Day 3 - Leta Blake
Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year! I love the bright colors and lights that sparkle against the gray of winter—because here in Tennessee winters are gray, not white. And my favorite part of Christmas is putting up the tree! Decorating it, and then spending a few weeks basking in the glow every night.
Mr. Jingle Bells
Opposites attract as frosty business partners become fake boyfriends in this Christmas gay romance!
After an emergency forces Ashton Sellers from his apartment, all he wants for Christmas is new lipgloss, zero contact from his abusive family, and a place to stay for the holidays. Cue his business partner begrudgingly taking him in.
Walker’s a fuddy-duddy with no sense of fun, but he does have a safe, warm home with four adorable dogs and delicious food on the table.
If it turns out Walker’s also a secret softy with a tender side and a hot body beneath his endless parade of golf shirts? Great, good, cool. And if Walker wants Ashton to pretend to be his boyfriend for his sister’s Christmas-themed wedding? Awesome, amazing.
Could Walker be the safe haven Ashton missed out on as a child? Could they be falling in love for real?
But when Ashton uncovers a painful mistake in Walker’s past, it hits too close to home. As the jingle bells quiet and the snow settles, will Ashton be able to forgive Walker, or will their relationship be over before it ever truly begins?
Mr. Jingle Bells is a gay romance Christmas story by Leta Blake featuring forced proximity, opposites attract, fake dating, office romance, steamy scenes, and a taffy-sweet happy ending. It's set in the Home for the Holidays universe, which began with Mr. Frosty Pants, but can be read as a standalone.
Content warnings for childhood abuse, past addiction issues, PTSD episodes, and gambling.
Competition Question
Let’s tackle the most controversial question of all! For your personal Christmas tree, which is better: colored lights? or white lights?
Competition closes 10 December 7am London
White lights.
Definitely coloured lights.
I love colored lights! They make me feel like a kid again!
The more the merrier, I say. If I can only have one, give me every color you have, please.
They certainly have their sparkle!
Colored lights with LED lights!!!
Colored
I have a white tree, so colored lights for me!
Colored lights for sure!!!! The different colors make me smile.
White lights
When my kids were little, absolutely coloured lights. But now they’re grown I have white lights.
White
N/E as I already have this and just started reading it tonight. Coloured lights for sure🎄
I hope you enjoy Mr. Jingle Bells!! And, yes, colored lights make me feel like a kid again! I love them!
Why not both?
A man after my own heart! YES TO BOTH!!
Colored lights
Both, definitely both.
100% BOTH!!! 😀
Thank you for the opportunity!
I have a white artificial tree that I decorate in red/black “buffalo plaid” and pinecone accents. I do not use stringed lights or garland as I have a cat.
I lost a kitty many years back when she got tangled in a cord overnight & we never heard her struggles. I switched to shatter-proof ornaments & disposed of all stringed lights and garland… but(!) some of my ornaments are cell battery light-ups. (The lights are clear/white)
Ah how sad! I’m so sorry to hear about your lost kitty! 🙁 What a charming decoration idea! Buffalo plaid! 😀
I loved coloured lights on my tree but white lights in my porch and other areas around the house.
I love colored lights!
They make me feel like a little kid! 😀 In the best way!
coloured lights
I love them! 😀
Coloured or white, as long as they blink 🤩
Ahhh! I do love when they blink! So festive!
I like both. It depends on the ornaments and theme of the tree.
Real candles only for us.
Coloured lights all the way.
I like the simplicity of white lights on a tree. Keeps the focus on the baubles!
coloured – much more festive!!!
Colored for the tree! White for the inside of the house.
Colored are. the only ones our family use.
Definately coloured
Both. They look great together.
I love the white lights but since my grandson likes the colored lights, those are the ones that go on my tree. LOL
Definitely coloured lights
White lights
I love white lights.
Coloured lights all the way.
Colored lights … if we were all the same life would be really boring.
I like both. It depends on my mood that year. This year we have white, growing up we always had color.
Both my trees. Yes I have 2. Have a setting that I can do colored then white in the sequence. So it’s either I love both colors or I just refuse to choose white or colored. I’ll let you decide
White lights! I love them.
Colored Lights!
Since I love colored lights and white lights I always use both :-).
pink light
Absolutely colored lights.
Absolutely colored lights
I prefer colored lights. I like to see the different colors.
I like white lights, with lots of colorful ornaments.
Colored
For the tree and around the door, colored lights! For the garlands of greenery around the house, white lights. Though as we have gotten older, we have moved to white lights on the tree and more colorful ornaments. I miss the colored lights on it a bit. We just got some cool bubble lights because my dad was missing them from his childhood, you should have seen his eyes light up when he came in and saw them all lit up and bubbling away on the mantel, it was magical!
Colored lights!
Colored lights for the tree and white lights for around the house.
It depends on the decorations
Definitely colored lights, when you switch all lights off and you stay only with the tree on it’s magical as you see lots of colors and that’s amazing.
Colored lights
Colored light on a white flocked tree!
