Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we bring you a slice of festive non-fiction in the form of Merry Midwinter by Gillian Monks. I came across this delightful and unusual little book last year in an independent bookshop and haven’t looked back since. Gillian provides her reader with a facsimile of facts, hints and tips you could possibly need to strip away the 21st century commercialism that has latched onto this joyful celebration, all with the aim to ensure a meaningful and merry festive season for all.

Merry Midwinter truly is a fascinating book, crammed to the brim with interesting tidbits of information, recipes and innovative ideas. Whilst Christmas is central to Merry Midwinter, the focus is more on the Midwinter season in its entirety and all of the traditions that it brings. Throughout the course of reading, we learn about Diwali, Hanukkah, All Saints Day (the 1st of November) and Epiphany, and many more interesting festivals, events and figures. We hear about Frau Holle (Mother Holly), an ancient fertility and earth goddess who rewards the good and punishes the bad, and the battles between the Oak King and the Holly King who fight for the right to rule every solstice.

Infused with personal stories, Merry Midwinter is a pleasure to dip in and out of over the festive season. I love to hear about other strange family traditions: the odd decorations that are wheeled out each year, the games played and the songs sung. Gillian brings the fun and familiarity back into Christmas and the festive season and is well worth a read for those who need their faith restored in Midwinter.

‘Christmas is to remind us of the importance of love… not just to provide a reason for expressing it every few days in December each year, but to spur us on in our endeavours to give it full rein ALL year round.’

What a lovely sentiment to take with us as we enter the week before Christmas!

Festive wishes to you all,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

 

Hello booklovers,

The story of the Nativity itself is of course a central tenet of the Christian belief system and provides a background that we may take for granted as we prepare for the feast of Christmas. The solid presence of the stable and its familiar occupants is so strong as both a visual and emotional aid to our Christmas celebrations.

I vividly remember a visit to Ely Cathedral just after Christmas one year, where as we entered that magnificent place we were greeted by the glorious vision of a huge illuminated Christmas tree surrounded by all the figures of the Nativity including the Wise Men who had finally made it up the aisle to join the others, the date was the 6^th January, Twelfth Night, Epiphany. The Magi were in place to offer their gifts to the Christ Child. A cold bleak day was warmed and cheered for us.

The success of the lengthy journey of the three wise men is well documented biblically, and in literature, and allows our Christmas celebrations to extend over twelve days. But many writers have been inspired by the idea of a fourth traveller who also followed the star, but failed to reach the stable. What of him?

The Greatest Gift, retells the story of this fourth wise man, based on a popular account written many years before by Henry Van Dyke. We hear about Artaban, a follower of the Zoroastrian faith, for whom the study of astronomy is of great importance, friend to Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who sets out from Persia intent on following a most significant star with his friends, but then failing to meet up with them.

The story we read in this wonderful retelling by Susan Summer, accompanied by the most vivid and beautiful illustrations of Jackie Morris, allows us to follow Artaban as he fails to follow the star. But the reasons for his failure lead us, and him, on a different  journey that is just as true to the ageless spirit of Christmas, and to all the best actions any of us can muster, not just at this time of year.

Hankie alert, I have never made it through this story, particularly when reading aloud to small children, without a break in the voice and a bit of a tear in the eye. This is a truly heartwarming, compassion filled, thought provoking tale, to be read carefully during these times in which we live, at Christmas and beyond.

Yuletide wishes,

Anna and the Festival Team x

 

Hello booklovers,

‘Jo was the first to wake in the grey dawn of Christmas morning. No stockings hung at the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because it was so crammed with goodies. Then she remembered her mother’s promise, and, slipping her hand under her pillow, drew out a little crimson-covered book.’

Christmas morning with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women never fails to make me feel festive as we read Jo’s anticipation that we all remember from childhood of waiting to see what fun and gifts the day would bring. Particularly befitting to our own literary celebration, the March girls are given books to read as their Christmas gift from their mother. My own lovely mum, in order to ensure that noisy,small people didn’t disturb the rest of the household too early, would also slip a book onto the top of our stockings to keep us occupied in the wee small (and exciting) hours of Christmas day.

The girls, who as you can imagine on Christmas morning were ‘unusually hungry’, gave their mouth-watering breakfast to a family in need. The timeless generosity of this act seems of particular prevalence to us all now, given the sobering statistics detailing just how many families are relying on food parcels from food banks in the UK as I write. I think, regardless of our differences, we can all learn from Meg, Jo, Beth and even Amy, who are the embodiment of  the importance of compassion, family and generosity. They teach us that we can all enjoy great tidings of comfort and joy by giving what we can and doing what we can to make the lives of other better.

