It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for another action-packed installment of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
For more information and/or a complete list of participants, please click on the above link.
This month’s super cool co-hosts are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence.
This month’s (optional) question asks, “Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?”
The short answer is yes.
Growing up, whenever we had a party-type gathering at our house (i.e., Christmas, graduation, baby/bridal showers, etc.), my mother would make punch out of…whatever was in it. It’s not like it’s a secret family recipe I’m unwilling to share with you, it’s just that I honestly don’t know what went into it. Ginger ale and some other (non-alcoholic) stuff.
The final touches on that punch would be a few scoops of rainbow sherbet, added for…again, I don’t really know. Color, decoration, maybe. Whatever. The important thing is, that’s what was always done, and continues to be done to this day.
So, when writing a family party-type gathering scene in the Terrible Romance Novel, I included a bowl of punch into which my main character added scoops of rainbow sherbet.
Which inspired one of my critique partners to respond with, “Eww! Gross! Why would anyone do that?!?”
And I was all, “I dunno. We just do that in my family.”
There’s another wink to some family history in that book, but telling you about it is kind of a spoiler, so I’m keeping my mouth shut about it for now. I know after the riveting sherbet story you’re on the edge of your seat in anticipation and asking you to wait is super unfair, but you’re just going to have to power through.
Have you ever included any personal/family traditions/customs in your work?
Thanks for stopping by, y’all. Have a great Wednesday and, as this will probably be my last post of March, hope you have a great month and a fantastic start to Spring.
We only had punch at family gatherings once in awhile but when we did, my mother added something frozen to the punch bowl, but I can’t remember what it was…. Not sherbet. Maybe something else she froze like Hawaiian Punch or HiC? That’s going to bug me all day now….
Have a good rest of the month, MJ!
I’ve had punch with rainbow sherbet in it before. It’s good!
We would do that at our house too, mostly for birthday parties. I think it adds a nice sweetness and reacts well with the fizz. It’s yummy. 🙂
That’s actually something I’ve seen done in my family when I was younger.
We didn’t do the punch thing, but the sherbet is a ’70s thing? I think. I have heard of it. (I probably have the decade wrong.)
My mom would make a special punch for us that I now make for our family gatherings. It’s a liter of lemon-lime soda (like 7Up) with a can of frozen lemon concentrate, and a bunch of maraschino cherries.
My mom used to make punch for all the events too, but we didn’t get any rainbow sherbet in it! I think that would be fun!! 🙂
Wow I’ve never heard of sherbet in punch. I actually want to try it (I’m not an adventurous eater (that means I’m a really picky eater)).
If I still ate sherbet, I would try that.
I think I’ve definitely seen that kind of punch before, although probably not in person. I don’t drink soda, so I’d probably just want to fish out the sherbet and eat it, lol.
I’ve had sherbet in punch. I wonder if it’s regional? I grew up near Cincinnati, Ohio. You?
By the way, this is the first time I’ve visited since you moved your blog to this new site. Looks great!
Oh, fascinating! Don’t think I’ve ever had punch before, much less any with sherbet in it, haha. Fun how you included that tradition in one of your books!
I’d try your rainbow sherbet punch. Don’t think I ever added a personal tradition in my stories yet. But its a great idea.
LOL reading your post here reminded me of my mother’s love for rainbow sherbet. I haven’t had it in years, but she used to gobble it up.