🎄 Fabulously Festive with Jane Lovering 🎄

In the run up to Christmas, I have wonderful author interviews to help get you into the festive spirit

Here's the fabulous, Jane Lovering

Photo Credit : Vienna Johnson

A warm festive welcome, Jane and thank you so much for being our guest today

 🎅What’s your earliest Christmas Memory?

I’d probably have to say that it would be my mum and dad decorating the living room with paper chains and balloons and getting our (tiny) Christmas tree out of its box to put in its pride of place on the coffee table in the corner. Although this happened every year so I couldn’t pinpoint how old I would have been when it first happened! But I do remember those paperchains were always inadequately attached, so every morning they’d be down and draped over the furniture in new and interesting ways.

🎅Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

We like to spread out the present opening throughout the day. So there’s small presents on getting up, then another round of opening mid morning, more at lunch time and then the final presents are usually opened in the evening. I started this ritual when the children were small, to make sure that Christmas wasn’t one frantic round of ripped paper and squealing and then an anti-climax for the rest of the day!

🎅What’s your favourite festive carol or song?

This is a dead-heat between ‘Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel’ and ‘The Holly and the Ivy’. Of course, when you sing as badly as I do, my carols have to be listened to alone, in the kitchen. With the door shut. And the house empty.

🎅Do you have a favourite festive film?

Oh, there’s another dead-heat! The Muppets’ Christmas Carol and The Amazing Mr Blunden. Both brilliant for getting in the Christmas spirit, if you’re feeling a bit lacklustre about the whole thing.

🎅What’s your favourite festive read?

Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. I first read it when I was about ten, and it’s part of a fantasy novel series, but it focusses around the Christmas period. There’s lots of snow, a huge family, and a vague hint of menace in the background. Just like my family Christmases, really.

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

I brought my five children up as a single parent, on very little money. This meant that the expense of Christmas had to be spread as far as possible and I learned to buy bits and pieces throughout the year. Nowadays I’m a bit less keen on making lists and ticking things off, but I get twitchy if I haven’t got at least a vague idea about presents by mid November. I never make my mind up what we’re having for Christmas dinner until the last minute though!

🎅Christmas tree – real or artificial?

Real, all the way! But then I’m lucky and my house is quite large, so there’s room for a proper, spreading, needle-shedding six foot tree.

🎅Tinsel or Glitter?

Ooh, neither. I don’t really go much for sparkle, I’m more of your hygge, pinecones and hessian type of person. Besides, see my above comment about being mum to five – I’ve done my time with ‘everything with glitter on’…

🎅Christmas cracker or party popper?

Crackers, with dinner. The daft jokes, silly hats and rubbish gifts are part of Christmas, aren’t they?

🎅Mince Pie or Yule Log?

Yule log. I don’t like pastry. Although I do make a very nice mince pie, using my mum’s orange pastry recipe (although I say it’s my mum’s recipe she probably lifted it from St Delia), I don’t eat them. I know they’re nice because people tell me. Actually, if they didn’t say they were nice, I’d probably hit them with a yule log.

🎅Christmas Dinner – Traditional Turkey, Nut Roast Veggie or something a bit different?

We have a chicken, a beef joint and a gammon. Yes, all at once. Some don’t like chicken, others only eat beef, and some are just greedy buggers. Plus, plenty of left-overs so I don’t have to cook for ages after Christmas!

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

I’m usually working on Boxing Day, so I try not to indulge in more than the occasional glass of Prosecco during the day. If I’m not working though, I am all over the Rhubarb and Ginger gin!

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

Dog owner. So walks. Lots of walks.

🎅What can you tell us a little about Christmas Secrets by the Sea without giving too much away?

Well, there’s two dogs, a grumpy Irish TV star, a camper van and a café in trouble. Add in a heroine who’s lost her business and a lot of really terrible weather, and I think you can see that it’s not a traditional Christmas story!

Farrago Books
13 December

 

Sometimes you don’t get the Christmas presents you imagined… Tansy Merriweather is down on her luck. She’s lost her business and her relationship, and instead of a glamorous London apartment, her home is now a campervan on a Dorset beach. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, a scruffy dog called Brian with a taste for sardines has adopted her as his owner. When Tansy’s new-found friends at the cafe in the bay help her find a job as a location scout for a new TV show, things start looking up. However, she soon discovers that the show’s glamorous star, Davin O’Riordan, is as grouchy as he is handsome – and just as Brian starts forging a touching romance with Davin’s elegant whippet Seelie, Tansy begins to wonder exactly what Davin’s fans see in him. As Christmas approaches, Tansy and Davin discover each other’s secrets, and a new bond begins to grow between them. But how will they cope with the storms headed their way – and can they save the cafe from closing?

