Wishing You a White (Elephant) Christmas

by Sara Rosett

About fifteen years ago I was invited to my first white elephant gift exchange party. The first rule was that we had to bring something from home—we couldn’t spend any money. The second rule was that our gift had to be awful as possible. I can’t remember now what I took, but I do remember that what one person thought of as “trash,” another person saw as a “treasure.”

The party was a blast. We had so much fun competing over gifts that at first glance wouldn’t seem that valuable. For instance, one woman brought a broken sewing machine. Another woman fought to get it because she wanted a sewing machine and knew her dad could fix anything.

I “won” this kitchen utensil. Can you guess what it is?

I couldn’t either.

   

Turns out, it’s a tomato slicer, a quintessential white elephant gift.

I wasn’t writing books at the time, but knew I wanted to attempt to write a mystery someday, so lots of my everyday experiences went in my mental “that’s interesting” file. The white elephant gift exchange party went in that file.

Fast forward thirteen years or so. I had written six Ellie Avery mystery series by then and was planning to write a Christmas book. I had several ideas, but the one that I was most excited to use was the white elephant gift exchange idea. Several of the gifts that I use in MISTLETOE, MERRIMENT, AND MURDER came from that first white elephant party.  

The white elephant gift exchange provided all sorts of interesting plot possibilities as well.  What if one of the gifts was a hidden treasure? What if one of the gifts was used as a murder weapon? What if several of the gifts were red herrings? That one party provided a great jumping off point for brainstorming.

I’m a huge fan of white elephant parties now. In fact, it’s about time to start thinking about what would make a great white elephant gift this year. It might be time to regift that tomato slicer… 

~Sara

P.S. Check this website for White Elephant party tips or ideas.

Sara writes mystery (Ellie Avery series) and intrigue (On the Run series). As a military spouse Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest travel thrillers. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.comor sign up for her newsletter list here. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

Christmas in September !?!

by Sara Rosett

I entered a store the other day and came face-to-face with a life-size, inflatable Santa in a grass skirt and Ray-Ban sunglasses doing the hula.

I wasn’t exactly happy to see Santa in September. Any Christmas display up before Thanksgiving usually gets a “Bah, humbug” response from me, but it seems that fighting the premature appearance of holiday items in stores is about as likely as avoiding that annoying coworker at the office Christmas party.  

So, it’s with a little chagrin that I have to admit that I’ve become part of the rush to Christmas trend.  The publishing industry is no different from the retail stores and has begun rolling out holiday-themed books. My Christmas mystery, MISTLETOE, MERRIMENT, AND MURDER, came out Oct 2.

It’s about a white elephant Christmas gift exchange gone bad. In a moment of weakness, Ellie (mom, professional organizer, and military spouse) agrees to host the squadron spouse Christmas party and becomes embroiled in a murder investigation when her white elephant gift is used as a murder weapon. 

The idea for the book came when I attended a Christmas party with a white elephant gift exchange. Our rules were that the gifts couldn’t be purchased; they had to be something we wanted to get rid of and, more importantly, they had to be as awful as possible. It was such a fun party! It got me thinking about what one person considers "trash" maybe a "treasure" to another person. I also happened to be watching a lot of Antiques Roadshow at the time and that led to one of those “what if” moments. What if one of the white elephant gifts wasn’t trash, but an overlooked treasure….?

I was off and running.

Despite it’s early appearance on bookstores shelves, MISTLETOE is my favorite book in the series. I hope you’ll pick up a copy or add it to your GoodReads list.

So, what about you? Do you like holiday-themed books? What's the best/worst/weirdest white elephant gift you've "won?" And, do early holiday displays bring out your inner Scrooge?  

~Sara

P.S. MISTLETOE was #10 on the Ingram list last week--very happy! Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy. I so appreciate it! 

P.P.S. I have two copies to give away to readers. Comment to be entered in drawing! Contest open until midnight (EST) 10/12/12. 

Sara writes mystery (Ellie Avery series) and intrigue (On the Run series). As a military spouse Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest travel thrillers. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com or sign up for her newsletter list here. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.