I can't avoid it anymore . . . . by Kate Walker

I've been away - teaching Romance Writing in Wales, which is why everything - including this post - is a bit later than I intended as I catch up.


I had a wonderful time, a great group - we had lots of fun, talked all sorts of things about writing and the weekend just sped by - and then it was time to come home.And that was when two things happened.


One was that one of the students on the course gave me a small thank you gift - she had gone to the trouble of baking me a special Christmas Cake in appreciation for the classes and the one on one advice I'd given her on this course and one last year. I was so touched. Thank you so much Rachael - that was so sweet of you.


And then on the way home, the hotel where we stayed overnight to break the journey (and that was much needed as I'd barely had any sleep for the past two nights and it was pitch black and pouring with rain) - anyway, that hotel had suddenly transformed itself into a Christmas Wonderland. It hadn't been that way before. But suddenly there was a Christmas display in the main reception hall, a Christmas tree sparkling and twinkling in the corner, and the staff were putting the finishing touched to decorations in the bar!


Now I'm someone who likes to wait at least until December to even start planning Christmas. OK, I've bought some cards but they come from a charity catalogue, and so I have to order them a bit in advance. But this weekend things got to me and I gave in - I even bought a couple of Christmas Presents while I was in a new town, a different place, with different shops from the ones I'm used to. And now that I'm back I realise that I need to get on and plann and organise my special Christmas Celebrations over on my blog and my web site.


It's a tradition that I run the Christmas Stocking Stuffed With Books contest on my blog. Writing friends donate books and I put them in a special Christmas Stocking and two lucky people win copies of all the donated books. That way you get to hear about a lot of new authors and maybe add their names to the list that you'll be sending on to Santa and his elves (or whoever else distributes the presents in your house) very soon.


And then here on My Tote Bag Leena will be running my 12 Days of Christmas contest from December 1st or near then. Every day for 12 days leading up to Christmas I'll be giving away a signed copy of one of my books and a little extra Christmas Gift to all the lucky winners. So why not check out my blog or my Contest page on my web site to see when the contest is starting?


Or if you can't wait then there's a contest on My Tote Bag right now - this one is to celebrat the publication of my November release The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife that's in the shops right now.


I'll have to get busy planning and organising these contests - and then I have to plan gifts for my family and friends too - and write another book! Before I know it, it's going to be a brand new year.


So what about you? Have you started planning - and even buying - your Christmas presents yet? Are you a planner, with a list already drawn up and maybe one or two items and people ticked off on it? Or are you someone who prefers to wait until the last minute, and rush out to the shops when they're crowded and busy - so that you can enjoy all the bustle and excitement then?

One thing I know, at least - and that is that thanks to Rachael I won't need to make - or buy - my Christmas Cake. That's already stored away safely in the cupboard