A very pirate Christmas – Christmas book review
A very pirate Christmas
by Timothy Knapman
illustrated by Russell Ayto
Egmont, UK Ltd, United Kingdom, 2015
Age group: 2 to 5 years old
Format: 32 page softcover picture book
Pirates is not usually something I associate with Christmas, but this book puts the two together with humour, rhyme and action.
The story
A crew of scurvy pirates, savage as a stormy sea, did a dreadful thing – they tied poor Father Christmas up and went to get some loot.
My review
My 9 year old read this to me and we both enjoyed it. The story moves along at a nice pace, with rhymes and colourful pictures.
While Santa and the children in the book are definitely humans, the illustrations show the pirates as robots – this is not part of the text so maybe it is just quirky or maybe it makes the book less scary for youngsters worrying about pirates hurting Santa.
I liked that it took the pirates a while to get the hang of flying the sleigh 🙂 But once they did, they stole every Christmas thing and took it back to their pirate ship (luckily it didn’t sink the ship!) for a grand old party.
Shhh, Pip the cabin boy saves the day, freeing Santa and allowing Christmas to be returned to the children of the world before they woke on Christmas morning – so there is a happy ending. The pirates had to return everything – I like that they fixed their own mistake effectively rather than being punished, giving a positive message.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely – A very pirate Christmas is a fun read, Christmassy and gives positive messages. It is a bit different to your average Christmas book and may therefore have more appeal to some adventurous children or those who are a little bored of the same ideas repeated.
A chocolate Christmas igloo!
What on Earth is a chocolate igloo, let alone a Christmas chocolate igloo, you may well ask!
Obviously, it is an igloo made out of chocolate, and decorated for Christmas!
Making an igloo from chocolate…
So a friend came across a Cadbury competition where you needed to create a Christmas house from chocolate. As lovers of both Christmas and chocolate, we couldn’t resist and set a time to create our chocolate house.
As we sat there with our mounds of chocolate (four 350g blocks and a 250g block of chocolate, plus some white chocolate melts and lollies), we had the idea of making an igloo from individual pieces of chocolate instead of just sticking together big blocks. Let’s face it, Santa lives at the North Pole so a Christmas igloo seems reasonable – and slabs of gingerbread to make a house is one thing, but a gingerbread igloo wasn’t going to happen!
Of course, making an igloo took more than the 40 minutes estimated for a Cadbury Christmas house!
We broke blocks of chocolate into pieces then formed the igloo using more chocolate as the mortar. It was our first time building an igloo so we made the first rows a bit too upright (ie we should have started the inwards slant sooner) but it worked out in the end.
We went with a flat roof as we weren’t sure we had enough chocolate left nor confident of our engineering skills to get it to curve the whole way in 🙂 But the flat rood made adding a chimney easier!
Adding decorations was easier – melted white chocolate for snow, cut up snakes to make a wreath, sour straps to make garlands of tinsel, cut up jelly lollies to make lights and some milk bottles to be the penguins at the door. And we mustn’t forget Freddo was inside the chocolate igloo (who else could live inside a chocolate building?)
Why a frog in an igloo?
Ok, there aren’t a lot of frogs roaming around the North Pole waiting for Santa to drop in, but Freddo is made of chocolate and seemed the right resident for the house!
Seeing Freddo inside the igloo, my eight year old decided there was a story behind the frog. She wrote a lovely story about a little frog who ended up at the North Pole and built himself an igloo to live in.
It was also my daughter who thought of the penguins – I was thinking of milk bottles at the front door to suit the old milk deliveries but she saw them as penguins which was a much better idea! A little black icing to make eyes, and Freddo had some company!
Alternative Christmas houses
So, that is our Christmas chocolate igloo – what do you think? It won’t win any architect awards, but I think it is fun and a very good first igloo building attempt! Maybe you can try making a chocolate Christmas igloo – if you do, we’d love to see photos!
What other alternative Christmas houses have you seen or created?
Freddo stuck in his chocolate Christmas igloo in a snow storm!
Christmas in Norway
After reading about Doctor Proctor, Nilly, Lisa and Santa, I looked into some Norwegian Christmas traditions.
Christmas obviously has similarities and connections, but the celebrations in Australia and Norway are unsurprisingly different.
