Jan Ruth's Itty Bitty Christmas....

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

from

Jan Ruth

What’s your earliest Christmas Memory?

Dad, creeping about on the landing with a pillowcase. Merry the pony wearing a Christmas hat and bells in his mane (under sufferance, but even so). My brother hiding vegetables.

Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

Buck’s Fizz for breakfast, made with freshly squeezed juice and a good quality Cava. A long walk in the hills in the afternoon. These two seem to have survived through the years!

What’s your favourite festive carol or song?

The Pogues: Fairytale of New York (You WILL sing, you will…)

You Tube

Do you have a favourite festive film?

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

You Tube

What’s your favourite festive read ?

A Child’s Christmas in Wales, by Dylan Thomas. Honest.

Are you organised or do you leave everything until the last minute ?

I’m quite organised. Preparations have reduced considerably since the family have grown. I can pare it down to Scrooge-like proportions if needs be. When we were busy working and the family was young, we always used to want to ‘go away’ somewhere for Christmas but now that we can, we invariably don’t want to. 

Christmas Tree – real or artificial?

Real. Can’t beat the smell or the mess, can you? It’s not really Christmas until you’ve pulled stray needles out of your new top. 

Tinsel or Glitter?

I’m not fond of tinsel… but I don’t know why. Maybe I was strangled by it in a past life. It always looks sparkly and innocent until you drape it on the tree and then it usually looks naff, so I’m going for glitter. I like the idea of sprinkling it on cut logs.

Gingerbread Latte or Orange spiced Hot Chocolate?

I don’t think I could cope with either. I don’t have a very sweet tooth so it would have to be straight hot chocolate for me, with maybe a dash of Christmas brandy?

Mince Pie or Yule Log?

I’m always disappointed with Yule Log, so mince pie it is. Warm, with a dollop of cream.

Christmas Dinner – Traditional Turkey or something Different?

Slightly different. We prefer the taste of chicken but I go overboard on the preparation as per Jamie Oliver’s buttery lemon chicken covered in prosciutto and stuffed with fresh herbs. It’s a firm favourite.

Christmas Tipple – Bucks Fizz/Mulled Wine or something stronger?

Bucks Fizz is lovely for breakfast, can’t bear mulled wine so I’m afraid it has to be something stronger! I’m a cold crisp wine drinker but I do like Jack Daniels or a tall gin and tonic too.

A fun game of after dinner charades or more chocolates and the television?

I’m not a lover of games, are you surprised by that? So, I guess that leaves me chocolates and TV. Actually, the more simple the evening, the better.

I’m reading these questions back and I sound very much like the eccentric hermit woman who lives in the hills with a well-stocked cellar. Oh, hold on…

Jan's Books are available on Amazon

     

 

Huge thanks to Jan  for sharing her Christmas with us.

Jaffa and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.






If you comment at the end of this post and tell us what your favourite Christmas film is, I'll enter you into Jaffa's mystery draw to win an a few bookish treats.

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Only Jaffa knows what they are......

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Winners will be selected and notified by email in early January
Good Luck


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