Photo by Mark Anbinder (cc)
Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere marks the start of winter because it’s the shortest day of the year. In Spain, they celebrate by lighting bonfires (Hogueras) and jumping over the flames three times. In Vancouver, there’s the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival. In the Sweetblood world, however, vampires celebrate the occasion because they’re weakened from sunlight and this is the longest night. Darkbloods (the bad guys) mark the occasion with the Night of Wilding.
Excerpt from Embraced By Blood, where Alfonso confronts a pair of Darkbloods:
“Not yet,” the Darkblood female said. “But with the Night of Wilding less than a month away, we’ll probably have a few new groups moving into the area. The new sector mistress is planning a huge event.”
The pair started toward the girl and brushed past Alfonso a little too close—the stench of their all-blood diet always made him nauseous.
“So where’s the party this year?” he asked, trying to stall them.
Originally, the holiday was to celebrate the longest night of the year with family and friends eating and dancing all night, but for the past few decades Darkbloods had been using it as a way to attract and recruit new members. Often held in a macabre location, it had become a costumed party of debauchery and violence. The few humans invited rarely left alive.
“Keeping it secret for now,” the woman said, as she watched the girl, eyes narrowed and focused like a predator. “Do you play HG?”
“What?”
“The online game, Hollow Grave?”
“No, I don’t.” He recalled some of the Darkbloods talking about a new online game, but that had been almost two years ago.
“As long as you’re a registered user and get to the Grave Crawler status, you can log in at noon the day before and we’ll have the location posted in the forums. At sundown there’ll be plenty of time to get there by midnight. It’ll be on one of the islands this year.”
Wasn’t that interesting? He knew the Alliance was working on some new ways to attract the younger generation vampires, but since that hadn’t been his area of expertise when he was inside, he had no idea what they were up to. Online gaming? They must be using it to promote their agenda by romanticizing the violent past of their kind.
He fought to keep his expression blank as he recalled being a youthling in a Paris gaming house centuries ago, where less than candid recruiting methods were used on him with devastating results.
I’m celebrating by giving away a book!
To be entered to win a copy of Embraced By Blood so you can see for yourself what goes on at one of these parties, tell me in comments (on this blog), a tradition you celebrate around the holidays. Baking cookies, making lefsa, etc. Hopefully, it doesn’t involve draining the blood of an innocent sweetblood. Go!
I’ll pick a winner Christmas Eve. Good luck!
Baking Christmas cookies and going to see the holiday lights
On Christmas Eve me and the girls (teenagers now) make molasses cookies for my DH (Santa;) and read The Night Before Christmas. Going on 15 yrs of this now. Love it!
In my family, we love watching the old Christmas cartoons, movies and listening to Christmas songs all December to get us in the mood for Christmas and New Year’s.
Hubs and I go to the Children’s Mass at his church every Christmas Eve. When we get home the younger boys (24/20) have heated up dinner I’ve pre-made and the eldest and his wife arrive. We eat and then open gifts.
Also, every Christmas morning I make orange rolls which seem to get the boys out of bed :).
Merry Christmas!
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
I love driving around and looking at Christmas Lights while singing poorly to the Christmas songs on the radio.
Happy Holidays!!
We bake Christmas cookies.
Merry Christmas!!!
Some people put lights outside and crazy decorations to collect money for charity. We drive around and the most over the top one gets out vote and money!
Merry Christmas!
On Christmas, breakfast is our big meal of the day, so on Christmas Eve we prep all we can. Then we play games and one one gift. I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas.
I meant open.
I tend to bake ALOT during the week that surrounds the holidays! Cookies, bread, brownies, cakes…….you name it!
Kassandra
sionedkla@gmail.com
We spend Christmas Eve with our Children. Cookies and gifts are ready to be eaten and opened! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
After dinner, me and my mother get on the couch to watch a movie (which I like). It usually takes a couple of hours when my mom goes to sleep. When the movie finished, it is the turn of my mother, who wakes up and puts one of those movies that I like and that make me numb. I try to resist but can’t do so I always fall asleep. But this is Christmas, the important thing is being together.
We always had the family over on Christmas Eve to have snacks and to just talk about whatever they wanted to. Sadly, many of those are no longer here to enjoy the good times. Now, my family still has the snack night, but just for the four of us.
Thanks for the giveaway,
Elizabeth Gray
elizabethgr@sbcglobal.net
For me and my family is watching Abcfamily 25 days of Christmas . They give old Christmas shows and they bring lots of memories.
Christmas Eve the whole family gets together a little wine some hot toties presents and fighting over lottery tickets….
On christmas eve me and my 2 boys make christmas cookies and watch christmas movies then before bed i let them open 1 present then leave cookies and milk for santa and some carrots for the reindeer.
Making Peppermint bark for all to enjoy!!!
We are watching Christmas movies as a family while snacking and then the kids get to open 1 present from us. Then off to bed to wake up tomorrow after Santa arrives!
Watching A Christmas Story with my family!
spending time with family 🙂
Happy Holidays too you! We are watching A Christmas Story been a nice night! Thank you for the great giveaway!
Lefsa??? Just say no to Lutefish!!! Cookie baking, Prime rib and singing carols on Christmas Eve.
Gathering with family and wrapping gift
Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday 🙂