White lights on trees, colored lights on buildings…
My family uses white lights on our tree, but I have a certain affinity for colored lights. Colored lights are special and have a certain magic.
Growing up, tree lights were colored. When I had my own tree as an adult, I went with tiny clear/white bulbs with ornaments that were clear glass/Crystal or unpainted wood.
WHITE lights!
This may be a cop out, but it kind of depends on the year and my mood. For quite awhile I only wanted white lights on the tree. My husband prefers colored lights so usually we go with colored lights.
colour!
Colored!
I love both : coloured and white lights
White Lights for sure
I could go either way. My grandparents little, old, plastic Christmas tree has colored lights, but I have white ones on the 8 foot potted ficus that I have to bring in for the winter.
Colored lights. Even if that color is all one color not rainbow. DOWN WITH WHITE BORING LIGHTS! Ashton would agree with me too 😉
We do white lights here too show off all the beautiful decorations.
Well, this year we are going to be really controversial. We usually use 3 sets of lights on our tree and I set broke. So my husband in his infinite wisdom (not) bought a set of white😵💫. He wouldn’t change them so this year we will hang white from top to bottom and then the other 2 sets. I have no idea what they will look like, wish me luck!. Perhaps we’ll set a new trend lol
Don’t add me to mailing list as I’m already on there
Coloured Lights
Coloured lights.
White lights because I’ve got a lot of ornaments in different shapes and colors. In addition, I decorate the tree with some gold chains and silver stars which reflect the light and the effect is much better with white lights.
I prefer white, husband prefers colored, so we do colored lights outside and on the tree, then I decorate my office with white lights and enjoy it through until spring.
I prefer colored lights (but no blinking, please!).
Happy holidays to all.
Colored lights
For me it has always been colored lights and they have to alternate btw twinkling and steady burn.
Pre lit colored lights. I’m actually reading Mr Jingle Bells currently and love it!
I love colored lights that twinkle.
as many colored lights as I can put on the tree! I usually have more lights than bobbles on it. I think we usually have about 7 or 8 strands of lights we use. The more the merrier.
White lights.
I somehow feel they are more elegant and bring out the essence of a tree.
It depends on my color scheme and my mood for that holiday. I would use white if I’m doing a silver and gray theme.
For red I would use the multicolored ones, but it really depends on my mood. Sometimes I mixed them up I have a spotter indoors so I’m a le to highlight the room in colors and when that’s not on I can use the white fairy lights.
colored lights and flashing ones
I like the white lights, or even better the ones that tend to give a slightly yellowish glow to remind us of real candle’s flames or a fire in the chimney…
Colored lights
Colored lights. White are too bright & harsh
Colored lights.
White lights!!
N/E,as I already have this story, e-book and audiobook 💕
When we had a tree we always had coloured lights as they were the lights we had when we were kids.
We haven’t had a Christmas tree for a long time as we have cats, and it’s safer for them.
for the tree: colored lights with varied and often handmade ornaments.
For the house, I do colored, but if you really want it to look like snow you can go all white and icicles.
I like both. I put a few white lights toward the trunk of the tree and the rest colored.
Lots of colored lights!
twinkly colored lights!
Colored
I loved coloured lights on my tree but white lights in my porch and other areas around the house.
Coloured… I love colours
Colored lights
Colored lights
I love the colored lights – so much fun!
Coloured lights.
I don’t mind, so long as they don’t flash! Those give me migraine.
Isabelle
Colored lights, especially the large bulbs. That so reminds me of myself childhood. Also the colored lighted candles in the windows.
Definitely colored
White lights
Colored
White lights
colored lights, they seem more interesting. Unless we’re talking icicle lights along a house roof- those look better in blue!
Colored lights. They’re more festive.
I prefer colored lights. My dad always wanted only blue lights which I liked very much but rarely see now.
Both
I have a white tree so white fairy lights illuminate all the handmade/hand painted colorful ornaments.
Color lights: they’re softer, easier on the eyes, intimate. White lights are too BRIGHT!
I always use both Color and White lights 🙂
Warm white lights, so much easier on the eyes/head when they’re the only lights on in the room and look pretty
Colored lighte – immer schon bunte Lichterketten!
White lights.
I love colored lights 😊
Coloured lights. But I like the small ones. Millions of them but small.
coloured….alllll the colours
I do both! I put up 2 trees – one has colored lights and the other one has white lights.
Colored lights, especially bubble lights.
Both-white lights in the house so they don’t clash with the room and outside all the colors.
Colored lights
I’m not particular either way. For the last 5ish years or so we had a prelit tree that cycled through colors and white. It shorted out and our new tree is not prelit. It will be a toss-up what lights we get.
I really prefer the colored lights but what I really love is a pre-lit tree that I don’t have to string lights on!
Colored lights! We had them on our tree when I was a child…long ago.
I love colored lights
Colored lights!
Colored lights
I actually like my white lights with M&M covers which are colored.
We always had colored when growing up…so I continued the tradition. Until I started a new tradition of my own. Now I keep up a tree all year long with white lights, silver and blue balls and silver garland. I like to think of it as a reminder of all the peace and kindness we need to spread everyday of the year. Plus it has a calming influence and it makes me happy.