Festive best,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door I present you with a very special book of mine. Given to me by my grandparents the Christmas after I returned home from my first term at University, A Literary Christmas is very precious to me. This anthology is to all intents and purposes a literary Christmas stocking, full to the brim with festive extracts from stories and novels, with sprinklings of poetry and verse.

A Literary Christmas is organised into eight different sections: Before Christmas, The Nativity, Christmas Day, Christmas Fare (my favourite – very entertaining to read about the varying success of festive foods in literature!), Christmas at War, A Child’s Christmas, Seasonal Snow and Ice and New Year. So, as you can imagine, there is something here for everyone at any point in the festive season!

We encounter a festive scene from Wuthering Heights alongside ‘The Oxen’ by Thomas Hardy. You can find Samuel Pepys’s diary entry from Christmas 1662 right next to an extract from Nancy Mitford’s highly entertaining Christmas Pudding. Or how about a giggle in the form of the brilliant Benjamin Zephaniah’s ‘Talking Turkeys!!’, an anthem for our feathered friends who have a tricky time over the festive period, with a smattering of animal magic from The Wind in the Willows? I have only mentioned a fragment of this glorious celebration of Christmas in literature which truly is a delight to dip in and out of throughout the Christmas season.

Yuletide wishes, until tomorrow!
Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

All hail the magnificent Michael Rosen who has been bringing joy, fun and a great deal of common sense into the literary world for many years. His impact on the literary diet of generations of children, from the wonderful ‘Chocolate Cake’ to the brilliant ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ and so very much more, has been immeasurable. Behind today’s Advent calendar door we are delighted to bring you a festive offering from Mr Rosen, in the form of Bah! Humbug!

‘Every Christmas needs a little Scrooge…’

Never has a statement rung more true and especially so in the case of Harry Gruber and his dad, Ray. Harry has the honour of playing Ebenezer Scrooge in his school Christmas play and it appears as though he is actually rather talented in the acting sphere. But his main concern doesn’t lie with his performance – he is most worried about making his dad proud which, it turns out, is easier said than done. Ray is a very impatient man, glued to his phone and obsessed with the success of his career, regardless of Christmas celebrations and his family’s achievements… to the extent that he leaves the performance to make an important call at the very moment when Harry is getting into his stride.

Just as Harry in his guise of Scrooge is visited by several spirits throughout the course of the play, Ray has similar experiences as he is haunted by memories of his past and realisations about his future if he doesn’t change his ways, expertly touching upon Dickensian themes of longing and regret. A wonderful read for adults and children alike, I think we have a new festive classic upon the horizon!

All the very merry best,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers,

Our outgoing Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is behind today’s Advent door, bringing with her one of her magnificent festive poems, Pablo Picasso’s Noel. Throughout this charming little book, beautifully illustrated by Léa Maupetit, we follow Pablo Picasso and his dog on an artistic journey around a small town in France on Christmas Eve. His voyage is punctuated, as so many festive celebrations are, by people, music and food. Our duo of man and dog spread joy and merriment wherever they go.

‘A sweet winter light blushed

as Pablo Picasso walked with his dog

under the cypress trees

and the bell of the old chapel guessed at the hour.

It was Christmas eve.’

Duffy manages to capture perfectly that beautiful stillness that we can sometimes feel on the night before Christmas, a moment of peace and reflection before the mayhem and festivities of the day ahead. Just as Advent makes everyday items and rituals in the days building up to Christmasspecial, Picasso adds a sprinkle of festive magic through the painting and drawing on his Christmas Eve  journey. He paints objects, like plates and wineglasses, and people; a barmaid and a caroling musician. He paints a wall with the mural of a dove, a potent symbol of peace. Last of all he sketches the townsfolk as they troop into church for Midnight Mass and waits and watches as a young boy leads a lamb into the church for the Christmas service.

Through this short and sweet nugget of festive fun, Carol Ann Duffy and Pablo Picasso reminds us of the simple, everyday pleasures and joys of Christmas.

Yuletide wishes,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

What is it about Christmas and night time? Despite the darkness and cold which would usually induce grumbles and misery, Christmas evenings are my favourite time of the day. I love seeing Christmas lights brighten up dark windows as the sun goes down, and the beauty of a cold starry night is a sight for sore eyes. And of course, most importantly, Christmas Eve is the night where Father Christmas is at his most busy. Night time is of particular significance in today’s Advent calendar offering, The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.

We meet James, the central character to the story, on a very snowy and bright morning. He rushes downstairs and out into the bright cold morning where he proceeds to build the snowman that every child dreams about. Complete with raisins for eyes, a tangerine nose and coal lumps for buttons (and a generally very sweet, kindly expression) James fashions himself the companion who he is lacking in the form of friends or siblings.

