Hello booklovers,

Christmas is a time steeped in tradition, whether that be reading the same books, listening to festive music or displaying time-old decorations. Our capital city also embraces many traditions, one of them being the beautiful Christmas tree on display in Trafalgar Square. A.N. Wilson’s charming story, The King and the Christmas Tree, is today’s Advent offering, and tells the story of how this tree came to be.

It’s a frosty night in 1940 and German U-boats have reached Oslo. Norway is on the cusp of falling foul of the Nazi regime; but King Haakon VII of Norway refuses to surrender. He escapes to safety in the United Kingdom, becoming a bright beacon of hope and a symbol of resistance for the Norwegian people. As a token of gratitude, Norway have gifted the people of Britain a Christmas Tree – a reminder of kindness, bravery, and the enduring power of Christmas even in times of great challenge for all. This short, sweet story is a great read for children and adults alike, telling a fascinating true story.

Festive wishes,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers,

‘One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea town corner now…’

Hiding behind Advent door number 17, we bring you A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, a hearty slice of nostalgia for what is a very nostalgic time of year.

This magical account of Dylan Thomas’s own childhood, and of Christmas Day in a small Welsh town has become a modern classic. Featuring tales and rememberings of Christmastime in the valley, of wolves, bears, hippos and Mrs Prothero’s cat, this lyrical piece of prose captures the wonder of Christmas for children and reminds grown ups of that wonder. Wonderful festive bedtime reading for little ones and big ones alike!

Christmas wishes,

Imogen x

Hello booklovers,

Today we bring you a magical story of the night before Christmas, brought to us by author Katherine Rundell and beautifully illustrated by Emily Sutton.

It’s Christmas Eve and Theo waits at home with his baby sitter. Gazing out of the window, he sees an unfamiliar star and, as is only right when one sees a strange star, he makes a wish. Now, most children would wish for a present they particularly want, or for a particular festive treat to find upon the dining table on Christmas Day. But Theo -heartbreakingly – wishes for friends, so that he is no longer alone. Sob.

Suddenly, four Christmas decorations come to life, a robin, a fairy, a horse and a drummer boy – four ready made friends for Theo, who each want something different for Christmas. And so, on this Christmas night, Theo goes about making their wishes come true. What follows is a sweet and mischievous series of events after which Theo’s life is never the same again, thanks to the magic of Christmastime.

A glorious festive story to savour.

Bookish best,

Imogen x

Hello booklovers,

Another tasty treat in stall for you today – dig your teeth into The Little Library Christmas by Kate Young.

I first came across Kate Young as she was interviewed in a food magazine, discussing recipes inspired by her favourite books, and felt an instant connection. I’ve always been interested in how food is portrayed in literature, specifically children’s fiction (I blame a childhood obsession with Turkish Delight on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe). Kate’s cook books, The Little Library Year and The Little Library Cookbook, are the perfect combination of elements for me: food and books. Her Christmas recipe book is no different. Salivate over meringues and cream, as consumed by the Fossil sisters in Ballet Shoes; slurp away on some eggnog as prepared by Moominmama for fellow moomins in Tove Jansson’s The Fir Tree; prepare Christmas Puddings to put in ones’ hat for emergencies, just as Paddington Bear does on Christmas night.

A tempting concoction of tasty recipes and luminous food writing, which would make a lovely gift to be treasured and read cover to cover every Christmas.

Festive best,

Imogen x

Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we have hidden the festive stories of literary gem, Michael Morpurgo, with Michael Morpurgo’s Christmas Stories.

Michael Morpurgo is a giant of children’s literature and has spent the last 40 years writing thought provoking, imagination igniting novels. His Christmas stories are no different – you can lose yourself in faraway lands and times gone by at Christmastime. In this compilation you can enjoy…

The Goose is Getting Fat

The Best of Times

The Best Christmas Present in the World

On Angel Wings

Each story features illustrations from fantastic artists such as Quentin Blake and Emma Chichester Clarke, which enhance these glorious stories no end.

A bookish treat to curl up with over the holidays.

Yuletide wishes,

Imogen x

Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we have hidden another festive scene from a classic novel – today we bring you Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

The Brontes do not scream Christmas, more the gothic – novels crammed with bleak and windy moors, ghostly figures and women hidden in the attic don’t necessarily make a reader feel festive. However there is a short passage in Jane Eyre where our eponymous heroine prepares her new home for guests at Christmas – a moment of rare simple pleasure for Jane.

‘Happy at Moor House I was, and hard I worked; and so did Hannah; she was charmed to see how jovial I could be amidst the bustle of a house turned topsy-turvy – how I could brush, dust, and clean, and cook. And really after a day of two of confusion worse confounded, it was delightful, by degrees, to invoke order from the chaos ourselves have made.’

I write this as our family have just decorated our Christmas tree – as with Jane, our house is indeed ‘topsy-turvy’ with the preparations, covered in boxes, tinsel and treasures waiting to be put on display for the festive season – we do the same thing every year and, amidst the mayhem, makes me feel truly festive. When Jane is finished she sees her home as ‘a complete model of bright modest snugness within, as it was, at this season, a specimen of wintry waste and desert dreariness without’. Here we get a taster of the Bronte home at Christmastime, acknowledging the joys that the lights and the routines of Christmastime bring to the bleakest of midwinters.

Why not hunker down with Jane Eyre over the holidays?

Yuletide wishes,

Imogen x

Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we indulge in some festive poetry by the one and only Carol Ann Duffy.

My Christmas has been wildly improved by the knowledge that Carol Ann Duffy has brough out a new festive poem this year. Advent Street, like our own bookish advent calendar, invites readers to open each window in Advent street – and hiding behind each is a precious gift.

I have been the lucky recipient of Carol Ann’s festive poems at Christmastime for years, and the news of her new work made me want to revisit my collection. Each is a delight – Dorothy Wordsworth’s Christmas Birthday captures the waiting and the wonder of Christmas Eve; The Christmas Truce  imagines that infamous Christmas of 1914, where peace ruled the day over war; The Wren Boys takes us to an Irish Boxing Day, where out into the cold and the wind come the Wren Boys on their hunt for the eponymous bird. There are plenty of others to choose from, all beautifully formed in square tomes with gorgeous illustrations. I look forward to adding the latest poetic offering to my treasured collection, and I hope you will too.

Bookish best,

Imogen

Hello booklovers,

Today we indulge in a rather gorgeous picture book by Zeb Soanes and James Mayhew – Gaspard’s Christmas.

Gaspard’s Christmas has the look and feel of a classic festive story – yet it was only published this year! Perhaps it is the marvelous combination of sweet central characters, timeless themes and beautiful illustrations that makes this feel like a traditional part of my festive bookish repertoire already.

Gaspard the fox is on his nightly roam around London when he discovers an old man asleep in a bus stop. He is freezing, homeless and not very well. Gaspard rallies his animal pals and together they get their new friend – Nikolas – to the safety and warmth of a local centre for homeless people where he is cared for. A hot shower and a hot meal restores him and access to the internet means he can contact his family. Thanks to Gaspard, he won’t spend Christmas alone.

Whilst this is a playful read, it still packs a punch. Access to hot water, hot food, the internet, spending time with my nearest and dearest at special times of year – these are all things I take for granted and yet for so many they are a rarity, or not accessible at all.  Given current circumstances, and the suffering and sadness experienced by so many at the moment, this feels even more stark. However the kindness of Gaspard and his friends shows the common thread that runs through us all in the tough times and the good: kindness.

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team x