HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL from Reggi Allder!

What do Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis, Kate Winslet, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer have in common?

 

I’m excited because my Sierra Creek Series is complete with all four books available on Amazon. Though I’m working on the fifth Dangerous Series Book, Dangerous Sisters, I’m taking the time to watch a few favorite movies with the family. I like old movies. Some of the films are for the holidays and others are definitely not. 😊

I asked, what do Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis, Kate Winslet, and Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer, have in common. Well, all of them have been in a holiday movie.

I’ve loved movies since I was a kid. One of my fondest memories is staying up late to watch classic movies on TV with my mother. My dad went to bed early. His favorite saying: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Sometimes on a weekend night, Mom and I would make a big bowl of popcorn and turn on a movie channel, then switch off the lights, so it felt as if we were in a theater. I stayed up until midnight watching movies on the small screen.

Now I have a large flat screen TV, but my family still enjoy films of all kinds. Black and white classics or new films. For me, the story is the thing.

Here are several holiday films I’ve enjoyed. Please note, I mentioned the writers involved in making the movies. Most of these films can be found on Amazon.

Please leave a comment with your best loved movie. Any film, it doesn't have to be a Christmas or holiday one.

Holiday movies:

The Holiday, 2006 Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet star with Jude Law and Jack Black. Screenplay Nancy Meyers. A woman from the UK and one from the US swap houses for the Christmas time holiday. They find romance but know they must soon return to their own countries. If you are looking for fun and romance, this delivers. This movie should not be confused with the old film with Kathryn Hepburn and Cary Grant.

Christmas in Connecticut, 1945 Barbara Stanwick and Dennis Morgan. Written by Lionel Houser, Adele Comandini, Aileen Hamilton (story). It is a fun comedy romp from the 1940's. A career woman leads her boss to believe she is married and has a baby and that she's a gourmet cook and lives on a farm in Connecticut. None of which is true, but the fib keeps her employed as a popular magazine writer extolling the virtues of being a homemaker. Trouble ensues when the boss wants to visit the farm during Christmas.

 Miracle on 34^th Street, 1947, John Payne and Maureen O’Hara. Written by Valentine Davies, a classic and beloved film. Edmund Gwenn plays Kris Kringle / Santa Claus and Natalie Wood plays the little girl he befriends. There’s a sweet love story between the girl’s single mother and a man she meets. This film was remade made in 1994, but I like older version best. Great for kids.

White Christmas 1954 is a flashy musical about two army buddies, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, trying to help their old commander, now retired and running a lodge in Vermont. Entertainers, the two men put on a musical show. Lots of silliness and fun for the whole family. Vera-Ellen, and Rosemary Clooney, who is George Clooney’s aunt, round out the cast. Written by Norman Krasna, Melvin Frank, and Norman Panama.

 Borrowed Hearts. 1997 Roma Downey and Eric McCormack.  A TV movie written by Pamela Wallace and Earl Wallace. This is a sweet holiday romance suitable for adults and kids. A young woman with a seven-year-old girl is trying to save money for a down payment on a home. A company executive has led an important business client to understand he has a family, he doesn't. The client is coming to visit over the holidays, so the executive agrees to pay the woman and child to pose as his family for Christmas, complications arrive.

A Christmas Carol 1951 British. Called Scrooge in the UK. Charles Dickens' famous tale, there are many remakes of the story, but this is my favorite. Alastair Sim's Scrooge is wonderfully creepy. Written by Noel Langley.

 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1944/1948) This is the classic cartoon and can be seen on YouTube. I like this for any child who might be teased and for the mockers in the group, hope they will see that everyone has value even if they are different. The song was written by Johnny Marks. 

 The Angel and the Bad Man 1947 John Wayne and Gail Russel, if you haven’t seen her, she will be a pleasant surprise. Written by James Edward Grant. This isn’t a Christmas movie. It’s a wonderful romance about a wounded bad man and a Quaker woman who nurses him.

Love this one 😊

  For something completely different and not for young kids:

Die Hard 1988 Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, and Alan Rickman. Christmas in L.A. and there’s an employee party on the 30th floor of a corporate building when it is taken over by ruthless terrorist. Everyone at the party is held and only NY cop Bruce Wills is there to save the day. There are several enjoyable sequels, but for me this is the best one. Action galore and snappy dialogue, written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza.

 If you’re looking for a feel-good holiday read check out my Sierra Creek Series, Her Country Heart Book Christmas Edition 1 of 4 of the Sierra Creek Series.

