Welcome to Day 6 of #12booksofchristmas. During December I am sharing 12 festive reads. The idea came from the wonderful Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod where a book is given on Christmas Eve and read together. My husband and I started this tradition a few years back with each other. #12booksof christmas will hopefully give you some ideas of books to pick. This is my 5th year doing this and you can check out a whole host of books on my books for Christmas page at the bottom of this post. In case you’ve missed any titles below is a list of #12books so far this year….

• Day One - Countdown to Christmas by Jo Thomas
• Day Two - Who KIlled Father Christmas Edited by Martin Edwards
• Day Three - This Christmas in Paris by Sophie Claire
• Day Four - Tied up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh
• Day Five - Winter in New York by Josie Silver

To paraphrase Charles Dickens in the wonderful Christmas Carol, it is sometimes good to be children again. Whether that be playing games, being excited about opening a day on the advent calendar or having a snowball fight, I find I turn to a bit of nostalgia and read a Children’s christmassy book. It reminds me of being a child at Christmas, the wonder of the day, and the gathering of friends and family to exchange gifts, enjoy a lovely Christmas meal and go for a walk for those of us still with energy, or enjoy a nice snooze for those without it.

My next review is about a book from a very beloved author who needs no introduction. One look at the illustrations and you instantly know who the author is. I am of course talking about Shirley Highes.

When I was a bookseller, Shirley Hughes books were kept in abundance. Shirley;s books were first publsiehd in the 1960s, with beautiful illustrations and gentle tales. In this book, there are actually 3 stories gathered here; Lucy and Tom at Christmas, Alfie’s Christmas and Dogger’s Christmas all gathered in this beautiful hardback, a perfect gift for any child.

And it does feel nostalgic. We witness the children’s excitement as they stir the Christmas cake and make a wish, or put out their stockings, or wave at neighbours on Christmas Eve. They will themselves to catch a glimpse of the famous gentleman with the sleigh and a red suit, before succumbing to sleep. The opening of presents, going to Church, enjoying grandparent visits and a nice walk before playing with toys.

It is the stuff of many Christmases up and down the land and Shirley Hughes has captured this beautifully. I felt small again, growing up in in the 1970s, each precious moment of childhood captured in those unique illustrations. Just beautiful.