We’re so happy to welcome back Laura Jensen Walker, who will put you in the holiday spirit, even if it’s still September!
Thanks so much for having me back on the Chicks, Ellen!
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
Ebenezer Scrooge said this in the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.
Christmas is my favorite holiday, but I usually don’t start thinking about this festive time until November. (And I usually wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start decorating. Until 2020, during lockdown—that year, to lift our spirits, we started decorating the first week of November)
This year, I’m thinking about Christmas even before Halloween! That’s because drumroll . . . my holiday book, ALL THE COZY CHRISTMAS FEELS, just came out.
Writing a fun, lighthearted Christmas book was a nice respite after writing two novels back-to-back. I hadn’t written non-fiction in a while, and I’d forgotten how fast—and easy—it was to share stories from my life, rather than create an entire fictional world peopled with characters I made up. (Don’t get me wrong; writing fiction is my first love, my passion. But I needed a break, so writing a non-fiction work less than half the length of my usual novels was a piece of cake).
That’s one of the things you’ll find in ALL THE COZY CHRISTMAS FEELS—a recipe for a delicious fruitcake.
Yes, I really said delicious and fruitcake in the same sentence. I’ve hated that dark, dry, slab of “cake” that resembles a discus studded with gelatinous fruit my entire life. In my book, the only use for fruitcake is to serve as a doorstop or to knock someone out.
And then, one day my husband Michael made a classic English fruitcake, or as the Brits call it, “Christmas Cake.” Nothing like the American fruitcake I knew and hated. This cake was moist and flavorful and full of wonderful spices. (Since I’m not the only fruitcake hater out there, Michael renamed his version, adapted from an English friend’s recipe, “Fruitfully Loaded Spice Cake.” Yumm.)
Michael and I are huge old movie buffs, so my favorite chapter is “Attaboy, Clarence,” a *definitive holiday movie guide, coauthored with my husband. Since childhood, my favorite Christmas movie has been White Christmas. I even did the “Sisters” number in a talent show with my best friend—minus the blue feathered fans. Bing Crosby. Rosemary Clooney. Danny Kaye. Vera Ellen. It doesn’t get much better than that. (“The Best Things Happen While We’re Dancing” continues to be one of my favorite dance numbers from any film. Maybe because I have two left feet and no rhythm.)
Merry early Christmas! (And for all my fellow pet lovers, there’s a chapter called “Here Comes Doggy Paws, Here Comes Kitty Claws.”)
(*This definitive holiday movie guide doesn’t include Hallmark Christmas movies since we don’t have the Hallmark channel.)
Readers, for a chance to win a copy of ALL THE COZY CHRISTMAS FEELS, let me know your favorite Christmas movie and tell me why it’s your favorite! I’ll randomly pick two winners. (Sorry, U.S. entrants only.)
ABOUT THE BOOK: All the coziness. All the joy. All the Christmas feels.
If you believe the best part of the holidays isn’t found in shopping carts or Pinterest boards, but in the warm glow of twinkling lights, laughter over homemade cookies, and quiet moments that take your breath away—All the Cozy Christmas Feels is your new holiday companion. Laura Walker invites you into her home and heart for a joyous celebration of the season. Whether you’re baking with loved ones, trimming your tree with treasures, or trying to reclaim a bit of magic in a weary world, this festive guide will wrap you in warmth, humor, and the kind of joy that lasts long after the lights come down.
Order the book through your favorite local bookstore, or online retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. https://www.amazon.com/All-Cozy-Christmas-Feels-Favorite/dp/B0DX9W8P7V/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laura Jensen Walker is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than 25 books, including Thanks for the Mammogram and the Agatha-nominated Murder Most Sweet. She was also nominated for a Lefty Award for her historical mystery Death of a Flying Nightingale. Laura loves Christmas—it’s her favorite holiday. She lives in Northern California with her family, including two adorable rescue terrier-mixes, Peanut and Poppy.
Chicks on the Case 
Three cheers to you on the new book, Laura! It sounds absolutely delightful. My favorite Christmas movie is Muppet Christmas Carol. I’ve been a lifelong fan of the Muppets and their faithful, yet madcap adaption is a must see every year. Michael Caine was brilliant as Scrooge. And Gonzo as Charles Dickens? Nothing better than that!
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Thanks, J.C. I love the Muppets Christmas Carol too–it’s one of my favorite versions of the classic. Michael Caine was indeed brilliant as Scrooge–I think you’ll enjoy a bit of trivia I included about his role.
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Hi again, J.C. – wanted to let you know you’re one of the winners! Please send me your mailing address via email: laurajensenwalker@gmail.com so I can pop the book in the mail to you. Thanks!
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My favorites are Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, and Die Hard. Because they are all heartwarming, and yes Die Hard is heartwarming.
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(And though I hear there’s debate, I’m pro-Die Hard as a Christmas movie.)
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I get you, Dru. Yippee ki yay!
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I enjoy all of those too, Dru. I especially love Fred Astaire’s tap dance in Holiday Inn with firecrackers–brilliant! My favorite movie dance though is in White Christmas with Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen’s “The Best Things Happen While We’re Dancing”–absolutely gorgeous. (And I agree Die Hard is heartwarming, although I’m getting more sensitive in my old age because when we watched it last year, parts of it were too violent for me. C’est la vie.
