BOOKENDS CHRISTMAS | TELL US ABOUT A CHRISTMAS TRADITION YOU HAVE WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the traditions that make it – from counting down the days with an advent calendar or picking out the perfect Christmas tree! In celebration of the joy of tradition, we asked our authors to tell us one tradition they have with their friends and family.

Holly Miller, author of The Sight of You

We’re all about the food and drink at our place during Christmas. Pancakes for breakfast (I’ve finally mastered the art of doing them American-style), bucks fizz (ongoing) and always, always a Delia trifle. In November, my mother-in-law and I also make Christmas puds together, using an old family recipe, which gets us in the spirit.

Linda Green, author of One Moment

We try to make our Christmas as commercial-neutral as possible. We’re not religious, but Christmas is very much a time for thinking about those less fortunate than ourselves. So, for every pound we spend on presents, we donate the same amount to charity. When my son was little, we used to gather all the presents for his Santa’s sack from charity shops over the year. Now we do the 12 charity shop DVDs of Christmas over the festive period.

And we always choose the charities we would like to give to, in order to ‘off-set’ the value of gifts given to us. The Book Trust scheme to give children in need a book at Christmas is always in there (https://www.booktrust.org.uk/support-us/give-ten-pounds-today-and-bring-joy-to-a-vulnerable-child-this-christmas), as are gifts for children living in domestic violence refuges and children in care. It really is one of the nicest parts of Christmas to know that you are helping others.

Jill Mansell, author of It Started With a Secret

We always go to our local pub at lunchtime on Christmas day. It’s invariable packed out and we bump into old friends who have come home to spend Christmas with their families. After an hour or two there, we’ll then head back to our house and get on with cooking Christmas dinner. (Oh, and my other favourite tradition is eating mini Christmas dinners for breakfast for the next few days until all the leftovers have been used up!)

Jo Thomas, author of Coming Home to Winter Island

We have friends in Iceland and have visited there a number of times. We adopted the Icelandic tradition of everyone getting a book on Christmas Eve. I usually cook chilli con carne and set the table with a book for everyone to go to bed with.