I was driving south to Monterey on a chilly Northern California Christmas Eve morning when I heard an intriguing spot on NPR. Australian singer Tim Minchen was performing a song about Christmas, called "Drinking White Wine in the Sun." Well, even in California, it's never quite that hot on Christmas. It really got me thinking about how most of our holiday tradition--including the songs--are so Northern-Hemisphere centric. Of course that only covers about half the world, and there are plenty of people who don't have snow or mistletoe and wouldn't even think of roasting chestnuts on an open fire in December.
For many people the ideal Christmas includes snow. "White Christmas" is arguably one the most popular holiday songs, at least in the US. But in general, the songs we hear involve snowmen and ice skating and Santa lives at the North Pole, with lots of snow. But not everyone's Christmas tradition includes freezing your ass off.
In Argentina, people enjoy fireworks and among the favorite dishes are cold salads and refreshing iced drinks. No hot chocolate and rich eggnogs.
Having a non-traditional Christmas setting was one of the key points in my holiday novella "A Christmas Bonus." Here, two New Yorkers Brant and Alec find themselves on a sunny island in French Polynesia (not far from Tahiti), finishing up a business deal, while trying to enjoy a traditional family Christmas. But they're both like fish out of water, Alec because he's an outsider with Brant's family and Brant because he's never taken time to appreciate his own family, letting business get in the way. This Christmas, it's Brant's niece and nephew, along with Alec who remind Brant how important holidays and family really are. He finds his own seasonal epiphany and changes his life--and that of many other people--for the better.
What are your favorite holiday traditions, wherever you live? And would you want to celebrate Christmas in another part of the world? Would a beach Christmas be fun, or just not really Christmas for you?
Alec Compton's dream job at a Wall Street investment firm is on the line if he can't close a make-or-break takeover deal by the end of the year.
The buyer is none other than world-renowned billionaire and corporate raider Brant Linton, recently named one of the hottest and most eligible gay businessmen. Electricity crackles at their first meeting, and Alec's thoughts drift far from business, despite his distaste for Brant's business practices.
When Brant takes off early to spend Christmas with his sister's family on the exclusive French Polynesian island of Taha'a, Alec has no choice but to follow if he wants to get Brant to sign on the dotted line. But Brant's sister has forbidden him from conducting business during the holidays and Alec must masquerade as Brant's boyfriend.
Then business turns into pleasure, but neither Brant nor Alec know whether the other is there for the deal, or for something more personal in EM Lynley's sizzling holiday novella A CHRISTMAS BONUS.
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