Christmas in Norway
Being in the northern hemisphere and so close to the North Pole, December in Norway is often snowy and Christmas is in the middle of darkness thus is celebrated with lights to welcome the coming of spring and summer. From pagan beginnings about seasons and harvests, Christmas was slowly Christianised in Norway and surrounding countries – it remained Jul but focused on the birth of Jesus.
In Norway, to say God Jul or Gledelig Jul is like us saying Merry Christmas. In parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, they speak North-Sami and they say Buorit Juovllat.
But I have yet to find anything about children writing to Santa or receiving letters from Santa…
Christmas dates 
- celebrations and present sharing are held on Christmas Eve, leaving Christmas Day as a quiet day for brunch and to read books and enjoy gifts (and I’m guessing they recover from the food of the day before if they are like us!) This includes most families going to church – even if they are not Christian or church goers
- the 23rd of December is called Little Christmas Eve (or lillejulaften)
- Christmas starts on the 13th of December with the Saint Lucia ceremony which represents thanksgiving for the return of the sun. It involves the youngest daughter of the family dressing in a white robe with an evergreen crown, then all the children serve their parents coffee and lussekatter (Lucia buns). I must say it is a nice tradition to start Christmas with children doing something for their parents
- some families give a small gift each day or December, with or without a chocolate advent calendar! This is called Adventsgave or Kalendergave
- there is a Christmas advent calendar on TV, with a new episode shown each day of December. Called Jul I Balfjell, it has been going since 1999 and is based on a fairy tale of pixies in blue hats
- families light a candle each day from Christmas Eve to New Years Day
Norwegian Christmas traditions
So, here are some Norwegian traditions and activities…
- Santa is known as Julenisse and wears a red stocking cap with his long white beard – he is more gnome than person though. He knocks on the door in the evening of Christmas Eve (Juleaften) and hands out presents after asking “Are there any good children here?”
- Nisse – a little gnome who guards farm animals. Children leave out some rice porridge (risengrynsgrot) for him or else he plays tricks on them!
- a goat like gnome or elf known as Julebukk delivers gifts – there are have been a few variants of this since the Vikings worshipped Thor and his goat, but the current one is fairly tame and friendly
- the juletre (Christmas tree) is usually a spruce or pine tree and is decorated with candles, red harts, apples, straw ornaments, cornets, tinsel and glass baubles, according to individual taste
- the same Christmas movies are played on Christmas Eve morning and evening – apparently, people got very upset a few years ago when the station suggested changing the movies that Christmas!
- Flaklypa Grand Prix is an animated Christmas movie made in 1975 that most Norwegians love to watch each year. I will have to find it and watch it, but so far all I know is that an inventor, a penguin and a hedgehog build a race car for an oil sheikh and the soundtrack is by Bent Fabricicus-Bjerre
- a sheaf of wheat may be left out to feed the birds – being winter and snow, this is more relevant in Norway than in Australia where food is generally available for wild life
- skiing is a hugely popular, and skiing events are on TV throughout Christmas – their biggest finale is in Oslo on 1 January
- they gift a huge Christmas tree to the UK every year in recognition of help provided during World War II – it stands in Trafalgar Square in London
- often children dress up as characters of the Christmas story, usually shepherds or wise men, and go house to house singing Christmas carols
- many people sing a traditional folk tune with the words of Musevisa (the Mouse Song)
- O Jul Med Din Glede (Oh Christmas with your Joy) is a children’s song with actions that any adults also participate in for Christmas!
- home made decorations are the tradition for houses – toilet roll pixies are quite common, along with star lights in windows. Keeping things home made ensures a focus on children is the belief, and it makes sense.
Norwegian Christmas food and drink
A Christmas feast, or Julebord, is held many times in Norway – it is a gathering or people with a table full of food, and can be celebrated as a work or school party through to the family and friends gathering on Christmas Eve.
- there are specific Christmas delicacies, but these vary between towns – even the special bread called Julekake can vary in ingredients across Norway. Parties can therefore include an array of different dishes when people come together from a bigger area
- Sand kager is a traditional Christmas biscuit, as is Krumkaker which are thin waffle-like biscuits curled into a cone
- gingerbread or pepperkake, is very popular in Norway for Christmas, often shaped as people or stars and a thicker gingerbread is used to make gingerbread houses as well – pepperkakebyen is a gingerbread city in Bergen!
