Welcome to the festive edition of Annie's Crazy Book Reviews!
There are some books that are particularly suited to the Bleak Midwinter, when the sun gets somewhat sluggish and the world is invaded by Christmas lights and small children. I don't know if it's the effect of too little light driving me a bit mad, but I always get the urge to do something Traditional at this time, like eat mince pies even if they're not very good, or read books I've read before.
The book which I feel summarises the supposed Christmas Spirit is The Night Before Christmas, the text of which is a poem by Clement Clarke Moore, first published as A Visit from St Nicholas in 1823. It has been illustrated many times over in various styles, but I think the poem itself is quite magical, as it captures a child's anticipation of Christmas. It starts like this:
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.
But my actual all-time favourite is Terry Pratchett's Hogfather.
Hogfather imagines the origins of Christmas in a primeval past where the festive season and rituals associated with it have a function: namely, to ensure the sun rises the next day. The novel begins with Susan, Death's Granddaughter, attempting to ignore the irritating intrusion of the Death of Rats and his talking raven in her carefully constructed normal life, where she is governess to a brother and sister called Gawain and Twyla, 'who'd been named by people who apparently loved them'. At the same time, the Wizards at Unseen University have discovered a door that has been nailed shut and labelled 'do not open', so of course they are opening it. And there is something odd going on with the Tooth Fairy.
There are some books that are particularly suited to the Bleak Midwinter, when the sun gets somewhat sluggish and the world is invaded by Christmas lights and small children. I don't know if it's the effect of too little light driving me a bit mad, but I always get the urge to do something Traditional at this time, like eat mince pies even if they're not very good, or read books I've read before.
The book which I feel summarises the supposed Christmas Spirit is The Night Before Christmas, the text of which is a poem by Clement Clarke Moore, first published as A Visit from St Nicholas in 1823. It has been illustrated many times over in various styles, but I think the poem itself is quite magical, as it captures a child's anticipation of Christmas. It starts like this:
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.
But my actual all-time favourite is Terry Pratchett's Hogfather.
Hogfather imagines the origins of Christmas in a primeval past where the festive season and rituals associated with it have a function: namely, to ensure the sun rises the next day. The novel begins with Susan, Death's Granddaughter, attempting to ignore the irritating intrusion of the Death of Rats and his talking raven in her carefully constructed normal life, where she is governess to a brother and sister called Gawain and Twyla, 'who'd been named by people who apparently loved them'. At the same time, the Wizards at Unseen University have discovered a door that has been nailed shut and labelled 'do not open', so of course they are opening it. And there is something odd going on with the Tooth Fairy.
Hogfather transposes a multitude of winter myths and Christmas stories to the Discworld universe, and tells a sinister version of The Grinch who Stole Christmas, in which The Auditors of the Universe, soulless empty grey robes who resent life for being unpredictable, hire the fantastically creepy Mr Teatime (pronounced Te-ah-ti-meh) to assassinate the Hogfather. His unlikely saviour is Death, who has come to appreciate the irrationality of the living, so with the help of his trusty servant Albert he dresses up as the Hogfather, lashes six smelly, hairy pigs to the sled, and sets off to delight children everywhere by giving them what they actually want for Christmas, and saying
HO. HO. HO.
The cast of characters also includes a giddyTooth Fairy named Violet, the Verruca Gnome, the Oh-God of Hangovers, and Discworld's first ever Super Computer, Hex, who believes in the Hogfather. Hogfather is gripping, atmospheric, erudite, and very, very funny. Highly recommended, especially at the darkest time of the year.
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