped in and took the heat after his brother abandoned Mom. Her brothers never knew.

But I know. I’ve always known.

That was Gelt, presented to you in celebraton of the season. If the spirit moves you, drop a comment to tell me what you think.

Celebrating the Seasons Reading Holiday Romances … Delsora Lowe

We celebrate many sacred holidays in December…among them Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Thanksgiving is over. And New Year’s Eve is ahead of us. I am sure I have missed many sacred celebrations. But since this is not what my blog is about this month, I’ll not give you a rundown.

Instead, I have given you another list of holiday books I have read this season, or plan to continue to read in December and into the new year. And this list doesn't include the holiday books on my WISH LIST! Yes, I do love holiday-themed books

As stated in last month’s list, the books mentioned below are not listed as recommendations, but as books I read, that are written by authors I know, new authors whom I wished to try, as well as covers and titles that caught my eye. Exploring holidays that I know little about has been a fun, learning experience, especially when seen through the lens of romance.

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday, no matter what or how you celebrate.

Feel free to leave your own suggestions, in the comments,
about holiday romance books
you enjoy at this time of the year!

THE LIST of BOOKS I READ

Thanksgiving (Oct 2009) – Janet Evanovich

A fun family romp over Thanksgiving, after two meet in a most unconventional way. Throw in a wool-eating rabbit, an “abandoned” baby, two cars destined for the junk yard, a self-absorbed fiancé who jilted the heroine, insecurities, lust, love, a pregnant horse, interfering moms, and the charm of Williamsburg and you have a recipe for a holiday Rom Com.

No Ordinary Christmas (Sept 2021) – Belle Calhoune

An unexpected, and not necessarily welcome, Christmas reunion. Old love, new sparks fanning the embers remaining from lost love, and a little help from the small-town busybodies. Will the spirit of the season bring the two back together?

Eight Nights of Apricot Cookies (Nov 2021) – Roni Denholtz

As Erica cleans out her grandmother's home, she searches for her favorite holiday apricot cookie recipe. With a little help from the neighbor, who also adored her grandmother and loved the same cookies, they start on a quest to find the recipe before the end of 8 days of Hanukkah. And a recipe at the end of the book!

From This Moment (Nov 2021) – Melody Grace

Friends to lovers on the rebound. Can a self-proclaimed bachelor and man-about-town allow himself to find true love? And will his best friend trust him enough to let him get close?

Red Velvet Crinkles and Christmas Sprinkles (Nov 2021) – Maria Imblazano

Fired and at a loss, Bella returns home only to find her parents need help in their shop over the holiday season. She's thrown together with her high school crush—the one who both betrayed her and motivated her as a teen—to help save the business, as she works to save her career. A fun journey through the world of retail during the holidays. And a recipe at the end of the book!

A Sailor’s Perfect Christmas (Nov 2021) – Dari Laroche

As Alex takes over his father's marine salvage business, he is tasked to plan a holiday company party. When he meets the perfect woman, whose job in education allows her time off during the holidays, she pitches in. Spending quality time together leads to a holiday romance.

If Snowflakes Were Forever: A MacLeod's Cove Novella (Dec 2021) – Luanna Stewart

A delightful and fun romp of a story about two characters, each in isolation, on a journey of discovery about their own lives. Until their worlds collide and they find the journey may be more interesting together.

Let It Snow (Oct 2019) – Nancy Thayer

A story of friendships, work buddies, and finding love, new friends, and forgiveness at Christmas, amidst the lovely scenery of island life on Nantucket.

Kwanzaa Angel (July 2012) – Shirley Hailstock

The nightmare from her high school years is back in town, and he keeps showing up at every town Kwanzaa celebration. The chemistry is hot. She’s a successful business woman looking to expand, but he betrays her a second time – this time through his own business dealings. Can they find a way to make their growing love work this time before he heads home after the week of Kwanzaa celebrations?

Christmas in the Duke’s Arms (Dec 2021) – Julie Johnstone

An unrequited love and a marriage of convenience merge into a lovely romance between two who are so different and wary of the other. But each brings out the best in the other and love wins out!

