I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus Holiday Giveaway
*UPDATE*
And the winners of the I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus giveaway are…drum roll please… Maria Garcia, John Hornor Jacobs, and Kelly Garbato. Congratulations! And thanks to everyone who left a comment and retweeted on Twitter. May you all have a zombie little Christmas!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And zombies dressed up like Santa Claus
With Halloween safely in the rear view mirror, we can now, freely and without fear of reprisal, plunge headlong into the holiday season. Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of year and living in San Francisco makes it that much more festive, as the town is all decked out with lights and garland and ornaments and homeless people in Santa hats.
But for me, the holidays bring back fond memories: The smell of freshly baked snickerdoodles; Heat Miser and Cold Miser doing their song and dance; the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack; Judy Garland singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” And when it comes to holiday movies, I’m a sucker for It’s A Wonderful Life.
So to celebrate the dawning of the holiday season, I’m holding a giveaway for three (3) copies of my 2012 novella I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus: A Breathers Christmas Carol.
Entering to win is as easy as hanging your stocking: Just respond to this blog post and share what gets you in the holiday spirit, be it a favorite holiday film, TV special, Christmas carol, or the smell of pumpkin pie. Whatever floats your holiday boat. I’ll do a random drawing of all entrants to determine the winners.
TWITTER BONUS: If you’re on Twitter and you re-tweet my post about the contest, that will get you an additional entry into the contest. If you don’t follow me on Twitter, my handle is @s_g_browne.
Contest runs until Friday, November 8 at 11:59pm PST and is open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!
My grandmother made a fruitcake in the late 70’s. She was legendary for her cooking. Needless to say the fruitcake never left the layers of cellophane and aluminum foil. My mother and her sisters would re-gift the fruit cake to one another every year. One year my mother received this family talisman and out of respect my brother and I covered it in bio-hazard stickers. Later that day we proceeded to integrate the fruitcake as a memorial to our now passed grandmother into family football game as the football. It became my most cherished holiday tradition. It tragically came to an end when one of my aunts became remarried and her new husband attempted to consume the fruitcake. They divorced shortly after the new year.
Comment by Little Jimmy Saltzman — November 4, 2013 @ 7:40 am
My favourite holiday is Halloween. I love everything scary, creepy, macabre, haunting… et al… My second favourite holiday would be Xmas. The perfect blend is obviously Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. It gets me in the holiday mood like no other thing.
Comment by Travis Wellborn — November 4, 2013 @ 7:54 am
Definitely seeing my kids open their gifts. It makes me believe there is still a Santa Clause!
Comment by Matthew Cummings — November 4, 2013 @ 8:27 am
The whole Christmas tree experience from picking one out to bringing it home and decorating it. I love watching my dog sniff around it every year like he has never seen one before. It cracks me up every single time.
Comment by Heather — November 4, 2013 @ 10:00 am
I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” every year! It’s my favorite holiday movie and it never fails to put me in the holiday mood. Add some hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows and that completes the experience :)
Comment by Maria — November 4, 2013 @ 11:19 am
Nightmare before christmas, some hot chocolate with 100 proof peppermint schnappes…..and snickerdoodles.
What else is there?
Comment by James — November 6, 2013 @ 7:36 am
Putting up a tree and decorating helps get me in the holiday spirit :)
Comment by Julie S. — November 6, 2013 @ 7:37 am
The smell of cinnamon in the air always stirs the inner holiday elf in me. I can’t wait to put up the decorations and start the book advent calendar for my family. This will be a perfect addition! Thanks for considering me!
Comment by Barbara Duncan — November 6, 2013 @ 7:37 am
The one thing needed for the Christmas holiday to begin is to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas while munching on freshly baked gingerbread cookies and sipping at hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps. (I know that schnapps are gross, but the it works in this instance! try it once and tell me I am wrong.) Completion is accomplished when the dog is curled up snoring next to me and warm pajamas pull me into the most perfect euphoria.
Comment by Kaye Riley — November 6, 2013 @ 7:46 am
For me its the Christmas story movie. “you’ll shoot your eye out!” But if i win, then it may be this book! lol
Comment by Matt — November 6, 2013 @ 7:58 am
For me it usually starts a week or so before Christmas. I’m a big horror movie fan so I tend to start by watching Christmas themed horror movies while decorating (I would rather hang lights inside than out). I work in education so I get that whole week of Christmas off and I spend it with my stepdaughter and, this year, my son doing kid friendly activities. We take a night time drive around some of the more well lit neighborhoods. Christmas Eve they get to open one present and it’s a Christmas box with a themed movie or book inside with new pajamas, hot cocoa, and popcorn (or more baby friendly treats for my little one).
