Hey everyone, hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I certainly did. I normally limit myself to one glass of wine on occasion with meals, since more than that would knock me out of ketosis, but what the hey… there are no limits for Crimbo, right?

Link to my Christmas ghost novel included with pic

We spent Christmas Eve in the pub and apart from a few photos (as above) it was the start of a family digital detox, so our phones disappeared for a few days. Yule is the season for community spirit and spending time with family, and we did just that.

Link to my Japan book series included with pic

On Christmas Day, we kept up our family tradition of a ‘chicken lunch date’, which we started while living and working in Japan. Did you know that my hubby (author Joseph Robert) and I met in Japan while we were both English teachers? Well, now you do. Since Christmas Day in Japan isn’t a holiday like it is in the UK and Ireland, we were always working on that day. In Japan, Christmas Day is a romantic time for couples, not a family day, and generally speaking, couples tend to go to KFC and share a chicken bucket (read this BBC article if you don’t believe me). My then-boyfriend, now-hubby and I celebrated Christmas Day in KFC when we were in Japan amidst an atmosphere similar to Valentine’s Day here. As KFC isn’t open in the UK on Crimbo Day, we keep up our tradition at other chicken restaurants that are open on December 25th (pictured above).

Link to my Amazon bookstore included with pic – hey, an author can try!

Another family tradition of ours is to give each other Secret Santa prezzies on the winter solstice to celebrate the start of the twelve days of Yule.

Link to my least Christmassy, most popular on Christmas Day book (lol) included with pic

As for my books? I found myself surprised at which one was most popular on Christmas Day. Any guesses? Okay, drumroll then…

My arguably least-Christmassy ghost novel, The Blue Man. Tis the season to be scared, hurray!

Anyway, hope you’re all having a lovely Crimbo week and that Santa was good to you.

Posted by on December 27, 2025 in Books, Random stuff and tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a comment

Unknown's avatar

About Leilanie Stewart

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental poetry. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry. In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie runs Bindweed Anthologies, a creative writing publication with her writer husband, Joseph Robert. Aside from publishing pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her husband and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

Leave a comment