Yours ‘Til Midnight: A Kwanzaa Kisses Holiday (Book ONE of 9 books by different authors released individually during December 2021) – Jailaa West

A very spicey, Cinderella quick read, where the hero is left with no clues to follow in order to find the woman he falls in love with, at first sight.

Caught Up in Candy Cane Kisses (Dec 2021) – Shannon Robinson

A second chance at love with the help of a few matchmakers and a cookie baking / fundraiser contest. And a recipe at the end of the book!

Scoring Over the Holidays: A Holiday Sports Anthology (Dec 2021) – Sierra Hall, Alexia Chase, Alexis
Anne, Cathryn Fox, Daniela Romero, Kimberly Readnour, Lisa Lang Blakeney, Megan Ryder, Melissa Ivers, Mira Lyn Kelly

Holiday stories featuring sports stars. The stories run from hot to sweet.

One Christmas Wish (Oct 2021) – Brenda Jackson

Two people, both heartbroken for different reasons, find someone who listens and shares. But both are off-limits for different reasons. Heartwarming tale of loss and finding second chances through trust and love.

It’s Christmas Cowboy (The Sons of Chance) (Nov 2021) – Vicki Lewis Thompson

A quick read of second chances and unrequited love that brings two together to celebrate Christmas Eve after being stranded in a cozy cabin during a blizzard.

Kisses and Lemon Snowflake Cookies (Christmas Cookies) (Dec 2021) - N. Jade Gray

A self-conscious out-of-towner, helps her aunt in her bakery and meets the Mr. July fireman of the fundraiser calendar fame, who also doesn’t have much confidence when it comes to women, in the cute holiday match-maker story. It helps that said fireman loves lemon snowflake cookies. And a recipe at the end of the book!

Sleigh Bells Ring (Oct 2021) – RaeAnne Thayne

Childhood friends reconnect to find true love, as one family is ready to move on from the ranch owned by
their recently deceased grandfather, while the other is invested in a property she has no hold on. Against all odds, can they make true love work?

Kwanzaa ‘Pon a Time (Nov 2021) – Marcia King-Gamble

Meeting her brother’s best friend, from their service in Afghanistan, pushes every button the heroine thought true. But stuck together over the Christmas holiday, as maid of honor and best man for her brother’s Kwanzaa wedding, she soon finds the truth and true love.

The Christmas Escape (Oct 2021) – Sarah Morgan

A multi-layered journey about relationships: childhood best friends, marriage, career choices, all in the spectacular settings of London, the British countryside, and the remote Lapland in Scandinavia.

TOO MANY BOOKS, TOO LITTLE TIME: BOOKS I PLAN to READ

A Cowboy’s Christmas (The McGavin Brothers, Book 6) (Nov 2017) – Vicki Lewis Thompson

Duke the Halls (Nov 2021) – anthology with Christi Caldwell, Jennifer Ashley, Anna Bradley, Grace Burrowes, Kerrigan Byrne. Tanya Anne Crosby. (Six historical stories about love during the holidays.)

A Sweetwater Canyon Holiday Trio (Dec 2017) – Maggie Lynch

Christmas Holiday House (Oct 2020) – RaeAnne Thayne

Candleglow and Mistletoe (Oct 2016) – Josie Riviera

Tis The Season for Romance (Nov 2021) - Diana Dawn, Susan Horsnell, Josie Johnston, Mary Morano, J. F. Lowe, A. M. Olenick, Andra Dill, Jakki Frances

The Christmas Boutique (Oct 2019) – Jennifer Chiaverini

One More Christmas (Dec 2020) – Sarah Morgan 

Mischief Under the Mistletoe (Oct 2021) – Stephanie Rowe

Christmas on Peachtree Lane (Nov 2020) – Jules Bennett

New Year’s Miracle: A Sweet Stonewater Novella - Book 4 (Nov 2021) – Ginny Frost

There’s Only One Holiday at Christmas (Collection 2018, 2019, 2020) – Jackie Lau

Dear Santa, I Really Tried: A Holiday Anthology from Naughty to Nice (Nov 2021) – Kathryn Shay, Lisa Mondello, Patricia McLinn, Barbara McMahon, Chantel Rondeau, KT Pec, Day LeClaire