- rice porridge is a common treat, eaten with butter, sugar and cinnamon for lunch on Christmas Eve or with whipped cream as a dessert. If you find the almond in your serve, you get a prize (bit like finding coins in the Christmas pudding we used to do) – the prize often being a marzipan pig
- some rice porridge is often is left out for the birds at Christmas, too
- Glogg is a traditional drink with red wine, almonds, raisins and spices. Many breweries also release special Christmas beers, too, known as juleol, and a soft drink called julebrus – everyone has their favourite version though!
- the main Christmas meal is usually pork or lamb or mutton sticks (Pinnekjott), potatoes and surkal (cabbage cooked with caraway seeds and vinegar). Lye-treated codfish is also popular around Christmas time.
Have you been to Norway for Christmas, or perhaps have Norwegian family and experienced some of these traditions yourself? We’d love to hear about your Norwegian Christmas in the comments below!
* Images courtesy of Love Santa, Max Pixel, Smarias and Oleksandr Prokopenko
Last Christmas – Christmas book review
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Avon (Harper Collins), London 2009
Age group:
mid-teen to adult
Format:
380 page paperback
Another spur of the moment purchase of a Christmas book, this perhaps not a book I would normally choose.
The story
Four people and those around them look for happiness and peace, while a country town struggles against nature and developers.
My review
I gave you my heart … you gave it away… to save me from tears … someone special
With the parts of the book given those titles, it inspires hearing the Wham song “Last Christmas” throughout this book! The message of the song does fit with the story, but it is a small connection and Wham is mentioned only once so don’t let your opinion of the music influence your decision about reading this book!
Anyway, this is a fairly light read about the lives and relationships of four main characters. I must say it was fairly predictable in terms of outcomes but the journey to reach those outcomes took a few unexpected turns. It is not just a romance book as it covers issues such as mental illness, Alzheimer’s and gratitude along with modern life stresses.
The town where some of the characters live and others are involved through work is called Hope Christmas, and this seemed to be the main link to a Christmas story for a fair chunk of the book. However, the spirit of Christmas and generosity moves throughout and it does build towards the Christmas season and the town’s Christmas performance of the nativity story.
A few things I didn’t like were missing details – for example, one child plays an important part but we are never given his age and I found it difficult to understand his comprehension of events thinking he was a pre-schooler but later discovered he attends school – and some jumps in time – headed by ‘this year’ and ‘last year’ to continue the Wham theme, but seemingly of no value to have things out of order. Sometimes, jumping in time builds suspense or gives a broader context to the characters, but in this instance I found it annoying to read of ‘after what happened last Christmas’ without knowing what had happened, and then finally knowing what had happened and finding ‘it’ fairly mundane.
One of my favourite characters, old Ralph Nicholas, is positive and reassuring, but not present in much of the story. The final twist with him is sweet but perhaps pushing the boundaries of the genre for this book.
So do I recommend it? As a nice book to be read at any time of the year, it is worth the effort of finding it. In the lead up to Christmas, it may serve as a good reminder to concentrate on the important elements of Christmas – a perfect meal or the biggest gift is not what we should be focussing on.
It is a Christmas story, and Williams had a number of other Christmas books if you want a few adult Christmas stories to curl up in front of a fire with, or to give as Christmas gifts.
 look inside | Last Christmas – SoundTrax CD (CD only) Composed by George Michael. Arranged by Greg Gilpin. This edition: SoundTrax CD. CD. Alfred Pop Series. Christmas; Pop; Secular; TV; Winter. Published by Alfred Music (AP.35732). |
PS If, like me, you have never heard of a nativity mystery play let me tell you that a mystery play is an old term referring to plays that show a biblical story in a church as a tableaux with accompanying songs. In this instance, mystery is used in the meaning of miracle.
Santa arrived at Knox today!
Some will just say “but it’s only November!” but Santa arrived at Knox Shopping Centre in Wantirna (Melbourne) this morning.
Santa arrived with Mrs Claus in a golf buggy (remember the reindeer are resting for the big Christmas Eve trip!)
There was also a parade, including a band, elves, Rudolph and some golden bells.
The sun was out, the skies were blue and it was a lovely day for greeting Santa and his Christmassy friends!
And as for those saying Santa shouldn’t arrive in November, bah humbug! Seriously, it makes sense to me as Santa must be so busy in December that parades and crowd visits like this must be much easier for him to fit into November!
