Holidays! What wonderful, magical settings for stories, especially romances.
Last month was Thanksgiving. The word alone brings to mind family, travel, and delicious food. Plenty of opportunities for stories: conflicts between family members, the anxiety/exhilaration of bringing a new boyfriend/girlfriend to the family gathering, adventures of winter travel (flight cancellations or vehicles plowing into snowdrifts--meet cutes possible under either circumstance), or even humorous disasters with cooking mishaps.
Christmas is mere days away. Again family issues exist—whose home does the couple go to? Shopping escapades might begin with Black Friday sales and continue to frantic Christmas Eve shopping (picture a gas station convenience store.) And let's not forget decorating woes or accidents. This could be house decorating or cookie decorating. Travel again comes into play.
Next comes New Years. OMG! New Years Eve is fraught with story opportunities for turmoil, conflict, humorous meetings, and questionable decisions. The promise of the new year might lead to new beginnings or resolutions of unattainable desires or expectations.
[I'm sure as you read this, thoughts of stories you've read or movies you've seen have come to mind.]
On we go into a plethora of holidays to enjoy and write about. I'm talking about those on the calendars. Authors can create their own holidays to fit the story they envision!
Enjoy the holidays of any season. As you celebrate, consider what's happening around you. They might inspire your inner writer!