A Cowboy’s Christmas (The McGavin Brothers, Book 6) (Nov 2017) – Vicki Lewis Thompson

The Doctor's Instant Family (Oct 2018) – Mindy Neff

Gifts of Love (two stories) (Oct 2009) – Lisa Kleypas and Kay Hooper 

 Come Dance With Me

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/bMrQva

ALSO – check out Woman’s World 5-minute Romance Holiday – a digest of 40 holiday shorts – I have a Thanksgiving story and a Valentine’s Day story (on stands until Feb 7, 2022)

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her novella, The Love Left Behind, released in October, 2020. She is currently editing her own holiday book, The Inn on Gooseneck Lane.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photo Credits:
Book covers from Amazon

The season for cookies...

It wouldn't be a December blog post from me without a recipe for a festive treat. The house smells delicious while these cookies are baking, and the tiny bits of crystallized ginger will warm you on even the chilliest of days. I’ve been baking these cookies for years and they are even mentioned in my newest book when my heroine, Jill, tells her friend of her holiday plans.

Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 finely chopped crystallized ginger

Place one oven rack in top third of oven, and one rack in bottom third. Preheat oven to 350 F. 

In large bowl, combine flour, soda, salt & spices.

In another large bowl, or bowl of stand mixer, beat butter for 2 minutes, beat in brown sugar until creamy, additional 3 minutes. Add egg, molasses & chopped crystallized ginger & beat to blend.

On low speed, add flour mixture in two batches to combine.

Scoop 1 tablespoon size portions onto parchment lined baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 15 minutes, until edges are firm but centre is soft.

Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

Note:  For even more ginger flavour and heat, add 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger to the butter mixture before stirring in the flour mixture. 

When a minor health scare dampens Jillian Sinclair’s Christmas glee, she retreats to a beach cottage with the goal of fixing her life. Owning a car dealership is no longer exciting and she wants a change. But to what?

 

While the snow collects and the wind blows, Jill makes big plans that don’t include the handsome-as-sin recluse with the charming smile. She’d tried the love thing before, but flings are more fun and less prone to heartache. Too bad the holiday romance didn’t get the memo. Now the L word keeps popping into her head and crowding out common sense.

Patrick Evans has his own reasons for hiding in a big empty house with a killer view of the ocean, number one being to write his next book by deadline. Still not recovered from a tragedy and the secrets it uncovered, the last thing he needs is to be enticed by the beautiful woman next door. But there’s no avoiding her, and after one kiss, he stops trying. 

Their days together are numbered. Jill will head off on her adventure and Patrick will resume his lonely existence. 

Exactly what they both want – right?

https://books2read.com/ifsnowflakeswereforever 

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing spicy contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband, one spoiled cat, and five hens. 

Website ~ Bookbub ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Cosmic Christmas Chronicles #scifi #romance

 Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of sci-fi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions. Since I've already been lucky enough to share a few Christmas stories ready for the holiday, I thought I'd add a few more to tempt you!

Four-year-old Maggie Bock loves living aboard her parents’ space cruiser, but it’s almost Christmas. What if Santa doesn’t know where she is now? Someone will have to find him and tell him, of course. But when she stows away on her mother’s transport to Terr, she sets off a chain of events that brings the holidays to the Atlantis.

Join Maggie and her family for a hilarious and heart-warming adventure as Matirans and Terrians come together to celebrate what makes the holiday season so very special.

(Blue Christmas is a companion story to my novel Prophecy, Book One of the Prophecy Series. This story takes place three months after the end of Prophecy.)

