Goodreads asked Sarah Shell Teague:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Sarah Shell Teague For years I have written about my family's holiday experiences during the January following the season. From those memoirs I wrote several essays about funny things that happened. The holiday season is one in which we have such high expectations, it's good to accept that everything's not going to be perfect. I attended a writing conference several years ago, and heard the phrase, "It didn't happen." It's really okay to say that when your intentions don't measure up to reality. You can try all you want, but sometimes, it just doesn't happen, especially at Christmas, and you'll be in better shape if you accept that.I hope that as readers stride through this collection of stories, they'll laugh a bit and relax enough to see that a lot of what we worry about doesn't really matter.

flag