My thoughts about it..

Christmas Secrets by the Sea has all the right ingredients for a fabulously festive read, a kind hearted heroine, down on her luck, an aloof TV star with a hidden heart of gold, two daft dogs, a rusty old camper van and a dilapidated, but cosy, seaside cottage, which, when all are stirred together, help to add a beautiful warmth to the story. However, the hidden secrets which plague both lead characters, most certainly tug away at your heartstrings.

Tansy Merriweather and her delightfully daft dog, Brian, really stole the show. Brian's antics and his predilection for sardines and seaweed and his amorous chasing of the beautifully named whippet, Seelie, made me laugh out loud. And yet, I also warmed to the rather delicious, TV star, Davin O'Riodan, who had his own long buried problems to work through.

This isn't your usual festive read, true, it has references to Christmas, but it really is one of those beautifully written stories which can be read at any time of year. The author has created two really memorable characters in both Tansy and Davin, and throughout the whole of the story you just can't help wanting the best for both of them. The other characters who flit into and out of the story, especially Karen, from the cafe and her son, Rory, help to balance out the story and give some wonderful moments of light and shade.

Christmas Secrets by the Sea is a really lovely story and perfect to read in the lull between Christmas and New Year. I'm sure you'll love all the characters, especially Brian, as much as I did.

About the Author

Jane Lovering is a British writer of Romance Novels. She won the RoNA Rose (Love Story of the Year) Award 2017 and is shortlisted for the RoNA Romantic Comedy Award 2018.

Website

Twitter @janelovering #ChristmasSecrets

@farragobooks 

Facebook

Amazon UK

🎄 Happy Christmas 😊

Christmas Read ~ Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

Zaffre
November 2017

Many thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Blurb from the Book...

Piper Chesterfield's life as a hotel travel writer is glamorous. Staying in the finest hotels is the everyday for her. She calls nowhere home and that's how she likes it.

When Pipers next assignment brings her to the enchanting Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season is should be business as usual - until Gabe Whitaker the man who broke her heart checks in

But Piper isn't the only one who had been frozen in time by heartbreak...

Fate has reunited then but can a little Christmas magic keep them together?

My thoughts..

If a cuddly blanket could be book shaped then Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky is the absolute perfect match to wrap yourself up in. The warmth of this wonderfully romantic festive story spreads from the absolute beauty of its sparkly cover, to the delicate balance of romance and family drama, which blend together to make the perfect fit for a delightful Christmas read.

When Piper Chesterfield visits the magical Juniper Island to write an incognito report of the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel, she doesn't bargain on meeting her childhood sweetheart, Gabe Whittaker, the man who broke her heart so many years ago.

What then follows is  a deliciously romantic read which will have you smiling and wishing that you could visit this magical resort for yourself. The story is unashamedly romantic, with the added inclusion of sparkly snow, frolicking reindeers, sleek snowmobiles, a feisty heroine and a dashing and handsome leading man. The developing relationship between Piper and Gabe is done with lovely romantic detail and as each of them reveal their stories you can't help but hope that life will be kinder and will give them another chance at finding love.

I fell completely under the spell of Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky and read the book in one sitting, just stopping to refill my mug of hot chocolate. 

Amazon UK

Find out more about the author and her books here

Follow on Twitter @HollyMAuthor

Christmas Blog Tour ~ Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be starting off the Merry and Bright Blog Tour today

Arrow
16 November 2017

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Merry Smith is relying on her temping job at Matterson Consulting to last until Christmas but she keeps getting on the wrong side of her grumpy boss, Jayson Bright, who seems to be determined to find fault with everything Merry does. Merry's sweet nature doesn't let too many things get the better of her as her life at home, although fraught with difficulties, is filled with warmth and love. On the other hand, Jayson Bright is finding that the pressure of keeping his business afloat in a competitive market, means that he has little time for love and, it would seem, that he isn't very good at personal relationships. However, fate has a funny way of intervening and in Merry and Bright there are a whole heap of surprises to discover about life and love.

I really enjoyed this festive story which has such a lovely warmth to it that you can't help but be drawn into the whole concept of finding love in the most unexpected of places. Merry and Bright is written with a lovely light touch which gets right into the heart of family life and which shows that the true spirit of Christmas comes from being with those we love. The warmth of Merry's life is shown in direct contrast to Jason, who, although he has so much materially, he has little love in his life and he comes across as a rather lost and lonely figure.

There is no doubt that this talented author really knows how to hold the reader's interest, and with fine attention to detail, and a lovely array of characters, she gives exactly what her readers love to find in a wonderfully, festive read.