Next comes the most magical part. James is packed off to bed and, after all the familiar evening routines of tea-time and bath-time, night falls over the house. During this night of all nights, James’s snowman comes alive! Our friend, crying out for fun and laughter, goes on a night of adventures, including a ride on a motorbike, flying to the North Pole and attending a party hosted by snowmen. And all back in time for bed, without Mum or Dad even knowing. The magic of this simple tale is enough to spark the festive imagination of any reader, young or old.

Despite the twinkly lights and multi-coloured baubles, the festive season is also often a time for reflection and melancholy. Never has such a feeling be encapsulated better than by the final page of The Snowman where the magic comes to an end. But who knows what will happen next time it snows…

Merry best,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

All hail Shirley Hughes, providing the most decorative of bookish back drops to my childhood and that of my children,  whose literary and illustrative genius definitely comes to the fore at this time of year.

Her Christmas treats – Alfies Christmas, Lucy and Tom’s Christmas, The Christmas Eve Ghost to name but a few, has been added to recently by Snow in the Garden that I was lucky enough to receive under last year’s tree; a glorious compendium of stories, poems, recipes and craft all accompanied by the most delightful pictures, unsurprisingly.  This year there is another welcome addition, combining Shirley Hughes’s beautiful illustrations with that other Shirley (Edwards’s) wonderful creation, My Naughty Little Sister. Originally entitled The Naughtiest Story of All, this new edition, My Naughty Little Sister and Father Christmas, is surely a must for every Christmas book shelf, combining the wit and charm of the tale of our heroine’s run in with a venerable, bearded, old man dressed in red, with some very lovely, festively adorned, illustrations.

I end on a memory of a Christmas nearly 50 years ago, when I first laughed out loud at Eight Days to Christmas by Geraldine Kaye, in the Nipper range of readers for the young at that time. It was, and still is to me, the funniest Christmas read, describing as it does, the build up to a Christmas concert for one primary school class in a school that could be anywhere in the country. The illustrations are provided by Shirley Hughes, and her images, particularly the picture of the audition for best baby doll to play Jesus, will stay with me forever.

Yuletide wishes,

Anna and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

I am thrilled to bring you festive literary fans a Christmas anthology from one of my all time favourite writers, Jeanette Winterson. Christmas Days is an anthology with a tale and a recipe for each of the twelve days of Christmas. A lovely celebration of the period of time after Christmas day where traditionally Christmas is enjoyed and celebrated for twelve days. If anything, this book serves as a timely reminder of the true meaning of Christmas rather than the hurry and the flurry that, these days, seems to start on December 1st. Jeanette gives us the perfect tonic to a hectic time.

Each of her twelve stories are completely varying and perfect to dip in and out of. Our anthology opens with the serene Spirit of Christmas which is accompanied by a recipe for Mrs Winterson’s Mince Pies. Spooky Dark Christmas (my personal favourite) sits alongside Kathy Acker’s New York Custard. If you rummage deep enough, amongst various other delicious stories you will discover recipes for Ruth Rendell’s Red Cabbage, Kamila Shamsies Turkey Biryani and many, many other tasty treats.

Unusual and eclectic, Christmas Days is soothing and genuinly cheering to savour over the course of the festive period.

Yuletide felicitations until tomorrow!

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers,

To add to the already riveting conversational topics with which I bore my friends and family throughout the year, I am particularly fascinating at Christmas.

I know a great deal about the story behind the bringing in of the Yule log; the history of the Christmas tree; where the plum is in the pudding; the contents of the original mince pie;  why the pantomime is so called; St Nicholas and his transformation into Santa Claus; and my particular favourite, the story of the poor isolated mistletoe plant. The Norse legend of Balder the Bright and Beautiful is a particularly affecting tale that has stayed with me ever since as a small child, I was introduced to the delights of The Christmas Book by Enid Blyton, the source of all my interesting facts.

Love her or hate her, Enid Blyton in didactic mode has a very accessible style, that certainly appealed to my 5 year old self, and still informs me today. The family she uses as a vehicle for the discussion of all the traditions of Christmas could easily be updated to accommodate 21^st century life, with the stories themselves requiring less tweaking, to be accessible to all. But the copy in my possession now, published in 1944, with lovely illustrations and a gorgeous dust jacket,  is still much beloved by 3 generations of our family.  Allowing us to be aware that it is very much of the time in which it was written, it does provide a delightful parcel of stories to explain many of the traditions we take for granted at this time of the year.

Merry bookish best,

Anna and the Festival Team x