Comment by Ami — November 6, 2013 @ 8:00 am
24/7 Christmas music always gets me in the spirit. Oldies, traditional carols, or contemporary blends, I love them all! :)
Comment by Heide — November 6, 2013 @ 8:09 am
Black Friday Christmas Shopping, coming home and having a cold turkey sandwich and putting up the tree and decorating the house. Another holiday must watching Christmas Vacation.
Comment by Sharon — November 6, 2013 @ 8:14 am
Wow, it is hard as ever for me to get in the holiday mood. My toddler age daughter’s birthday is just before thanksgiving so that is all I focus on until then. Then it’s my niece’s, son’s, and husband’s birthday between Thanksgiving and Christmas… It’s such a hectic time period through the holidays I almost dread it every year. Though when thanksgiving finally rolls down, and the whole family gets together, when the air gets that really nice winter bite, I feel it. The holiday happiness in having this little funny odd family of mine. We’re all so different but we just seem to belong to one another. And sharing the same twisted humor helps, of course.
Comment by Rachel L. — November 6, 2013 @ 8:20 am
I grew up at the very end of when there was no such thing as having too “tacky” Christmas decor. Most everything placed out, right down to the ornaments were old and smelled of I called “Christmas”, yet was more like old musty pine or spice (not to be confused with Old Spice :P).
The “youngest” of the decorations, not including what ornaments I had been given every year from each grandparent, where purchased for my parents first Christmas together. Everything else was from either of their parents or their parents parents, etc. All the decor was placed in the same cardboard boxes (still somehow used today) and wrapped in the same news or tissue paper. All those years and the years that have accumulated since I was a child being in the same packaging just keeps that smell in there.
So every year I look forward to the smells that bring me back to my childhood.
Comment by Braden Abraham — November 6, 2013 @ 8:23 am
My grandfather died on Christmas Eve, which was slightly ironic because he lived for Christmas. My birthday is exactly two weeks before Christmas as well, so I have mixed emotions about it from all the cheap relatives I had growing up. But I love seeing my kids open presents and any excuse to eat like a pig is a good one for me. Also, Christmas gives me a chance to reread The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore, and that’s always fun.
Comment by John Gardner — November 6, 2013 @ 8:28 am
What gets the Blue Eyed Maniacs into the Holiday Spirit is watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation! and playing Jingle Bell Rock on our electrics, … distorted.
Comment by Brian Tompkins — November 6, 2013 @ 8:36 am
The Laurel ans Hardy film “Babes in Toyland”. It used to run every Christmas on TV and those bogeymen gave me nightmares for months afterwards. Now I have my own copy and can scare myself any time I want, but I still save it for Christmas.
Comment by Laura — November 6, 2013 @ 8:41 am
I’m a bit of a Scrooge until right before Christmas. I will do what I must (shopping, viewing Christmas movies with my wife) early on, but I refuse to even begin getting into the spirit until at least after Thanksgiving. One holiday at a time!
Comment by Michael Church — November 6, 2013 @ 9:02 am
What gets me in the holiday spirit is just being with the ones I love! My bf and family! My dog too! I love the holidays whether is Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas! I celebrate them all! But secretly the food always gets me there too!
Comment by Adam Joel — November 6, 2013 @ 9:16 am
i love halloween, and halloween items. thought my kids would too. i used to hit the after halloween sales and buy cool things for 50% or more off. and then give as christmas presents…. they all kept getting upset , and when my granchild opened her green crawling hand, she cried. i had to quit :(
Comment by tami bates — November 6, 2013 @ 9:28 am
i always retweeted
Comment by tami bates — November 6, 2013 @ 9:28 am
It’s just not Christmas, til I hear Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song!
Comment by Shannon Varley — November 6, 2013 @ 9:42 am
Right this minute, I am listening to Christmas music, and it is definitely putting me in the mood. I know, I know… it’s only November. I’m not forcing you to listen though ;)
Comment by Darcie Duranceau — November 6, 2013 @ 9:44 am
The day after Thanksgiving we turn on the holiday jams in the office. Putting up a colorful Christmas tree and hoping Santa puts some good reads under it!
Comment by Audrey DeAngelis — November 6, 2013 @ 11:25 am
I usually watch the movie “mixed nuts”. Great holiday film!
~Ray
Comment by Ray Lawrason — November 6, 2013 @ 11:35 am
Baking cookies & other treats gets me in the holiday mood. Thanks for the giveaway!
Comment by Jana L — November 6, 2013 @ 11:44 am
One of these days I will win one of these give aways :), I really hope its this one!
Comment by Ann — November 6, 2013 @ 11:52 am
My most memorable Christmas story came from the triple Archite brotherhood home of the Bliss boys in Villa Park. Little bro Billy loved to mess with his unsuspecting grandma by rolling Mom’s brownies into nasty turds left by the family wiener dog Fritz. He would neatly lay them out by the Christmas tree so that Grandma couldn’t miss them. After she first saw the errant poop, she would gasp at the unsightly mess. But when little Billy Bliss, reminder her everything was OK and calmly ate a piece in front of her, she just about died of a heart attack. Merry Christmas Grandma!