About the author

Debbie Macomber is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers. In addition to fiction, Debbie has also published two bestselling cookbooks; numerous inspirational and nonfiction works; and two acclaimed children’s books. The beloved and bestselling Cedar Cove series became Hallmark Channel’s first dramatic scripted television series, Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, which was ranked as the top program on US cable TV when it debuted in summer 2013. Hallmark has also produced many successful films based on Debbie’s bestselling Christmas novels. Debbie Macomber owns her own tea room, and a yarn store, A Good Yarn, named after the shop featured in her popular Blossom Street novels. She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and her husband Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington (the town on which her Cedar Cove novels are based) and winter in Florida.


Find the author on her website and Twitter @debbiemacomber

Follow the Blog Tour on Twitter  #MerryandBright @arrowpublishing

Amazon UK

~****~

Christmas Read ~ A Winter's Tale by Carrie Elks

Piatkus
30 November 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy of this book

Book Blurb from the cover...

Struggling film student Kitty Shakespeare is determined to make the most of her new job as nanny to major producer Everett Klein's son, Jonas. It might not be exactly the career she'd hoped for when she moved from London to LA, but thanks to her habit of freezing up in interviews, this is her last chance to impress a key player in Hollywood – if she can get this right, then surely he'll take a moment to look at her work. However, what Kitty hasn't allowed for is Everett's sexy-as-hell brother, Adam – but love at first sight this is not.

Adam Klein may be sexy, but he's also gruff and rude and in no way ready to make a fool of himself over the nanny – not after the year he's had. All he wants to do hole up in his cabin and hide from the brother who destroyed his life. If only he could find it easier to ignore the way Kitty makes his heart race . . .

As Christmas approaches, Kitty and Adam come to realise that the course of true love never does run smooth – and just maybe, it's more interesting that way...

A heartwarming Shakespeare Sisters Christmas romance from the bestselling author of Fix You.

My thoughts...

When Kitty Shakespeare is employed as a nanny to the delightful, seven year old, Jonas Klein she doesn't bargain on making the acquaintance of Jonas's taciturn and decidedly, cheerless Uncle Adam, who seems hellbent on making Kitty's life as difficult as possible.

This delightful seasonal story really took me by surprise, not just from the beauty of its cover, which, it must be said is stunning, but also, in the strength of the story which really grabbed my attention from the beginning. Kitty is a feisty and determined heroine and from the very onset of the story is determined to make the most of a difficult situation. Her ongoing relationship with the adult Kleins is fun to observe, but it is in her burgeoning relation with the ruggedly sexy, Adam, where the story really starts to take flight.

I loved the snowy setting of West Virginia, a place I am never likely to visit but thanks to the author I feel as if I experienced life there through Kitty's eyes. The place is so beautifully described that I could feel the icy blast of snow and the flutter of flakes, and the wonderful romantic edge to the story is done with a strong sense of passion and more than a hint of intimacy.

I loved the references to Shakespeare at the start of each chapter which compliment perfectly what is to come. This is definitely one of those feel good seasonal reads which will really brighten up a cold, dark wintery afternoon , a perfect antidote to too much seasonal stress.

A Winter's Tale is the second book in The Shakespeare Sisters series of books by this author.

About the author

Carrie Elks lives near London, England and writes contemporary romance with a dash of intrigue. She loves to travel and meet new people, and has lived in the USA and Switzerland as well as the UK. An avid social networker, she tries to limit her Facebook and Twitter time to stolen moments between writing chapters. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can usually be found baking, drinking wine or working out how to combine the two.

Website

Twitter @CarrieElks



A Winter's Tale is out tomorrow 30th November and is published by Piatkus

~****~

Christmas Blog Tour ~ The Deaths Of December by Susi Holliday

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of this Christmas Blog Tour 

Thanks to the publishers for my invitation to be part of this tour and for my review copy of Deaths of December

I'm delighted to be able to share Susi's Favourite Christmas Foods

My Favourite Christmas Foods...

Christmas has become synonymous with a time to indulge in far more food than you could ever really need or want, often with things that you never have any desire for the other 364 days of the year. In no particular order, here are some of my favourite Christmas foods:

After Eight Mints

Extremely addictive. Started on at the end of Christmas dinner, because even if you are stuff to the brim you can always fit in an After Eight. Usually finished before everyone has left the table, with the wrappers left in the box to annoy anyone who comes along later and stupidly thinks there might be some left.

