Norma's Novels

Merry Christmas and Hello! I’m Debra Chapoton, author of A SOUL’S KISS, and I have the honoring of guest posting on day 4 (Four Calling Birds) of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I thought I'd show you what Christmas is like when you live in a full log home. To decorate our place, we call it Big Pine Lodge, there are four fundamental elements that are indispensable — think four calling birds — and they are: a giant wreath, railings that drip with greenery and lights, a sentimental display of Christmas music boxes collected over many years and a big tree decorated with rustic ornaments.

Editors are always telling authors to “show, don’t tell” so here are a few pictures:

The wall in the sunroom, right behind where I write, is 26 feet tall and needs a large wreath to fill the space. My husband and I made this one ourselves, decorating it with outdoorsy ornaments featuring a moose, a canoe, a birdhouse, fishing gear, and more. But one wreath isn't enough. We hang them by the front door of the lodge, the guesthouse, and the bunkhouse, and we also have to have one over the fireplace.

You can’t have a log home without a massive fireplace, right? Hubby and I found every one of those rocks on our property, over six tons worth.

We have a wide bridge between the loft and an upstairs bedroom so I have about fifty feet of railing, plus stairway railing, to drape with garland, lights, and tiny decorations. You can see some of it in the last picture. The railing continues into the loft which is open over the kitchen.

You may have noticed in those pictures that the tops of my kitchen cabinets are safe places to display 22 Christmas music boxes. I started collecting one per year when the kids were little. Each one holds a special memory of Christmases past. And yes, I have favorites.

The great room and dining room flow together so at Christmas we can tuck a nine-foot tree into a corner of the dining area and enjoy it from the first or second floor.

Yup, this is a log cabin Christmas. There’s a lot more, too, like Christmas tapestries, handmade Santas, bugles and ice skates and, of course, the prominently displayed manger scene. I could go on and on, but let’s keep it at these “four calling birds.”

Oh, and I guess I have four other birds, that is, I've written four young adult novels that would make good Christmas gifts for anyone, any age. They are A SOUL’S KISS, THE GUARDIAN’S DIARY, SHELTERED, and EDGE OF ESCAPE. You can also find my chapter books for kids HERE and I've written a couple of non-fiction works: BUILDING A LOG HOME IN UNDER A YEAR and CROSSING THE SCRIPTURES.

By the way, did you know that the four calling birds represented the four gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? The story of Jesus’ birth is in Luke chapter 2. We always read it before we dive into those presents under the tree. Speaking of presents, I have a $10 gift card for one of you. Please enter below for a chance to win it.

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