If you have ever lost someone you love, and sadly it’s highly likely that you have, you will be painfully aware that their death is never the end of your grieving. Not by a long shot. Every time a major event comes up like their birthday, a significant anniversary Continue Reading
Christmas 2016
On 5th day of Christmas … I listened to Amy Grant’s new Christmas album
It would be a rare person indeed who would describe Christmas as a quiet, reflective time of the year. But there’s something about Amy Grant’s fourth Christmas offering – it follows 1983’s A Christmas Album, and A Home For Christmas and A Christmas to Remember (both 1990s releases) – that Continue Reading
On 4th day of Christmas … I enjoyed A Very Calvin & Hobbes Christmas
If you were to imagine a Calvin and Hobbes Christmas, the odds are you wouldn’t imagine a traditional Norman Rockwell moment. Oh sure Calvin’s parents would love that kind of Christmas with everyone grouped around the table in blissful, festive repose, but the reality is that Calvin, who never Continue Reading
Festive weekend pop art: awesome pop culture Christmas cards from P. J. McQuade
As a pop culture junkie, I love the idea of combining my passion for movies, books, TV shows and music with my equally enthusiastic love of Christmas. So heartfelt thanks to Brooklyn illustrator P. J. McQuade who has designed a range of awesome Christmas card, which you can buy Continue Reading
On 3rd day of Christmas … I read The Green Road by Anne Enright
Christmas is a strange time of year for many families. By turns wondrous, magical and one-of-a-kind, a chance for far-flung and emotionally disparate members to come together in some form of togetherness, it can also feel like an endurance test, a trial of of sorts that begins at the Continue Reading
On 2nd day of Christmas … I spent festive time with Simon’s Cat
If you have been owned by a cat, and I have been fortunate to have been owned by a number of delightful feline companions, you will be well aware that they are hilariously contrary creatures who possess a pleasingly perverse ability to know what you don’t want them to do Continue Reading
Open your heart to everyone: The heartwarming festive story of Frankie’s Holiday
I grew up knowing exactly what it feels like to be excluded and ostracised. Teased and bullied from the start of school to the end on a daily basis, for reasons known only to my tormentors, I longed to be loved and accepted for who I am, no strings attached Continue Reading
The Greatest Gift: Nothing beats give your time and presence this Christmas says Sainsbury’s
SNAPSHOT Presenting the new Sainsbury’s Christmas Advert – a joyous Christmas musical created in stop frame animation featuring vocals by James Corden. It tells the story of Dave, a hard-working and devoted Dad, who realises that the greatest gift he can give people this Christmas is his time. (synopsis Continue Reading
Tugging at the festive heartstrings. Join #BustertheBoxer in this year’s John Lewis Christmas ad
SNAPSHOT This is the story of a little girl called Bridget who loves to bounce. When her mum and dad buy her a trampoline for Christmas, they soon discover that she isn’t the only one with a passion for jumping. (synopsis via Laughing Squid) Christmas is almost upon us Continue Reading