Cheese and Biscuits

Cheddar, brie, camembert, roule, port salut. Cream Crackers, those loaf-shaped Hovis digestives, wholemeal thins, Tucs or Ritz. Grapes, celery, cranberry sauce. Ok, I confess – I probably eat cheese and biscuits at least once a week, but not the full variety J

Kilted Sausages / Pigs-in-Blankets

Whatever you might call those little sausages wrapped in bacon, they rarely make an appearance except with Christmas dinner, and no matter how many you make, there will never be enough.

Stuffing

I’m not even sure I particularly like it, but I pretty much only have it at Christmas, and if there is a Christmas dinner served without it, there’s trouble.

Sprouts

Much maligned, these little green monsters often get subjected to a re-boot to make them more appealing to those who say they detest them. But I actually really like them.

Maybe not enough to have them at any other time of the year.

Turkey

I actually don’t like turkey. We never had it at Christmas when I was growing up, usually having roast beef or chicken instead – but I love all the trimmings – in fact I am sure cranberry sauce was invented to give turkey some sort of flavour. I’m always pleased when pubs start offering their Christmas Specials, because then I can usually fit in several turkey dinners. Just not on Christmas Day.

Nuts in their shells

I don’t think anyone ever eats these outside of December, but who doesn’t like getting their hands on the nutcracker? That crunching sound is so satisfying. 

Actually, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eat these all year round . . .

P.S. I am not a fan of Christmas cake, pudding or mince pies!

Hodder&Stoughton
16 November 2018

It looks like a regular advent calendar.

Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one.

The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for twenty years.

But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station?

As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer.

Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them...

It's shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas...

About the Author

Susi Holliday grew up in East Lothian. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham competition. She is the author of three novels in the Banktoun trilogy, Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly. She is married and lives in London.

Follow on Twitter @SJIHolliday #TheDeathsofDecember

@MulhollandUK

Huge thanks to Susi for her festive guest post today.

Christmas Read ~ The Christmas Stocking and Other Stories by Katie Fforde

Century
2 November 2017

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

A wonderfully festive Christmas collection of short stories from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of A Summer at Sea and A Secret Garden 

The perfect gift for Christmas, escape to the countryside with Katie Fforde

Inside this Christmas Stocking you will find...

A Christmas in Disguise

Candlelight at Christmas

The Christmas Fairy

The Christmas Stocking

Plus much, much more to unwrap and enjoy...

Sometimes in the hectic run up to Christmas its difficult to find time to settle down to reading as there's so many other things to concentrate on, but in the hustle and bustle it's even more important to find a quiet half hour to recharge your batteries and that's where The Christmas Stocking and Other Stories comes into play.

Each story is perfectly proportioned to help you while away a quiet hour or so and whilst, its worth mentioning that two of the stories have been previously published in magazines I hadn't read them, so it didn't affect my enjoyment at all, but other readers may need to be aware of that.

The six stories which make up the whole of the book have a delightful seasonal theme and feature an array of people, and animals, who very quickly make an emotional impact. I really enjoyed reading the stories and each one, when finished, left me with a smile on my face and a lovely warm glow inside.  As with any short story collection, there are some which stand out more than others and my two particular favourites are The Christmas Stocking and A Dream Christmas. I could have happily read on for much longer than their sixty or so pages, and was, in a way, disappointed when the stories ended, only because I had grown to love the characters and wanted to read more of their story

If you are familiar with this author's work, you will instantly recognise her trademarks of lovely character definition and fine attention to detail which is so reminiscent of her writing. And for those who can't wait until her next novel is due, there is a sneak peek of A Country Escape, which is coming in February 2018.

So if you're looking for an escape from the rush of the shopping mall, then take a breather and enjoy a short break with The Christmas Stocking and Other Stories.

About the author

Katie Fforde lives in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with her family, and is a true country girl at heart. Each of her books explores a different profession or background and her research has helped her bring these to life. She’s been a porter in an auction house, tried her hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and she's even been on a Ray Mears survival course. She loves being a writer; to her there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. She particularly enjoys writing love stories. She believes falling in love is the best thing in the world, and she wants all her characters to experience it, and her readers to share their stories. 

To find out more about Katie Fforde step into her world at www.katiefforde.com, visit her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @KatieFforde.

The Christmas Stocking and Other Stories is published by Century in Hardback and eBook 02/11/2017, £9.99

Review ~ Winter edited by Melissa Harrison

Elliot & Thompson
2016

The cool blue of the cover conjures ice and frost and a feeling of winter pervades in the choice of prose and poetry contained within its pages.

There can be nothing more comforting on a cold wintry day than snuggling up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a really good book. On a recent, and rather grey, afternoon that's just what I did, and I very quickly found myself immersed in this lovely book. 

There are beautiful reflective pieces, my particular favourite comes from November (Sonnet XVI) by Hartley Coleridge, (1833) who was the son of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge..

