Christmas Eve!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Christmas Eve! Just a short post from me today to wish you all the merriest of Christmases filled with love, joy and all your wishes, hopes and dreams. For me, Christmas Eve has been truly special as I’ve spent the day with my best friend and her daughter, my god-daughter. I love Christmas because of all my own childhood memories and surprises I can now give to my family now I’m older, but it’s a different kind of special now my she can understand. She’s very very excited!

You may also remember that I always take part in the Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition, Jolabokaflod or (The Book Flood) on Christmas Eve. Books are exchanged for gifts so the whole evening can be spent reading. The book I received was The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories edited by Jessica Harrison. I’ve read a few already but I am going to leave some for next year too as it really is a beautiful collection of stories I’ve mostly never heard of. Also, I’m so grateful because it’s a lovely edition. Anyway, the story I have chosen for Christmas Eve is, ‘Christmas’ by Tove Jansson. It reminded me of me as a child, of all the small people I have in my life now for the magic and wonder of Christmas.

For me, it’s the opening and the ending of this story that I absolutely love because it is just so relatable to me. You want to be swept away with joy and wonder as a child. Let’s face it, we all want that as an adult too! For me, this story does that. I’ve read it twice in the process of writing this post as well actually!

‘The smaller you are, the bigger Christmas is. Underneath the Christmas Tree, Christmas is vast. It is a green jungle with red apples and sad, peaceful angels twirling around on cotton thread keeping watch over the entrance to the primeaval forest. In the glass balls the primaeval forest is never-ending; Christmas is a time when you feel absolutely safe, thanks to the Christmas tree.’

‘I crept into the green primaeval forest and pulled out parcels. Now the feeling of love under the branches of the tree was almost unbearable, a compact feeling of holiness…forgiving everything during the year that was past…forgiving everything on earth as long as they could be sure that everybody loved one another.’

Now, I’m going to sit by the fire and read a bit more ready for the big day tomorrow. All that’s left for me to say is have a very merry Christmas and happy reading!

Big love all xxx