Felixstowe Book Festival

  • About
  • Emerging Writers – Short Story Competition 2022
  • Bookings
  • Contact
  • Eating And Drinking
  • Programme
    • Tickets
    • Venues
    • Adult Programme
    • Workshops
    • Emerging Writers Day
    • Suffolk and the Sea
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Volunteer
  • Where To Stay
  • Festival Friends
  • The FbF Book Club
  • Blog

A carol a day… December 9th

December 9, 2018 By IT

Hello booklovers!

The moment you have been waiting for has arrived – the conclusion to Hattie’s wonderful piece all about ‘When Santa got Stuck up the Chimney’. Hattie touches on a childhood scene which I think we could all relate to at some point in our school days!

Hattie writes…

‘When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney – Part Two

Having devoted far too many hours trying to locate the musical genius who brought this Christmas classic into being, I fell to musing instead about my own first encounter with the song.

I was, I think, about four or five – that most impressionable of ages, when sleeping on Christmas Eve is akin to man’s first ascent of Everest. And exactly the age when the school Christmas show is a deadly serious part of the curriculum.

That year, some wise teacher plumped for a medley of songs rather than the standard Nativity. So we not only had the usual singing Shepherds, Kings, and Little Donkeys – we also had The Twelve Days Of Christmas in human children form (my younger brother was a Gold Ring) and various small and vicious reindeers definitely not letting poor Rudolph join in any of their reindeer-games.

And me? Well, there was an industrial-size cardboard box painted to look like a chimney, and a boy from the year above dressed as Santa with a pillow stuffed down his shirt – but most importantly of all (I was assured) were the Girls and Boys who, woken by Santa’s shout, endeavour to Pull Him Out. Yes, that was me. When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney was my stage-début.

And was a star born that night? Well, not quite – despite all the glitz and excitement of the show, I was, I confess, mostly preoccupied about exactly why I was wearing pyjamas at school.’

What a wonderful memory. To conclude our Father Christmas celebration, I have one more literary recommendation for you – Father Christmas’s Last Present by Marie-Aude Murail and Elvire Murail, with beautiful illustrations by Quentin Blake. Exploring growing up, childhood and belief in wonderful things, this story is a Christmas necessity in our house.

Yuletide felicitations, until tomorrow! x

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Calendar

Today
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
+
more...
26
+
more...
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
Events on 11/06/2022
11 Jun
Martin Newell and The Hosepipe Band at the Festival Launch Weekend
11 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
Events on 12/06/2022
12 Jun
In my Own Footsteps : Michael Pennington at the Festival Launch Weekend
12 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
Events on 18/06/2022
18 Jun
Mrs Simpson In Felixstowe - a play by Suzanne Hawkes at the Festival Preview events
18 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
Events on 19/06/2022
19 Jun
Writing Historical Fiction Workshop
19 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
Events on 22/06/2022
22 Jun
My Pen is the Wing of a Bird - Special online event
22 Jun 22
Events on 25/06/2022
25 Jun
Tessa Hadley - Amended event
25 Jun 22
FELIXSTOWE
25 Jun
The Sea and Suffolk
25 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
25 Jun
Suffolk connected by the Sea
25 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
more...
Events on 26/06/2022
26 Jun
Neuro divergent workshop - Muriel Moore-Smith
26 Jun 22
Trimley St Mary
26 Jun
Margery Allingham - a Celebration
26 Jun 22
FELIXSTOWE
26 Jun
Sea Sagas of the North - Jules Pretty
26 Jun 22
Felixstowe
more...

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join the discussion…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2022 · Graphics by Rebecca Pymar · Site Policies · Log in