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I’ve always been a Die Hard fan–and I’ll probably be even more of a one this holiday season. For a lot of reasons, maybe, but mostly for Bruce.
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I hear ya, Lisa. For Bruce.
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Congrats on the book, Laura! Favorite Christmas movies are White Christmas (which was also my mother’s favorite) and Love, Actually. Yes, I realize Love, Actually may not technically be a Christmas movie, but that’s the only time of year I watch it.
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Thanks, Liz. White Christmas is my No. 1 Christmas movie (in the book, I talk about recreating the “Sisters” number with my sister, and then the year she refused, clapping my mom’s wig on my baby brother and roping him into it 🙂 As for Love, Actually, I consider that a Christmas movie and watch it every December–it’s another favorite. What a cast. Emma Thompson’s scene upon realizing her husband’s infidelity is a master class in acting. Heartbreaking.
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Well, it’s just not Christmas until I’ve watched either Holiday Inn or White Christmas, but for the fun factor I also love the Santa Clause movies and am looking forward to the new one this year.
Congratulations on your return to fiction and the new book!
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Thanks! I love both of those Bing Crosby movies–no one can sing White Christmas like Bing. And in Holiday Inn, we get the bonus of Fred Astaire’s dancing.
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Dum, da da da! Congratulations! You’re the second winner of ALL THE COZY CHRISTMAS FEELS! Please email your mailing address to me at laurajensenwalker@gmail.com Thanks!
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Laura, congrats on your newest non-fiction release! (And I’ve heard good things about this different kind of fruitcake.)
Anyway, my fave Christmas movie has got to be It‘s a Wonderful Life. But I’ve also been known to get sucked into Elf if there’s a rerun playing.
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Thanks, Jennifer! I too love It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf. “Santa! Oh my God! Santa here? I know him! I know him!”
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Laura, congratulations on All the Cozy Christmas Feels! How awesome! It sounds lovely. Favorite Christmas movies? Oh, my. That’s quite the list. For today, I’ll try to keep it to just three. Ha! I’ll second Dru’s choice of Die Hard. I’ll add This Christmas; not because of Idris Elba, I promise. It’s packed full of awesome actors and the family journey is beautiful. And Rise of the Guardians. OMG. I can’t watch that without crying happy tears.
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Thanks, Patricia. I confess I’ve never seen This Christmas or Rise of the Guardians. I’ll have to check them out. (With Idris Elba definitely being a draw.)
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Thanks for guesting, Laura! Christmas is my favorite holiday. And much as I love WHITE CHRISTMAS and A CHRISTMAS STORY, my all-time favorite would have to be the Alistair Sim version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
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Thanks for having me, Ellen. It’s my fave holiday too. And I think the Alistair Sim version is the best (although The Muppets Christmas Carol gives it a run for the money 🙂
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Yes, what a difference it makes to have a GOOD fruitcake. My wife Robin loves the Jane Parker brand, which you can buy online, but anything with real candied fruit, instead of that stuff that tastes like plastic, is a treat!
As for favorite Christmas movies, that’s easy: “Love, Actually” and “Die Hard.”
Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, Laura, and congrats on the new book!
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Thanks, Leslie. I’m a HUGE “Love, Actually” fan–Bill Nighy cracks me up!
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Welcome back, Laura, and congrats on All the Christmas Feels! It truly sounds lovely. I panicked when I saw “Christmas,” because I’ve spent today decorating for Halloween. Our family holiday season doesn’t begin til the day after Thanksgiving, though here in NH there’s been quite the early run on live Xmas trees the past few seasons. We choose one and keep it outsidefor a couple of weeks to keep it “fresh.” And I’m afraid you won’t be impressed with our family movie choices. Every year, it’s A Christmas Story on actual Christmas for my hubby, the latest Grinch for the grandlittles all through the season, Hallmark movies for present wrapping duties, Elf for my oldest daughter, Love, Actually for middle daughter, and (mumbles) Christmas Vacation and The Holiday for me.
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Lisa, I actually like all those Christmas movies you mentioned–I lived in Cleveland when A Christmas Story was being filmed, so it holds a special place in my heart. And actually, to get in the spirit of promoting this book so early, I watched The Holiday a couple days ago. I love that movie, although of all the actors, Cameron Diaz is my least favorite. I’ve always adored Kate Winslet and especially love her relationship with Jack Black in the film. And Jude Law? Whoa. Enough said. (We don’t have the Hallmark Channel so I’ve only seen one Hallmark Christmas movie in my entire life–about 15 years ago on DVD someone had loaned us because it had been filmed in nearby Nevada City. I loved the charming locale, but the movie? Not so much. The male love interest was such a wooden actor and when he went to kiss the heroine, he actually looked pained. So awkward. (Unlike Jude Law 🙂
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I saw a promo post in my FB feed about a Holiday sequel coming soon. Was I disappointed to realize it was AI click bait. (Jude looked great.)
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Hi Laura! Halloween is my favorite holiday so I’m super excited it’s October, but Christmas runs a close second! My favorite Christmas movie, hands-down, is Elf. I own it on DVD, and I’ve watched it more times than I can count!
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Hi Marla, I love Elf. Will Farrell is perfection in it. As is Bob Newhart. So many great lines, too!
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Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the Muppets. I have been a longtime fan. I watch A Muppet Family Christmas every year. I also love Muppet Christmas Carol, same as JC.
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I love the Muppets too–how can you not? 🙂
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