Stranded on Earth after a hyperdrive malfunction, the five surviving members of the Zau’gaut’s crew learn to blend in and survive on a backwater world. Opening a seasonal decorating company, their captain hopes it will help them blend in while learning about Earther culture. Despite Earth’s primitive state, they find themselves growing attached to the planet and its people. When one crew member takes a chance and finds himself growing attached to a certain human woman, the crew begins to wonder if being stranded on Earth means they must also give up their chances at finding love.

Our heart has its own compass. It knows where we should be heading, even if the rest of us doesn’t. Through loss and love, our heart’s compass guides us through life, often to somewhere completely unexpected. When the world ends, the heart’s compass of several people has them headed in directions they may have never traveled otherwise.

Each book in the series is a stand-alone story, but is written within the same fictional setting in which the Earth has just been struck with several massive solar flares. All modern technology has been rendered inoperable. Cars, computers, city infrastructure, phones – all gone in an instant and without warning. In the days directly following the end of the modern world, people must learn to depend on each other, and on their heart’s compass, if they hope to survive.

She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas…

Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more.

He’s waiting under the mistletoe…

Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no.

All they’re asking for…

Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?

To find more, please visit the SFR Station.

Out of this World Holiday Reads #scifi #romance

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions.
while my little Christmas SFR story is still in edits (ugh!), I have some more to warm your heart this winter, including a new release at the end of this post from one of my favourite authors (saving the best until last!):

Open With Care by Pauline Baird Jones and Genie Davis
Beware of aliens bearing gifts 
Christmas is coming and so is All I Got For Christmas. Inside you’ll get the evocative and haunting, ”Riding for Christmas,” and the offbeat and heartwarming, "Up on the Housetop.” 

Riding For Christmas:
A mesmerizing tale of interstellar time travel and romance!
Jane MacKenzie, visiting her grandfather’s abandoned ranch, discovers something in the snow. When she opens the ribbon-wrapped box, it mysteriously returns Sam Harrington, who “disappeared” in an 1885 blizzard. 
There’s nothing alien in this enduring tale of holiday homecomings and the hope of love that lasts a lifetime. 

Up on the House Top:
Will her Christmas be ho, ho, ho? Or oh no, no, no?
Gini knew Christmas in Wyoming would be challenging as she headed over the frozen crick and through the woods to the family cabin. The lights are going out in her mom’s attic, the guy who broke her heart is on the porch…and there are aliens on the roof.
According to her mom, it’s going to be the best Christmas ever.
194 pages, $3.99
Amazon, Kobo, Nook

Batteries Not Required by Christine D'Abo (Christmas themed and erotic)

Love Transcends Circuits

Zoe is all alone on an outpost monitoring a lonely quadrant of space. It’s nearly Christmas and all she has for company is her computer AI, Rupert. She isn’t expecting a present from Xion Corporation to help pass the time, but when she opens the box to find a sex bot, a whole world of steamy entertainment possibilities come to mind.

When Zoe activates Sam she doesn’t realize the trouble she’s in for. Sam takes Zoe to sexy new heights and Rupert does a stellar impersonation of a jealous boyfriend. Zoe struggles to ground herself in reality despite her growing lust, but it’s becoming more and more obvious she’s falling in love. But with who—Sam or Rupert?

When a computer virus is unleashed on the outpost, Zoe must choose—or risk losing them both.
128 pages, $1.99
Amazon, Kobo

Noelle In His Heart (Celestial Seasons #1) by C.E. Kilgore, now available with other holiday SFR tales as an omnibus edition: Details here: http://cekilgore.com/books/celestial-seasons/
A Christmas romance with a Sci-Fi twist!
Noelle has made the same wish for the past six years to the angel on top of Father Nathan’s Christmas Tree. All she wants for Christmas is someone with warm arms to hold her and who can understand that she has commitments – commitments which include the twenty-six children at the foster center she volunteers for.
Stranded on Earth six years ago, Steve and his crewmates have done a pretty good job of secretly finding a place in human society, but it doesn’t erase the loneliness that hits hardest around the holidays. He longs for companionship and someone who will understand that his alien heart can love just as deeply