Comment by Rob Montgomery — November 6, 2013 @ 1:36 pm
What gets me in the holiday spirit? Watching Silent Night, Deadly Night!!!
Comment by Quartknee — November 6, 2013 @ 1:47 pm
I live in the Half Moon Bay area and as soon as the annual Pumpkin Festival is over the town starts getting ready for the holidays…so the Pumpkin Fest is what gets me in the mood!!!!!!!! :)
Comment by sara stoliker — November 6, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
One of my favorite parts of the holidays is once the tree is up, my husband turns into a 5 y/o. He’s checking presents, shaking, seeing if he can guess. I’ve gotten really good at disguising the contents. It’s a year long quest to figure out how to hide it the following year. I’ve even started not putting names on the gifts ^_^ But seeing his face…THAT is what gets my holiday spirit going.
Comment by Wendy Pittman — November 6, 2013 @ 2:13 pm
Movies definitely do it for me. I love the Grinch that Stole Christmas (both versions), Elf, A Christmas Story, and all the classic claymation cartoons. Eggnog is also wonderful, as well as hanging decorations.
Though I tend to loathe even thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. When I’m stuffing myself with tasty turkey and potatoes and yams at Thanksgiving dinner, then I can relax into the holiday spirit.
Comment by Andrea Blythe — November 6, 2013 @ 2:20 pm
Nothing gets me more in the Christmas spirit than watching Silent Night, Deadly Night.
Comment by Christian Ruiz — November 6, 2013 @ 3:35 pm
A Christmas story, lots of food and lots of booze.
Comment by Mindy — November 6, 2013 @ 5:13 pm
My favourite thing to get ready for the holidays is to unpack the 9 crates of Christmas ~ Santa’s, snowmen, reindeer and wreaths! It is one of my favourite holidays ~ baking cookies, wrapping presents, decorating a tree this year ! Yeah! Spending the day with my family and feasting and now that I have a granddaughter that is what it is all about ~ seeing her open and play with her gifts ~ priceless!
Comment by Jennifer — November 6, 2013 @ 5:15 pm
I’m happy to announce that I got to use my fireplace for the first time this season.
So I suppose that’s it. The first fire of mixed hardwoods really sets the mood for me, that in addition to cinnamon scented pine cones by the hearth gets me psyched for the holidays.
Comment by Ethan Watson — November 6, 2013 @ 6:19 pm
Well…we were already twitter pals way before this contest, however, I did retweet (and ‘favorite’) your contest and I’m sure you’ll have lots of entries! https://twitter.com/s_g_browne/status/398119709951811584
I really like to watch “A Christmas Story” & as sappy as it is…Chevy Chase in “A Christmas Vacation”…not to mention “Bad Santa” with Billy Bob Thornton…:>
Christmas carols, Baroque & Celtic music also go along with spiced cider & spiked eggnog…makes the eggnog go down a little smoother.
So, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Thanks for a chance to win, S.G. …
–Cecilia
Comment by Cecilia Bedigrew Huddleston — November 6, 2013 @ 8:19 pm
Hi Scott,
Pumpkin pie and the movie Elf and Bad Santa gets me in the mood. I am excited to read I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus. You are such a good writer. How fun.
Summer
Comment by Summer Simonton — November 6, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
Making flying spaghetti monsters out of glittery pipe cleaners while watching Elf and drinking chai tea.
Comment by Kelly G. — November 7, 2013 @ 9:02 am
Driving home at night, and seeing the houses with their twinkling Christmas lights, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and It’s a Wonderful Life, drinking eggnog, walking through the mall as holiday music plays through the speakers and passing by Santa Claus as he greets every child who’s come to see him. I love pretty much everything about Christmas.
Comment by Melissa M. — November 8, 2013 @ 11:25 am
Getting in the Holiday mood is pretty easy with my daughter. She loves Christmas and it’s infectious! Still, every year we watch Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. Nothing lifts my Christmas spirit like that does! Except maybe my mom’s sugar cookies!
Comment by Crystal Lively — November 8, 2013 @ 12:10 pm
The Christmas sales and decorations at public venues gives me the holiday cheer. Thanks!
Comment by shirley — November 8, 2013 @ 12:24 pm
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to leave a comment and share what gets you in the holiday mood. There’s a lot of hot cocoa and “Nightmare Before Christmas” fans here.
So without further delay, the winners of the giveaway via the Random Number Generator are…Maria Garcia, John Hornor Jacobs, and Kelly Garbato. Congratulations!
Thanks again to everyone who left a comment and retweeted on Twitter. May you all have a zombie little Christmas!
Comment by S.G. Browne — November 12, 2013 @ 6:30 am
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