Snuggled in front of the fire. Sipping hot chocolate. Is it just me or do Hallmark Christmas movies stir up the holiday romance in all our hearts? Maybe, like me, you want a little holiday romance under your Christmas tree with all the other packages.

With six romance novels, not counting her other nine books, Catherine Ulrich Brakefield qualifies as a romance expert. Of course, her own love story reads like an epic novel with a swept-off-her-feet beginning!

Holiday Romance in Hawaii

Finally settled in her seat, she glanced up as the handsome sailor, Edward Brakefield, sat next to her on the plane. Polite but firm, she tried to ignore him to watch the movie. On holiday with her sister and a dear friend, she daydreamed of sandy beaches. Naturally, romance never climbed to her top ten things to do in Hawaii. 

To hear Catherine’s love story in her own voice, click above or go here.

Little did she know, Ed’s naval intelligence skill set played full force to his advantage. Even before she knew he existed, he spotted Catherine and negotiated pre-flight with the boarding agent for the seat next to hers.

As they chatted, he asked how he could find her once they arrived. She shrugged her shoulder. With proper manners, she refused to give him any information on the plane. Once they arrived, the girls further sabotaged his efforts accidentally.

A God Thing!

“I wanted this hotel that was hundred years old,” says Catherine, laughing about how her devotion to history led her to make a big mistake when booking the reservation. “But, no air conditioning! You know me, history, history.” (For more on raising history-loving kids, click here.)

Since the hot weather forced the young women to change hotels, they unpacked in the new accommodations. When they returned to the lobby, Ed was waiting for her. She was amazed.

“Wow! How did you find me?”

He told her it was a God-thing. Amazingly, he happened to see her turn the corner with her suitcase. For the next week, he spent every waking hour trying to be in her company. Undeterred, he even lined up blind dates for her two travel companions. 

Only a week later, on the last night of her trip, he proposed! Bewildered, she laughed!

“You’re kidding, right?”

Romantically Inclined

Over forty years later, she still prizes a couple of suitcases full of love letters she and her husband wrote back and forth in the months that followed. Today, real life still informs her writing.

“My novels don’t have the normal feel-good romance you see in most novels. It’s a tug of war romance; a true romance,” she says, adding, “It’s hard out there to know the truth about a man! We need to know what to look for, the signs.”

Thinking about the intersection of perseverance, fun, and romance, Catherine has some great insight about how to create your best life, including how to stir up holiday romance in your marriage. For tips about sparking life-long romance, click here.

May we pray together?

Dear Father, Life has a way of teaching us hard truths about endurance and commitment. Thank you for your example of unfailing, unconditional love. Your grace strengthens us for the day’s challenges. Give us hearts to love each other in a world full of rejection and bitterness. Help our hearts forgive each other. Draw us close to you, O good Father, as we spend time with family over the holidays. 

Please, strengthen us to see the delight you have in those we love. Give us hearts to cherish our loved ones, especially a spouse. Help us create romantic moments filled with tenderness and thanksgiving. Thank you, O Lord, for blessing us with your divine presence. We are grateful for the gift of your Son. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

We LOVE to hear from you!

What’s your favorite romantic way to spark holiday romance? Who’s your favorite book character ever created and why? Which books are on your Christmas giving list this year?

For Christmas Giving: Books! Yay!!

Since I promised to share, here are some of my favorite books for Christmas giving. With delight, I sincerely hope this makes your shopping easier! (Nobody pays me for recommendations, these are just some of the ones under my tree this year.)

For Kids: 

Want to share the marvel of God’s creation with your grands? Dinosaur Devotions made it into my grandkiddos’ stockings. Filled with dinosaur facts and fun pictures, older kids will love it for independent study. Written with her dinosaur-loving daughter in mind, Michelle Medlock Adams calls this book “a project of the heart.” To add our interview with Michelle to any of your gift books, click here.

For History Lovers and Men Who Love Battle Stories:

Now don’t miss Danny Sessums’s new 2-volume set of fabulous first-source A Force to Be Reckoned With. Also, Dann’s books make a great gift for research-loving writers. With a few clicks you can download Danny’s own personal stories and wisdom on Fireside Talk Radio to include in your gift to a history-loving friend!

For Gals:

For an inspiring devotion, Michelle and Bethany’s book, Platinum Faith: Live Brilliant, Be Resilient, & Know Your Worth. Happily for me, Michelle and I connected through our mutual friends at Elk Lake Publishing. (For more positive insight from other Elk Lake authors, click here.)

Also, remember to look for historic novels from Sandra Melville Hart. For more, click here to find the interview we did together or her mom’s pumpkin pie recipe. As a personal touch to your gift, you can download our interview and include it with any of her entertaining historical fiction.

Of course, several of my kids are getting prayerwalking Janet McHenry’s books this year. If you order through her website, they arrived signed by the author. Be sure and tell her I sent you in the comment block! For her Fireside Talk Radio interview, click here.

For more about Catherine’s hallmark-friendly romance books or to discover more fiction and nonfiction from our friends at CrossRiver Media, click here.

I’m wishing you a cuddly Christmas with those you love and a good book!

Cathy Krafve, Columnist, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and Christian Writer, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.