Welcome to the release day blitz for Christmas Eve by Angela Burns! To coincide with this event, I have turned the blog over to Angela for a while. Here she shares with us:
THE
MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS
I
love Christmas. Always have and always will. I do, however, find
myself trying to emulate the essence of Dickens, Capra and the
Coca-Cola company all into one, and ask the same question I ask
myself every December 1st. What is it that infects us?
What magic unites us?
Is it
an elusive equation studied by seasonal scholars? A sprinkling of
snow, a dash of bauble, a cup of pine all mixed into a simmering,
warm pot of love? Whatever the season means to you one thing is for
sure, the magic it brings IS effecting. I don't know of any
other event that managed to bring two warring sides together in a
moment of infamous unity. Ypres, Belgium, Christmas Eve 1914. If the
Allies and the Germans manged to silence the shrilling of the shells
for the sake of a greater good, then the season brings hope for us
all.
It is
the spirit of hope that inspired me to write 'Christmas Eve'. Like
many, I have experienced loss and tragedy. Having served as a Police
Officer before retiring to my own devices, I have born witness to the
hurt of others and slipped into their sadness, often unable to
resolve the demon that plagues them. Through the enigmatic 'Nick',
the stories co-protagonist, I was able to live my own dream of being
the person who can offer understanding, forgiveness and ultimately
redemption. His magic, the Christmas magic, was the perfect avenue
for him to breathe life.
I am
sure that many of you would love the opportunity of a second-chance,
an understanding, a clairvoyant ability to twist the course of the
past to better the present. As proven in Ypres, Christmas is a rare
moment in time where life is placed on hold, differences and quarrels
cast aside to embrace a wholesome and miraculous spirit. What if we
embraced this entity other than during the 12 Days of Christmas? How
would our life have turned out?
Forgiveness,
love and compassion are powerful allies, often lost in the fog of
daily life, when an all-to-often selfish need to push on and cope
consumes us. We are all guilty of not making time for those we love
for many different reasons. Sadly, as personal experience has taught
me, sometimes these simple, forgotten emotions can cause a lifetime
of torture and grief.
In
'Christmas Eve', I explore the tragic consequences of lives taken for
granted, and desperately try to relay the message that no matter
what, we have no control over what happens next, so the need to
embrace the present is paramount. I lead back to the question of what
if?
What
if that wonderfully translucent core that perpetuates the magic that
descends every 24th December bathed us all year long? If
we embraced the spirit of Christmas for a moment each and every day,
put the world on pause and take stock. I believed that it would leave
all of us in a better position to cope with the inevitable journey of
heart-break we must face at some time, and certainly suffocate
hopeless despair and regret.
I
don't know what the magic is, nor do I wish to know. All I am
certain is that is for the soul, and we could all do with some time
to time. Love is not a time-limited offer, reconciliation and
forgiveness is not in short supply. The magic is out there for us to
take anytime we need it.
HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
About
the Author:
Angela
Burns is a retired Police Officer, living with her partner and
children in Norwich, Norfolk. Having been given the gift of time, she
now writes full time, living her ambition to share the stories that
have floated around her head for so long.
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