Author's Note

The holidays seem to require traditions, the comforting rituals you associate with warmth, good cheer, and family.  Everyone has some holiday tradition to remember fondly, whether it’s allowing one special present to be opened on Christmas Eve, or that the youngest child lights the candles of the menorah, or setting off fireworks at midnight. 

One of the traditions that fascinates me is that of the first footer – a popular New Year’s tradition in Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom.  The tradition holds that the first person to cross the threshold of a home after the stroke of midnight on New Year’s, called Hogmanay in Scotland, determines the luck of the household for the year.  A tall, dark-haired man is said to bring the best luck, whereas red-heads and women are said to bring bad luck.  And you had better be sure the first threshold crossing is in instead of out, or all your luck and prosperity will flow out of the house all year.  And the best luck is brought by a first footer who also brings small gifts – bread or cake to ensure no hunger in the coming year, a few small coins to ensure fiscal prosperity, or whiskey to bring good cheer. 

The first footer tradition is especially important to my character, Agnes Milton, in my short story “Over the Hogmanay Threshold.”  Agnes lives alone on a sparse Scottish heath and cannot depend on a wandering stranger to help her fulfill the tradition, so she has to come up with creative ways to ensure her luck in the coming year.  How does she do it?  You’ll have to read the story and see.

May you and yours have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Not all winter holidays revolve around gift giving.  New Year’s traditions focus on reflection before looking forward, and doing something to make the coming year a little bit better than the one just ending.  My mother always said that what you did on New Year’s Day was what you would be doing for the year, which is why no matter how late I am up celebrating with my friends the night before, I always make sure that I write on New Year’s Day, even if it’s only a paragraph or two.  Some cultures call for a lot of noise at the turning of the year to scare away malicious spirits, and others hold that all chores and debts must be taken care of before the stroke of midnight so that you don’t drag any dirty laundry, literal or metaphorical, into the New Year. 

The Scottish culture in particular holds New Year’s traditions in high esteem.  For about four or five hundred years, the Protestant movement prevented the celebration of Christmas in Scotland (it was seen as too “Popish” or Catholic), so the Scottish people focused on the turning of the year, called Hogmanay in thier culture.  Even though Christmas is now regularly celebrated throughout Scotland now, Hogmanay remains one of the biggest celebrations on thier calendar.  Despite frequently frigid temperatures, the Scots people gather in town squares or go from home to home celebrating at multiple parties throughout the night.  Gifts are given and good cheer is shared.  And nearly all the Scots people participate in the tradition of the first footer. 

The first footer is the first person to cross a home’s threshold after the stroke of midnight, and this person influences the household luck for the coming year.  A tall, dark-haired man is said to bring the most luck, while red-heads and women are said to be bad luck.  The first crossing of the threshold should be in instead of out, to make sure that your luck and prosperity do not flow away from the household throughout the coming year.  And if the first footer comes bearing gifts, that brings the most luck of all.  Some bread or cake keeps the household from hunger, while a few coins ensure prosperity, and a bit of whisky brings good cheer with it. 

But what’s a woman to do when she lives alone in the middle of a lonely Scottish heath?  This is precisely the problem that my character, Agnes Milton, faces in my short story, “Over the Hogmanay Threshold.”  Agnes is quite possibly the most superstituous woman in all of Scotland, and she uses all of her whiles to make sure her New Year will be blessed.  But things don’t go quite as planned, leaving Agnes in danger.  

To find out what happens to Agnes, read my story, “Over the Hogmanay Threshold.”

Ok, now that I have your attention…. I am participating in the 12 Days of Reading ebook promotion with my publisher, Echelon Press. Starting December 1st and running for 12 days there is a new holiday or winter themed short story released every day. The first 3 days have seen a horror story, a thriller, and a YA piece perfect for your tween reader. I have drawn the 6th position in the promotion, which falls this Sunday. I know Sunday is not usually a high traffic day, what with people having busy lives to begin with and now there is football and holiday preparations on top of it. So, I am running a promotion.

On the day my story debuts (this Sunday, 12/6) I will give away a free copy (pdf download) of my story to the most funny/touching/creative response to my blog post on the Echelon Shorts website (http://echelonpressshorts.wordpress.com/) posted in the first 24 hours.  I hope you’ll take a few minutes out of your busy Sunday to come visit my blog and make a comment, and maybe even win a copy of “Over the Hogmanay Threshold”!

Ready for great holiday ebooks? Join Echelon Shorts between December 1-December 12 as they celebrate 12 Days of Great Reads!

During this celebration, Echelon Shorts will be bringing you the best new holiday releases and posts each day from the authors. Find mystery and romance, mainstream and fantasy, thrillers and young adult stories. The release schedule includes short stories from Carl Brookins, Austin Camacho, Mary Cunningham, Lois Carroll, Christine Verstraete, Michelle D. Sonnier, Lance Zarimba, Karen Syed, Yvonne Walus, Jeffrey Martin, Vonnie Winslow Crist, and Regan Black.

Stop by http://echelonshorts.com to find these posts and stories, and for your chance to win free ebooks!