Can Doctor Proctor save Christmas? – Christmas book review
Can Doctor Proctor save Christmas?
by Jo Nesbo
illustrated by Mike Lowery
Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, UK, Nov 2017
Can Doctor Proctor save Christmas was recently (2 October 2018!) been released by Aladdin paperbacks as Silent (but deadly) night with more illustrations by Mike Lowery
Age group: 7 to 12 years old
Format: 24 page paperback
My family loves Jo Nesbo books – I read his crime books and my children laugh at his Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder series! So we were very pleased to find this Christmas Doctor Proctor book was added to the series..
The story
The King of Norway sells Christmas to Mr Thrane, who bans Christmas from everyone unless they spent lots of money in his stores. Nilly, Lisa and Doctor Proctor want to save Christmas…
My review
Farts, inventions such as fart powder, school bullies, Santa, flying reindeer, annoying robots, secret passwords – how can any child resist this book?
Fourth in the Doctor Proctor series, this book is well written, funny and entertaining – and my kids enjoyed it too! It is a kids’ book so it is easy enough to follow without reading the other books, although the characters will be more familiar and the background clearer if they are all read in order – it is sometime since I read the first book with my kids so I had forgotten most character names and had no memory of Juliette Margarine, but I had no trouble reading the book and understanding everything.
Each chapter tells you when it is set
You may be wondering about the series connection and, if you don’t have a flying sleigh, how can you possibly get onto roofs to climb down chimneys? Well, you use Doctor Proctor’s fart powder of course! Simply take a spoon full then use the fart to propel yourself onto the roof and off you go, delivering gifts! This, of course, is a hilarious highlight of the book for youngsters.
One word of warning – there is a lot of ‘do you believe in Santa’ content in the first third of this book. It clearly implies that older children and adults don’t believe, and that Norwegian fathers usually play the role of Santa on Christmas Eve, so this may raise questions in young readers. The book follows through with Doctor Proctor saying “I don’t believe Santa exists – I know he does” and then we meet Santa in the story – but not entirely the happy, red clad Santa we usually know and love. As an adult, this is not a problem but just be careful of what children are ready for when giving them this book.
There are a few whole page illustrations throughout the book
The story moves along nicely – there is danger, adventure and surprise, but never any dull sections I felt like skimming over. And, despite being a kids’ book, it never felt predictable as you wondered what would happen next. There are a number of mentions of Australia – the reindeer are hidden down under, we have strange animals and we may have BBQd a Christmas icon…
There are some Norwegian traditions mentioned along the way, too, such are rice pudding, gnomes, leaving rice pudding in a barn, and calling the 23rd of December Little Christmas Eve. I enjoyed learning about these traditions, too, especially in a fun way. Christmas Eve is the big day in Norway – Christmas Day is quieter and somewhat private.
I do like the acknowledgement of nice children (and reference to Santa’s nice-meter) and a scene where Doctor Proctor helps the children build a positive mindset. Doctor Proctor tells the children to remember and delight in old adventures and remember that everything is a new adventure that could turn into something wonderful. They also have a conversation where Lisa comes to realise the real Christmas gifts she has (like keeping her nice home and friends). It is done in the context so it didn’t feel like moralising either.
Would I recommend Can Doctor Proctor save Christmas?
Absolutely! It is a lot of fun, has a good dose of Christmas spirit and enough depth to be interesting to all age groups. Just remember my earlier warning and that (spoiler alert, sorry!) Santa has a number of children without there being a Mrs Claus in this story – decide if these are an issue for your children, but otherwise they will love this book!
Christmas movies – angels and calendars!
I went away with a friend and our children over the long weekend. Once the kids were all settled in bed, we watched a Christmas movie each night which was fun.
Angels in the snow
A 2015 movie from George Erschbamer, Angels in the snow is classed as a children and family movie and a drama, and goes for about one and a half hours. It stars Kirsty Swanson, Chris Potter and Colin Lawrence.
The story is based on a book by Rexanne Becnal, also called Angels in the Snow, although the names are different and the book blurb doesn’t hint at the same twist as seen in the movie.
Rich businessman Charles has built a ‘cabin’ in the woods to surprise his wife and children. Their first trip to the cabin is for a Christmas holiday together, but a blizzard quickly turns things cold. A knock at the door overnight, welcomes the stranded Tucker family into the ‘cabin’ (actually a luxurious two story house) and thus the two families spend Christmas together.
