The Christmas Book

_{Some items have been gifted}

Did you ever read ‘The Christmas Book’ as a child? I am reading it right now! I’ve been treated to a couple of pre-Christmas gifts so that I could enjoy them before the big day, and this vintage book was one of my Christmas eve presents. I’ve taken some quick snaps to show you just how quaint and traditional this retro publication is!I’ve tried to research the book and have come up with the following information; It’s published by Juvenile Productions Ltd in London, designed and printed in England and dates back to the 1950s. I’ve found it listed on The Enid Blyton Society website, and one of the festive tales in the book is by Enid Blyton herself – ‘The Christmas Bicycle. The book is a collection of festive short stories for children and other authors include; Michael Lisle with ‘The Christmas Chicken’ story, Helen J. Wright with ‘ The Old Lantern’,  John Hornby with ‘The Secret Camp’ and David A. Vick with ‘The Christmas Rescue’.There are also adorable activities suggested in the book, such as tracing around an illustration of Father Christmas to make a ‘Santa Claus on Snowshoes’ decoration, Christmas card idea, a silver chain project and crafting ‘The Snowman’s Cottage’. I’d love to experience Christmas eve just like a 1950s child and have a go at making some skiing Santa decorations myself! The Christmas Book is littered with gorgeous illustrations by G. Higham. Each story is illustrated, small comic strips entertain young readers and puzzle pictures offer brain-teasing fun. The illustrations alone were enough to get me flicking through the book and I’d love to scan them to recreate the images in my future festive decorating. Legends and stories of Christmas are told throughout the book and children can learn about festive events in other countries too – this book must have been quite an education in the 50s!

While reading this gorgeous vintage book, I’ve been snacking on a lovely gift of mini Lindt Christmas figures including Father Christmas, a cute snowman and, of course, the Lindt bear! I love to enjoy a cheeky chocolate or two on Christmas eve to get me in the mood for the big day tomorrow! I’ve also been treated to a gorgeous new jumper from Damart. I ‘needed’ to have this Christmas gift a little early because it’s ideal for me to wear to my Christmas eve gathering with family. It’s super-soft and the rich ruby red colour is perfect for the holidays. Add a little sparkle to the mix and you’ve got a winning Christmas jumper! I’m going to pop it on right now, and probably won’t take it off for the whole season 😉Have you opened any early pre-Christmas gifts today? What treats did you enjoy? And did you ever read The Christmas Book as a child? Let me know what you’re getting up to today and what you think of my early gifts by leaving me a comment below or tweeting me @Cassiefairy.

Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