Colored
color
both
Colored
Like our almost 4 yr old granddaughter said,” make them go faster …faster!”
Colored lights indoors, white lights outdoors
Colored. But I don’t mind both.
Colored
White😉😘
It depends on the theme of the tree being put up. If you are going with something like an all blue, all red, or a gold and silver tree you would want to use all white lights, but if you’re using all colored ornaments then colored light would look better.
Usually (like this year) colored lights but it depends on whether I have a color scheme or not, then white lights might be the right one to go with, but then again I have been known to paint the white lights a different color. One year I painted them seafoam green because I had a mermaid tree and one year I had a pink and gold tree so I painted them pink.
It has to be colored lights.
Colored. And the more, the better!
I’m all about white lights, but my husband and son like colored, so a couple of our trees have the lights that will rotate from white to colored so we’re all happy. 2 of the others are only colored, and 2 more are only white. (yup, we have 6 trees…all themed)
Colored lights! We also use white lights. All are so pretty!
White lights.
Coloured on the tress and white on the wreath and mantel decorations
ALL THE COLORS!
Colored lights!
Colored 🎄😌
One of each!!
All the colors!!!
N/e because i own it and love it. But i love white lights.
My mom lives with me and she loves ALL THE COLOR but I prefer white. So we compromise with white on the tree and lots of color everywhere else.
Colored lights – blue specifically 😉
I like them both!
Colored, 100%!
Colored lights
Colored lights ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
White lights!
White lights!
I prefer colored lights, but they have to be the older ones. These new neon colored ones just give me a headache.
White or red but single colour rather than multi colored
Colored lights!
colored lights
Depends on the theme. I did all blue lights with blue and silver ornaments one year. This year I’m probably not putting up a tree but will run colored lights around the stockings.
Colored lights
Colored lights.
Coloured lights
It depends on the year. We usually rotate – white one year, colored the next. That way everyone in the household is happy. 🙂
Colored
White lights definitely
White lights and colourful ornaments.
Cool white!
Colored!
Colored lights, definitely! Thank you for the chance!
My tree does both, but I mostly leave the colored lights on
Coloured!
Colored lights! They’re so pretty
I couldn’t decide so I have one that I can set to either or it can change between the two. Most of the time I have it on colored.
Colored lights
Coloured with psychotic blinking patterns 🤣
I can never decide so I always have two trees: one with colored light and old sentimental ornaments and one with white lights and blue, purple, and white snowflakes.
Definitely white lights, but my children hate them. Now we alternate each year. Seemed like a fair compromise.
Blue and white lights, so it feels colder than the 72F it is today!
Colored!
White lights. They show up better against a real live green fir tree.
When I was younger we always had colored lights so that’s what I went with for many years. When I started doing my snowmen-themed trees my lights were white to show them up. The tree I put up two years ago was mostly turquoise and shades of blue so still went with white lights.
White lights and a white tree for sure! Oh and pre-lit. Lol the better to see when I need to pull a cat out of the tree. My kitten climbs it like a stripper pole so it’s easy to find her since she doesn’t blend. 🙂
Colored lights
Coloured lights.
I love white lights that blink in different patterns but I have no objection to colored lights. Happy Holidays!
white lights all the way
We use colored lights on the tree.
I prefer coloured lights but my tree that I have now is white. At least I have lots of other coloured ornaments and garland to brighten it up.
White lights
White lights on the house, colored lights on the tree. 🙂
white lights
Twinkling colored lights!
Coloured – all the way!
I like colored lights for my regular tree. My mom just bought me a rainbow tabletop tree with white lights, though, and it’s brilliant. I like the white lights on that.
I like a mix of both
Warm white lights but I do have coloured ones around the doorway 🙂
colored lights!
Aaaaah! But it changes, depending of how I’m decorating my tree! This year I used only silver ornaments, so I used white lights.
Coloured definitely!
I like white lights inside and colored outside.
I like white inside and colored outside.
Colored Lights all the way.
White lights
Well since my Christmas tree is black I got all white lights.
They’re a post of me earlier but I just notice it did not put my comment at is it just say Isabelle McGraw.
So my answer is white light is my favourite even if I love looking colored one flickering and I wanted to day I love all the books in that series.
Multi – colored lights – preferably blinking.
Both. White lights up the tree trunk all the way to the top. Colored lights woven around, in and out like a stellar universe. Magic. Takes a bit of time but the result is worth it.
Well, this one’s complicated for me/us. See, we actually have two trees. One is white with colored lights (the color scheme changes from year to year, and some years it’s multi colored); and the other one is green with white lights only. We have never used colored lights on the green (real) tree. I guess it’s all preference, but I like the clean look of white on green and the bright look of color on the white.
Colored lights, please!
I’ve noticed that people not born on the East Coast (or places that have four seasons) tend to like white lights. My ex was this way.
My tree is *ALWAY* color lights. Because, the holidays are suppose to be joyful and fun and color is just that 🙂 <3