Charles continues to work during their holiday – alienating his teens by insisting they go tech free when he can’t manage it himself – and his wife is obviously unhappy with the state of things. On the other hand, the Tuckers are a loving family and set a very different example for impressionable (and precocious) eight year old Emily. Slowly, the Tuckers influence the Montgomerys and both families make a tight bond – but there are some strange comments and looks from the Tuckers that hint not all is as expected.
The movie has the message of communicating and spending time with the people you love, which is a valid message, although it was perhaps a bit heavy handed in this case.
Kids making Christmas crafts is a highlight of this movie
Some of the scenery is this movie was spectacular, and there are some nice scenes like where the kids all work together to make decorations for the Christmas tree. And there is certainly a feel good element of the Montgomery family finding their way back to each other.
But… the ending is not fun. The twist, although we saw it coming, was unbelievable and shallow, and the follow up scenes to explain it were painful to watch. I can’t say I liked most of the Montgomery family (mum was self absorbed and weepy, the son was arrogant, Emily too Pollyanna-ish to fit her family and the teen daughter was superficial) although Charles was somewhat redeemed by his connection to Bella, and the Tuckers were all lovely.
And it was a bit harsh to send the Tuckers out after the blizzard, without blankets, on a two hour walk back to their damaged car! Charles perhaps didn’t learn as much as we thought we had!
It is rated ‘family’ but kids will be bored by all the talking and may be upset or challenged by the twist at the end, so I’d leave it as an adult movie. Then again, I think I’d just leave it altogether as there are just too many weaknesses in it.
If you have seen it, what did you think? Would you recommend it to anyone?
The holiday calendar
Released on 2 November (the day before we watched it so this is a very new movie!), The Holiday Calendar is a Netflix movie starring Kat Graham, Ethan Peck, Quincy Brown and Ron Cephas Jones.
Abby (played by Kat Graham) lives in a small town and works for Mr Singh as a photographer rather than as the artistic photographer she wishes to be. Her best friend, Josh, is also a photographer and just returned from far places as a successful travel blogger.
Abby receives an antique advent calendar from her Gramps. The calendar is beautiful and doors only open as each new day starts, showing a little toy. Along with Abby, we learn that the calendar is magical and perhaps predicts the future with the toy produced each day.
A simpler advent calendar than in the movie, but I like it!
The movie has Christmas, romance, magic, family and self-realisations about dreams. It has some pretty scenes and the advent calendar itself is lovely. I do like that there was a diverse range of people and that some characters were more than stereotypes (for example, Mr Singh is a bit of the grumpy old boss out for a buck but also actually cares about the kids enjoying a visit with Santa).
I would have liked to have seen more of the advent calendar items – the first few days are shown but after that we only saw a couple of them. Sure, doing a day by day recap may get a bit boring in a movie, but a few shots with all the toys in front of the calendar or something would have been a nice touch.
The outcome was somewhat predictable but what do you expect in a feel-good Christmas movie, lol! It is comfortable and cosy, with no fake threat to Christmas, the town or Abby’s family, so it adds up to a nice movie – unlikely I’d watch it again but we had fun watching it.
Christmas movies…
So there are Christmas movies for families and romantic Christmas movies.
Generally speaking, you don’t expect a Christmas movie to be up amongst the great movies – and these two are certainly not amongst the best movies I’ve ever seen. They are not even amongst the best Christmas movies I have seen, unfortunately.
I guess I will just have to watch some other Christmas movies to find better ones I can enjoy!
Santa’s Place
Over the long weekend I got to visit Santa’s Place and it was lovely!
Santa’s Place is a Christmas tree farm and shop in Moorooduc, south east of Melbourne.
There are a number of rooms, each of which is full of Christmas decorations and delights. One room has a Christmas village display, too.
I was very excited to see a huge sleigh pulled by two boomers!
And the neighbouring room has numerous Aussie themed Christmas items. I couldn’t resist coming home with a cute platypus decoration to join my other Aussie Christmas tree ornaments.
The playground and cafe were also enjoyed by the children I was with, so we spent a fair bit of time happily visiting Santa’s Place! The staff were friendly and appreciated my eight year old helping them restock a display!
So I daresay we will be returning…
Evergreen – idyllic or commercial?
Evergreen – a magical town where things are beautiful and Christmas is wonderful – sounds idyllic!
In the movie
So Evergreen is the setting for a new Christmas movie called Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa, due to be released (on American TV) on 18 November.