Downsized, Amy Long lost her apartment in the city and returned to the small-town of Sierra Creek to find a fresh start. However, she's in the way of cowboy Wyatt Cameron’s plans, and as executor of her grandmother’s estate, he has the power to send her packing.

What can she do to change his mind?

-If you are tired of the holiday stuff, how about a chilling suspense?

When the past returns to threaten Emma’s present, is the key to her safety the man offering protection or will his secrets put her in greater danger?

“5.0 out of 5 stars will hold you on the edge of your seat as you follow Reggi’s real-to-life characters.” “Romantic Suspense from beginning to the thrilling end!” “The characters take you away!”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XXNBDXV

  Happy New Year!!

Remember to share your favorite movie. Click on comments. Thanks for stopping by! 😊

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Wanted… Dead or Alive: Haunting Legends of the West

Are you brave enough to visit the Old West?

Ghosts of the past, long-lost lovers, and saloon patrons who never closed out their tab are said to linger in the Old West. From abandoned hotels to creaky barns, the frontier is full of eerie echoes. The West doesn’t just serve up history—it dishes out chills, thrills, and plenty of ghostly charm.

Here are some of my favorite haunted ghost towns (and the restless spirits you might bump into on your visit).

Calico, California 1881-1907

Once a booming silver mining town, Calico is now a preserved ghost town. Walter Knott (yes, of Knott’s Berry Farm fame) worked the silver mines before buying the town and restoring its frontier charm.

👻 Phantom footsteps echo through empty saloons. Whispers drift across dusty streets.

Visitors swear they’ve seen a ghostly dog—Dorsey, the town’s legendary mail carrier—still making his rounds with a phantom satchel.

Then there’s Lucy Lane, the “Queen of Calico.” Married to shopkeeper John Lane, Lucy spent most of her life in this town. Today, she’s often spotted in a black lace dress, strolling from her house to the general store or rocking gently in a chair she hasn’t left in over 100 years.

Calico didn’t just keep its buildings—it kept its ghosts.

Tombstone, Arizona 1879

Smaller than you’d expect, Tombstone is still one of the West’s most famous stops. Home of the O.K. Corral, it’s ground zero for haunted cowboy lore. 

Keep an eye out for:

Shadows slipping through saloon doors long after closing time.

Virgil Earp still haunting the Crystal Palace Saloon.

Big Nose Kate and a host of outlaw regulars at her saloon.

Marshal Fred White, gunned down in 1880, said to still wander near the Bird Cage Theatre.

Ben the Ghost, who keeps misbehaving spirits in line at Smokey’s Emporium (once the undertaker’s).

A nurse at the old hospital and a phantom figure at the high school.

If you’re brave enough to visit after dark, Tombstone lives up to its name.

Bodie, California 1877-1881

If you want to step back in time, Bodie is your stop. It’s a ghost town frozen in the , and it feels like its residents just… never left.

Eerie sightings include:

Killed in a tragic mining accident, a three-year-old giggles are still heard around her tiny grave.

A lady ghost in the Dechambeau House, forever peering from an upstairs window.

A kind-hearted prostitute who died caring for sick miners but was denied a burial in town lingers near the red-light district.

The spirits of vigilante justice: Bodie’s infamous “601” group carried out hanging. Their victims may still be seeking vengeance.

Bodie isn’t just a historic site—it’s a whole town of restless echoes.

Spooky Cowboy Legends of the West

The ghost towns are only half the story. The Wild West is one giant campfire tale waiting to spook you:

🌵 Phantom cattle drives. Cowboys who never made it home are still seen herding ghostly longhorns across the plains.

🌵Haunted stagecoaches. In Deadwood, South Dakota, a spectral stagecoach rattles through the streets at night, pulled by ghost horses and leaving a misty chill in its wake.

🌵 Outlaw hideouts. Sheriff Plummer of Bannack was hanged for his crime. hHe and his gang are still said to stalk their old mining camp.

🌵 The headless horse thief. In South Texas, a thief who was beheaded and strapped to a wild mustang, now rides headless across the desert forever.

These tales blur the line between folklore and history which makes them irresistible.

How to Experience the Haunted West

Guided ghost tours – Hear the legends from local historians (and maybe a ghost or two).

Evening visits – Sunset and moonlight bring the West’s eeriest vibes.

Dress the part – Cowboy boots + a wide-brim hat.

Halloween events – From haunted saloon tours to spooky stagecoach reenactments, fall is the best time to go ghost chasing.

Final Roundup

Between dusty saloons, moonlit legends, and spirits that refuse to rest, you’ll find history, chills, and maybe even a little romance.

Are you ready to go ghost town hopping?

Goldi's Grumpy Cowboy