Hey, Santa: SciFi Holiday Romance by Jessica E Subject

She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas… 
Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more. 
He’s waiting under the mistletoe… 
Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no. 
All they’re asking for… 

Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?
Amazon

A Galactic Holiday: SciFi Romance trilogy
Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?
A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.
How the Glitch Saved Christmas, by Stacy Gail
Galileo's Holiday, by Sasha Summers
Winter Fusion, by Anna Hackett
Stories also available for purchase separately. 86,000 words
Amazon, $7.99

Even Villains Have Interns is set around Christmas and ends with a Christmas Day proposal (psst, recommended - this is one of my favourite series!)
It's Chicago's favorite city son vs Delilah, daughter of Dr. Charm. America's second city will never know what hit it. 
Bootleggers, drug dealers, crooked cops, and dirty politicians... Chicago has always had a reputation for indulging in the finer vices of life. That’s why Doctor Charm’s favorite daughter found America’s Second City so appealing; criminals are never boring. As second in command for the powerful Subrosa Security group, Delilah Samson finds opportunities to use her superpowers at every turn. Whether it’s stealing a priceless French painting from a mobster or stopping a drug deal, she’s game. 
In fact, the only thing she doesn’t care for is Chicago’s favorite native son, Deputy Mayor Alan Adale, the man who made Lucifer jealous. Sinfully handsome, or possibly just sinful, Adale has been pursuing Delilah since she first arrived, and she’s been dodging. 
When she finds ties between the new kingpin in town and a drug The Company wants to buy so they can create more superheroes, Delilah takes the gloves off. Teaming up with the spooky Spirit of Chicago, she aims to take down the dealers, the mobsters, the kingpin, and The Company. All without falling in love with the one man capable of capturing her heart. 
Amazon

The Polar Terror
Kaddy Chaak’s career is in jeopardy, her social life is non-existent, and instead of spending the holidays at home with everyone she loves, she’s in the hospital with her chronically-ill, probably-dying nephew Everett, wondering if her dead sister could have fixed this. The one bright note in an otherwise bleak winter is a potential visit from the Polar Terror, the only super villain north of the 66th parallel, to make little Everett’s hospital wish come true.  

Kaddy’s not really expecting him to show. At best, she expects a lackluster cosplayer with a half-hour to spare.  

What she gets is a swoon-worthy stranger full of secrets, who might just sweep her off her feet–and maybe help her leave the past behind, once and for all.  
Publisher's website
(not set at Christmas but it is mentioned, and the book is set in Alaska).

Enjoy!

Out of this World Christmas Romance Tales #holiday #scifirom

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of SciFi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions. Every year I struggle to come up with SciFi romances involving holidays. It's not a subgenre that seems to lend itself to holiday tales very easily, at least not for me. I suppose in the far future, changes in our culture and possibly the planets we might colonize with their differing time scales and climates might render many of our traditional holidays obsolete, or result in them being blended to deal with a truly multicultural society or adapted to fit other worlds. My own attempts to write holiday themed SFR has given me one finished but paranormal Halloween short, and two unfinished SFRs: one a semi-spoof Easter story about an alien called Ostara (an old name for Easter) and a winter solstice SF mystery with romantic elements. Somehow my muse rebels against the whole Christmas in spaaaaaace theme, though I did manage at long last to write a Christmas tale for my main SFR couple last year as a special gift. Unfortunately I won't be offering it this year as I have plans to have it fully edited and officially released at a later date.
But fear not! Thanks to the SFR Brigade, I have found you some holiday themed scifi romance tales to warm your heart this winter:

Open With Care by Pauline Baird Jones and Genie Davis
Beware of aliens bearing gifts 
Christmas is coming and so is All I Got For Christmas. Inside you’ll get the evocative and haunting, ”Riding for Christmas,” and the offbeat and heartwarming, "Up on the Housetop.” 