Overall, it appears to be romance where two couples find each other and presumably kiss under the mistletoe! There is nostalgia and a concerted effort to make Christmas wish, found in an old letter to Santa, come true.
If you like Christmas and romances, this could well be a lovely movie to watch.
Note it follows on from a 2017 movie, Christmas in Evergreen, where a small town vet wishes for her ‘most romantic Christmas ever’.
Its origins
Evergreen is designed to bring to life the magic of Geoff Greenleaf’s card illustrations. Greenleaf is the master artist and illustrator at Hallmark, and Evergreen is a town based on illustrations forming the background of many of their Christmas cards.
If you have paid attention to enough cards, it may be sweet to see it come to life in a movie, and it adds an extra layer to the meaning of those card illustrations. And seeing things come to life (think books, stories, characters) can be comforting and exciting.
One review I have read goes on to list various iconic Hallmarks items that are included within the movie set of Evergreen. While this builds the authenticity of the town, it feels a bit strange to me.
For starters, I’m not sure that I would recognise things as Hallmarks property so the authenticity would be lost on me!
More than that, though, it feels very commercial and money-grabbing to have such icons in a movie – I want to relax and feel the Christmas spirit, not thinking about a big corporate and their profits!
However, this is perhaps expected on the channel showing this movie as part of their Count Down to Christmas – it is actually called the Hallmark Channel! Again, an entire channel owned and managed by a retail-based company feels strange to me, but I gather it has been in place for many years in the USA. I am curious to watch that channel and see how commercial it is – maybe the advertising is more subtle like including their icons and settings in programs.
What do you think – does this movie and channel feel too much of an ad for Hallmark, or is it just good that this company is putting money into making Christmas movies to watch?
* Image courtesy of Belchonock at 123rf
A proper family Christmas – Christmas book review
A proper family Christmas
Hodder and Straughton, London 2014
Age group: mid-teen to adult
Format: 448 page paperback
A nice family story that climaxes at a Christmas unlike what anyone expected.
The story
Sophisticated Annabel and Richard face emotional upheavals from their daughter’s mistake at a music festival.
My review
Annabel likes things to be perfect and stylish, right down to owning a fancy manor house she can show off to locals at an annual fete. However, her life is turned upside down when her sixteen year old daughter Izzy goes to a music festival and makes a huge mistake.
This book has both a mix of characters and contemporary issues which makes it interesting and more complex than just a simple assessment of life for rich and not-so-rich.
Personally, I didn’t grow to like one of Annabel’s sisters although various characters see her as the generous one, but she does help keep the story real and not so saccharine sweet as happens in some books. However, Chelsea and the two teen girls, plus the mischievous jack, I certainly liked and empathised with as I read the book.
The story deals with honesty and shame through {spoiler alert coming up!} adoptions, drug taking, transplant waiting lists, bulimia, single parenting and dementia, to more or less significance. The author has researched the medical elements for the transplant issue and used her own adoption history to ensure the story is based in reality.
Like other adult books with a Christmas title, this is not really about Christmas but used Christmas as a tool to highlight relationships. Let’s face it, Christmas is so tied up with family (which I see as a good thing!) that it can be a catalyst to facing up to issues or estranged relatives.
Would I recommend it? It was a nice read and I did enjoy it, and have contemplated reading the three others books about the same family (A proper family holiday was first and this book is followed by a proper family adventure and a wedding at Christmas).
The Christmas Cookie Club – Christmas book review
The Christmas Cookie Club
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by Ann Pearlman
Simon & Shuster Ltd, United Kingdom, 2010
Age group: late teen – adult
Format: 288 page paperback
Absolutely about Christmas, this book is an unusual look at individuals, relationships and people supporting each other. It also inspires yummy cooking!
The story
A group of 12 women meet on the first Monday each December to swap cookies and stories of their lives.
My review
So I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, either in format or depth, so I was pleasantly surprised to quite enjoy it.
The story centres around one woman, Marnie, starting with her thinking of her daughters and preparing for the Christmas Cookie Club get together that night. After that, each chapter adds in a new woman, giving us a taste of her life and personality. I found that adding characters one at a time like that made it easier to remember who was who (although I did still have to flick back a few times!) and it also gave a real feel for each character.
