Seducing Santa (Holiday Series Book One)

Prologue~The Town of Holiday

In the state of Rhode Island, near the coast, is the little town of Holiday. The people there are friendly and welcoming, like the kind of people who would go out of their way to help their fellow neighbors or even just a stranger who happened to be visiting their quaint little hamlet. However, no town is perfect. There were a few bad apples, of course, but they still considered all the townspeople as family and refused to give up on anyone.

The town has one main square where you can find many shops and businesses. From Olivia’s Bookstore & Café, The Nook, to Shannon O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grill. To a toy store affectionately named Santa’s Workshop, or to Isabelle’s Heath and Beauty Salon called Mysterious Magic. All small businesses and locally owned. If you wanted to go to a big-name-brand fashion boutique or eat at a franchise restaurant, you would have to travel into South Kingston for that. They love their small-town charm here and see no reason to change it.

In the center of the main square is a large park with a white gazebo. This is the heart of the town and the place where they hold all their major events. You see, the town of Holiday fully embraces its name and goes all out for every holiday throughout the year. From The Pumpkin Festival for Halloween where they turn the whole town into a large haunted hay maze to The Snowflake Festival for Christmas where, if it hadn’t snowed yet, they would make it a white Christmas by using large snow machines and covering the town square in a blanket of white. They even have a massive egg hunt for Easter and a huge firework display every New Year and Fourth of July.

The Town of Holiday was founded in the early eighteen hundreds by an immigrant named Nicholas Holiday. He came to America with his small family to start a new life, excited at the idea of owning his own land. He was a farmer but found the ground on his farm was not good at growing much else other than trees. So, he went into the lumber business and grew his legacy. A town popped up around his Lumbermill along with the railroad, the town eventually being named Holiday after Holiday Mill & Lumber. Holiday was always prosperous, even through times of war and the Great Depression. It was as if the place had magic to it, but all the townspeople knew it was because they stuck together, no matter what.

Nicholas’ Family grew through each generation, his decedents still living there today. The old homestead has been replaced by a sizeable colonial-style home and has been modernized throughout the years but it still holds the history of their family alive. The town has gone through many changes recently but the people of Holiday always try to preserve their history, never forgetting where it all began.

However, how did the festivals and the celebrations begin? It all had to do with the story of Susan Holiday, Nicholas’s daughter. It was the height of the Civil War and most men would not be making it home for Christmas due to the terrible winter storms. Susan’s husband, Samuel had promised he would come home but a storm had made the roads impassable for any carriage or horse to make it into town. So Susan, along with the rest of the townspeople, got to work making enough candles to decorate all the trees in the forest surrounding Holiday hoping to make it a beacon for the men trying to get home. They filled the trees and kept them lit for three days, the final day being Christmas Eve. On that day, Susan was worried that it had not been enough but suddenly, union soldiers who had traveled on foot began emerging from the forest along with Susan’s husband Samuel. The whole town celebrated the men’s arrival with warm drinks and a huge feast. This was the first celebration of many the town would have together.

Now that you know more about the town of Holiday it’s time for the story to begin, this story takes place a few weeks before Christmas. Nicholas’ great, great-grandson Grayson has been mayor of Holiday for the past four years but it’s time for another election! His opponent is not planning on going easy on him this year and will use all the tricks up her sleeve to finally become mayor. However, a woman named Holly who has big ideas for the town of Holiday may end up changing not only the town but Grayson along with it. Holly comes to Holiday planning on making her father proud and hoping he will finally notice her, but instead, she may just end up uncovering a family secret she was never expecting. Prepare for family drama, political games, and of course the Christmas spirit in this first book about the town of Holiday, Seducing Santa.