(courtesy The Jim Henson Company) This was originally published on this blog on 21 December 2016. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, a production of the Jim Henson Company based on Russell and Lillian Hoban’s 1971 book of the same title, is a delight in every sense of the word. Packed full Continue Reading
Christmas in July 2023
#ChristmasInJuly book review: There’s Something About Merry (Mistletoe Romance #2) by Codi Hall
(courtesy Sourcebooks Casablanca) When it comes to Christmas novels, and really many forms of festive storytelling, the much observed truism that there is nothing new under the sun is well and truly borne out. That’s not necessarily a criticism since those of us who love the season love the tropes Continue Reading
Book review: All Wrapped Up by Ally Bunbury
(courtesy Hachette Australia) Christmas tales are, by and large, all about transformation and redemption. At what is styled at the most wonderful time of the year, everything is supposed to be possible and that includes giving a festive glow-up to lives that have languished and sorrowed in the other 11 Continue Reading
#ChristmasInJuly review redux: Dare to fall in love with Dash & Lily
If you are one of a more romantic persuasion than most, then you will find a great deal to like about a show that combines romantic comedy and Christmas, two genres that together account for much of the swoon-worthy, sigh-worthy, rose-coloured glass wearing wonder that makes the escapist part of Continue Reading
From Love Actually to Christmas On The Farm: how rom-coms became a festive season staple (#ChristmasInJuly curated article)
(courtesy IMP Awards) This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. It is a visual language with which we are almost all familiar. It’s cold and snowing outside, but inside, next to a crackling fire, it’s warm and cosy. The tree is Continue Reading
#ChristmasInJuly festive music review redux: When Christmas Comes Around … by Kelly Clarkson
Coming back around for a second go at creating a warm-and-huggable Christmas vibe – her first festive record Wrapped in Red (2013) made quite the seasonal impression when it landed, anchored by that powerfully emotive voice and a gift for somehow sounding traditional and original all at once – powerhouse Continue Reading
#ChristmasInJuly book review: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
(courtesy Harper Collins Publishers Australia) Preview copy provided via NetGalley; Wreck the Halls releases 3 October 2023. If you have even a passing familiarity with the deluge of festive storytelling that comes our way each and every Christmas season, you will be patently aware of the fact that redemption and Continue Reading
#ChristmasInJuly movie review redux: The Grinch
(courtesy IMP Awards) For a film that’s ostensibly about a person who hates Christmas with such a ferociously ill-tempered passion that he steals it away from everyone else, The Grinch wears its Christmas-loving heart very much on its tinseled sleeve. Which really makes perfect sense since at heart The Grinch, Continue Reading
#ChristmasInJuly book review: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
(courtesy Sourcebooks Casablanca) From the gloriously mischievous play on the lyrics of an old Christmas favourite to the phrase adorning its back cover in Australia (or the front in this artwork) where Santa and “Joy to the World” get short shrift, You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky, Continue Reading
I decorated my #ChristmasInJuly with five fun pop culture ornaments: Scooby-Doo, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Batman, Roger & Jessica Rabbit + Yosemite Sam
(Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash) Hooray for Christmas in July! Here in the southern hemisphere it’s super duper cold making it the perfect time to rug up in silly sweaters that you wouldn’t dream of wearing at actual heat-filled Christmas, drink and eat yummy things and put up a Continue Reading