The premise of the club (and it is based on a real club the author belongs to) is that each person makes some biscuits (cookies) of her choice, bringing a dozen for each other member of the club plus a dozen as a donation to a charity. Each women then goes home with 12 beautifully packaged biscuit dozens!
In presenting her biscuits, each woman tells a story about the biscuits and/or the packaging. We also get a copy of the recipe of the biscuits discussed so you can literally taste your way through this book! I haven’t yet used any of those recipes but intend to try at least a few of them. I also like that each recipe is in a different font, with some sort of connection to the woman or recipe.
Yes, the book got me thinking of starting a Christmas Biscuit Club or something similar – and I note Pearlman has since written another book to help those inspired – The Christmas Cookie Cookbook: All the Rules and Delicious Recipes to Start Your Own Holiday Cookie Club. I haven’t yet done anything about organising such a club – have you been to one or started one? What did you think of it? I must admit the thought of cooking 12 or 13 dozen biscuits is somewhat intimidating!
Reading this book, I noticed a lot of relationship issues were raised (in a realistic and empathetic way). It turns out that Pearlman is a psychotherapist and marriage therapist so she has some insights, and her autobiography, Infidelity, sounds like a very interesting book about the impact of marital infidelity. The two books together would make an interesting Christmas gift, I think.
So do I recommend it? Yes, if you want a heart warming story that goes beyond shallow relationship and happy endings for everyone, and a story about Christmas traditions worth having.
Skipping Christmas – Christmas book review
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by John Grisham
Dell (Random House), New York, 2001
Age group: mid-teen to adult
Format: 198 page paperback
I know John Grisham as a respected author, covering serious books such as The Firm, The Associate and The Rooster Bar, so I was pleased to see a Christmas book by him – I loved the idea of a Christmas book with some depth to it.
The story
A middle aged couple decide to skip Christmas after their only daughter goes overseas in November.
My review
I started this book with expectations of something to get involved in, although the length said it couldn’t get too complex, and pleasure at a serious Christmas read. It is only since starting it that I discovered it was promoted as a comedy – don’t get me wrong, comedy is great but it isn’t what I was expecting from John Grisham.
And comedy is not what I got – nor was a serious read with depth.
My expectations kept me going through the early part of the book as I had hopes of improvement. Further in, I did get more of an interest in the characters but the plot was still pretty mediocre.
Luther and Nora decided to save money and pass on the usual Christmas traditions – not just avoid decorating their house and not celebrating on Christmas Day, but to avoid all things Christmas including attending work Christmas parties, sending cards or even giving service people their annual tip/gift. It seemed a little drastic to cut out everything (but of course I am biased by my love of Christmas!) but I suppose that is where the humour lies and the social comment on how much Christmas pervades our lives in December.
I felt uncomfortable with some of the reactions to Luther and Nora – it just seemed rude to me that people come to the door expecting them to buy a Christmas cake or tree, and then arguing when the answer was no. To then offer $100 later in the year as compensation also seemed pointless – they weren’t saving money that way and seemed to accept the rude expectation on them.
As an Aussie, I found the name of one scout hilarious though – Randy Bogan! Could you imagine going to school or a party and saying ‘hi I’m Randy Bogan’?
Luther had my sympathies by the end of the story, and I liked that the neighbours rallied around him and Nora. There was a bit of ‘no matter what, when you really need us we’ll be there’ from the street, which is lovely, but given their earlier attitudes and behaviours it felt a little ‘aren’t we good’ instead of generous – and it was aimed at Blair (the daughter) anyway. This was during the slapstick part of the book where Christmas was no longer being skipped and things were looking a little lonely. In a movie, this part may look funny but it was sad in the book, I thought.
So I guess a few questions arise as I think about this book… shouldn’t people be able to celebrate or not as suits them, without fear of ridicule? Is it reasonable for a neighbourhood to band together against one household for no real misdemeanour? Should Christmas carols be used as a weapon to humiliate people’s choice of not decorating their front yard?
Good parts to the book – it has a happy ending, it has a few funny moments (like a risqué charity calendar that didn’t go to plan), it is well written (no awkward sentences to trip over, no long winded descriptions, assumption you can understand rather than repeating details over and over, good grammar, and so on), and it was easy o read and follow. Oh, and of course, it was definitely about Christmas, even if it wasn’t!
Would I recommend it? As a Grisham novel, no. As a cheery Christmas spirit story, no. As a comedy, definitely not. As a light read a bit different to the usual, yes it is an ok story.
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