 " ..In the chill sunbeam of the faint brief day

The dusky waters shudder as they shine,

The russet leaves obstruct the straggling way

of oozy brooks, which no deep banks define..."

Poets and authors, old and new, with works spanning over seven hundred years allows this Winter anthology to graciously unfold in sharply observed pieces which nestle comfortably alongside details of natural phenomena, as in this snippet from Thomas Furly Forsters, Encyclopedia of Natural Phenomena (1827) 

.." If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will have another flight..."

I had to look up Candlemas Day, it's on February 2nd

There are many more fascinating snippets which allow a glimpse into our British countryside during this stark season, and yet the content of the book is never austere, it is alive and vibrant, both in the imagery it evokes and in the feelings it arouses. Without doubt Winter, that most enigmatic of seasons, comes gloriously alive in this lovely anthology.

The editor, Melissa Harrison has done a commendable job of keeping this quartet of anthologies completely relevant, with each seasonal interpretation allowing a heartening and thoughtful meditation into the true meaning of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Published in support of The Wildlife Trusts who look after some 2,300 special places in the UK

Amazon UK

More about the editor, Melissa Harrison can be found on her website by clicking here

   

My thanks to Alison at Elliot & Thompson for my review copy of  Winter.

~***~

Review ~ Autumn, Edited by Melissa Harrison

Elliot &Thompson
2016

There's something rather special about these beautifully expressive little books which look at the changing of the seasons in terms of articles, poems and general observations, all of which combine to celebrate this most glorious of seasons.It's one of those books which you can pick up at whim and find something which brings to life the colour and the fruitfulness of Autumn.

It could be the starkness of Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ode to the West Wind or the simplicity of Thomas Hardy's Last Week in October or even the glorious beauty of William Butler Yeats' poem The Wild Swans at Coole which catch your attention, as they did mine, or you could find that the crisp prose of talented writers, so beautifully expressed, is your favourite, but what is absolutely guaranteed is that whatever appeals to you, be it prose or poetry, there really is something for everyone contained within its 198 pages.

My absolute favourite observation comes from freelance writer Louise Baker whose beautifully written piece encapsulates all that is glorious about Autumn..." Autumn is the crunch of leaves as they scatter underfoot; it's the rustles, rattles and whispers of a woodland walk, and the wind whipping through bare branches and heaped foliage.."

Sharp and crisp with occasional touches of melancholy, this is a perfect read for the Autumn season.

As always the anthology is beautifully edited and introduced by its editor, Melissa Harrison.

There are other seasons already published, with the exception of Winter which is due out on the 20th October.

      

My review of Summer can be found by clicking here

About the Editor

Melissa Harrison is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in South London with her husband, Anthony, and rescue dog Scout. She was the winner of the John Muir Trust’s ‘Wild Writing’ Award in 2010, and blogs about urban wildlife atwww.talesofthecity.co.uk.

My thanks to Alison at Elliot & Thompson for the opportunity to read and review this book.

~***~

Review ~ Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper by Debbie Johnson

Harper Impulse
November 2015

Last Christmas, I spent time in the company of Debbie Johnson and her charming seasonal read, Cold Feet at Christmas, so I am delighted to once again start off my Christmas reading list with this charming sequel, which reminds us of what's happened to Leah and Rob, who we met in Cold Feet whilst at the same time introducing us to Marco and Maggie, two people who seem to be destined to cross paths, right from the start.

What I enjoy most about these stories is the wonderful way the characters come alive; they jump off the page, often larger than life, filled with all sorts of angst like the majority of us and yet, there is also a charming vulnerability makes them seem, oh, so real. Maggie and Marco are complex people; there is an underlying sadness to both of them, making them seem susceptible to all sorts of hurt. It becomes interesting to see just how the relationship between them will play out after a less than auspicious start.

There are no great surprises in the story; it’s a light, easy read with some genuine laugh out loud moments that kept me entertained, and that’s ultimately what I want from a seasonal read. I want feel good factors, I want men in Christmas jumpers and I want to finish the story with a lovely warm glow of bonhomie, and I’m delighted to say that’s just what I got from Never Kiss a Man in Christmas Jumper.

Best read with Honey and Almond hot chocolate and a salted caramel cookie..

About the Author



Find Debbie on her website
Find her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @debbiemjohnson
Amazon UK

My thanks to Debbie for sharing her book with me and to Felicity at Harper Impulse for sending my review copy of Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper.

~***~

Merry Christmas Everyone....

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

*~*~*

Jaffa and I would like to wish all our authors,blog viewers
and supporters

a

Very 

Merry Christmas