Today I thought I’d a festive book tag to share with the Christmas Character Book Tag. This tag was designed by Anthony from Keep Reading Forward but I got it from @AndOnSheReads
Santa Claus – A gift you received or want this year
Well, I’ve asked for the new Nigel Slater and the Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen books, as well as a handful of paperbacks and things that have turned up on my Book Twitter mentions or Waterstones wishlist this year. I have just treated myself to Ann Patchett’s new book of essays These Precious Days in hardback with my accumulated Waterstones points – which has a lovely cover and I’m working through it slowly so it feels like a present to myself.
Mrs Claus – A Favourite Holiday Treat to have every year
Lebkuchen! Mum used to get gingerbread sent to her as a child from Dutch friends and she always bought us lebkuchen or other gingerbread treats for our stockings so I like to have these spiced gingery biscuits around. I also LOVE mince pies but try to be strict and only eat them in December.
Ghost of Christmas Past – A Holiday Memory from Your Past
The house where I grew up (and my mum still lives) has beams on the ceiling of the living room and every year my sister and I would hang baubles from them – a laborious task that involved a rickety kitchen stool and trying to push pins into very hard wood. We would try to plan the order so that we didn’t have two the same next to each other and every year we didn’t notice that we’d failed until it was too late.
Buddy the Elf – A Holiday Song You Like to Sing Each Holiday Season
To be honest, I love singing all kinds of things at Christmas. Our festive playlist has over 300 songs on it, and while some are different versions of the same song, there is a whole range of things on there – hymns, choirs, pop classics, indie surprises and more. I like all of it.
Misfit Toys – An Unpopular Toy You Really Wanted to Get One Year
Oh I’ve no idea! I don’t remember asking for toys much, though I must have done. I asked for a lot of music, in those days of cassettes and CDs, and a lot of that wasn’t popular with my mates.
Grinch – A Moment When Your Heart Grew Three Sizes
Dislike this phrasing. But everyone tells you that Christmas is better with children and it’s true that my daughter has always been so excited and involved with Christmas things and it’s great to see.
Jack Frost – A Tradition You Like To Do Every Winter
I don’t think we have winter traditions that aren’t based around Christmas, tbh. It’s not Christmas proper until we’ve watched The Snowman and The Muppet Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve.
Hero Boy – A moment you believed in a Holiday Wish/ Miracle
(Who’s Hero Boy?) Um, this is so American. However, I remember that for a long time on Christmas Day Mr Barsby and I used to drive to visit family on Christmas Day so a few hours each time was spent on motorways, until one year when he had to work on Boxing Day and we stayed home. It was quite the revelation! We had a nice quiet time, went for a walk, relaxed and enjoyed ourselves and didn’t travel. From then on, we decided to stay home for Christmas – made easier when our daughter was born – and travel later on. Does that count as a holiday wish? Essentially I hate driving these days so anything where it can be deferred is a plus.
Cindy Lou Who – A favourite Holiday Tradition
(Who’s Cindy Lou? Ah, apparently she is from The Grinch. Thanks E)
My Grandma used to put out small dishes of hula hoops for us to snack on when we visited. So I do that too. And The Muppets and the Snowman as mentioned above. I also watch all the Christmas episodes of The West Wing.
Frosty the Snowman – A memory involving snow or a memory you would like to have involving snow
Earlier this year we had a big snowfall. Nottingham doesn’t usually get weather so this was a treat, especially as I didn’t have to go anywhere in it. E and I went to the park in the failing light and made a big snowman by rolling the snow in a ball, something I’ve never managed to do before. I think we made only one decent snowman as children – there is a photo of one somewhere looking fat and jolly, but on the whole, snowmen were few and far between.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – A Holiday Activity You Like Doing
Making Christmas cake. Decorating the house. Making decorations. Wrapping presents. Baking gingerbread. We went to the Christingle service at church a couple of years ago with Brownies and that was fun and a little nostalgic for me with the repeat of the service from my childhood days in church.
Ebenezer Scrooge – “Bah, Humbug!” A Favourite Holiday Saying or Quote
“Hey this is scary stuff, shouldn’t we be worried about the kids in the audience?
Nah, it’s alright, this is culture.”
“Mr Crachit, let us deal with the eviction notices for tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s Christmas, Sir.
Very well, you may giftwrap them.”
(Love Dickens but there were parts that The Muppets enhanced…)
Also, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.”
I feel weird about tagging people in posts so I’ll just leave this here but I’d love to hear yours…
Susan E Barsby 