Riding For Christmas:
A mesmerizing tale of interstellar time travel and romance!
Jane MacKenzie, visiting her grandfather’s abandoned ranch, discovers something in the snow. When she opens the ribbon-wrapped box, it mysteriously returns Sam Harrington, who “disappeared” in an 1885 blizzard. 
There’s nothing alien in this enduring tale of holiday homecomings and the hope of love that lasts a lifetime. 

Up on the House Top:
Will her Christmas be ho, ho, ho? Or oh no, no, no?
Gini knew Christmas in Wyoming would be challenging as she headed over the frozen crick and through the woods to the family cabin. The lights are going out in her mom’s attic, the guy who broke her heart is on the porch…and there are aliens on the roof.
According to her mom, it’s going to be the best Christmas ever.
194 pages, $3.99
Amazon, Kobo, Nook

Batteries Not Required by Christine D'Abo (Christmas themed and erotic)

Love Transcends Circuits

Zoe is all alone on an outpost monitoring a lonely quadrant of space. It’s nearly Christmas and all she has for company is her computer AI, Rupert. She isn’t expecting a present from Xion Corporation to help pass the time, but when she opens the box to find a sex bot, a whole world of steamy entertainment possibilities come to mind.

When Zoe activates Sam she doesn’t realize the trouble she’s in for. Sam takes Zoe to sexy new heights and Rupert does a stellar impersonation of a jealous boyfriend. Zoe struggles to ground herself in reality despite her growing lust, but it’s becoming more and more obvious she’s falling in love. But with who—Sam or Rupert?

When a computer virus is unleashed on the outpost, Zoe must choose—or risk losing them both.
128 pages, $1.99
Amazon, Kobo

Noelle In His Heart (Celestial Seasons #1) by C.E. Kilgore, now available with other holiday SFR tales as an omnibus edition: Details here: http://cekilgore.com/books/celestial-seasons/
A Christmas romance with a Sci-Fi twist!
Noelle has made the same wish for the past six years to the angel on top of Father Nathan’s Christmas Tree. All she wants for Christmas is someone with warm arms to hold her and who can understand that she has commitments – commitments which include the twenty-six children at the foster center she volunteers for.
Stranded on Earth six years ago, Steve and his crewmates have done a pretty good job of secretly finding a place in human society, but it doesn’t erase the loneliness that hits hardest around the holidays. He longs for companionship and someone who will understand that his alien heart can love just as deeply

Hey, Santa: SciFi Holiday Romance by Jessica E Subject

She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas… 
Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more. 
He’s waiting under the mistletoe… 
Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no. 
All they’re asking for… 

Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?
Amazon

A Galactic Holiday: SciFi Romance trilogy
Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?
A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.
How the Glitch Saved Christmas, by Stacy Gail
Galileo's Holiday, by Sasha Summers
Winter Fusion, by Anna Hackett
Stories also available for purchase separately. 86,000 words
Amazon, $7.99

Even Villains Have Interns is set around Christmas and ends with a Christmas Day proposal (psst, recommended - this is one of my favourite series!)
It's Chicago's favorite city son vs Delilah, daughter of Dr. Charm. America's second city will never know what hit it. 
Bootleggers, drug dealers, crooked cops, and dirty politicians... Chicago has always had a reputation for indulging in the finer vices of life. That’s why Doctor Charm’s favorite daughter found America’s Second City so appealing; criminals are never boring. As second in command for the powerful Subrosa Security group, Delilah Samson finds opportunities to use her superpowers at every turn. Whether it’s stealing a priceless French painting from a mobster or stopping a drug deal, she’s game. 
In fact, the only thing she doesn’t care for is Chicago’s favorite native son, Deputy Mayor Alan Adale, the man who made Lucifer jealous. Sinfully handsome, or possibly just sinful, Adale has been pursuing Delilah since she first arrived, and she’s been dodging. 
When she finds ties between the new kingpin in town and a drug The Company wants to buy so they can create more superheroes, Delilah takes the gloves off. Teaming up with the spooky Spirit of Chicago, she aims to take down the dealers, the mobsters, the kingpin, and The Company. All without falling in love with the one man capable of capturing her heart. 
Amazon

Enjoy!