My Favourite Christmas... by Pippa Wright

Welcome back to my Christmas 2011 feature! As you know, I've asked lots of authors to write something about their favourite Christmas, and I've been lucky to have a great response. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming the brilliant Pippa Wright!

Here are a few of my favourite Christmassy things.

Film:

By the Light of the Silvery Moon.  Ah, Doris Day.  And Westley’s battle to save the turkey (although thinking about it, this may be a Thanksgiving reference – whatevs). I love a Doris Day musical at any time of year, but By the Light of the Silvery Moon has skating and snow scenes and I think it is best watched in the depths of winter with a tin of Quality Street within easy reach.  Christmas Eve, ideally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0tn8BmWEPk&feature=related

Song:

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.  I start singing this (to myself) in late October, am shamelessly playing it out loud from November and come December you can usually find me shrieking at to anyone who can be forced to share a karaoke booth with me.  Original version only - no Justin Bieber duet permitted.  Also the video is a work of trashy genius – the sexy Santa outfit! The dog dressed as a reindeer! The silky negligee!  The DOVE.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY&ob=av3n

Album:

The McGarrigle Christmas Hour by Kate & Anna McGarrigle.  It’s a bit of a leap from Mariah Carey to the folky McGarrigles, but I invite you to make it with me.  This is a beautiful album of traditional and not-so-traditional Christmas songs, and I listen to it endlessly in December.  Who am I kidding? In November, too.   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mcgarrigle-Christmas-Hour-Kate-McGarrigle/dp/B000B9EYD4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322666191&sr=8-1

Book:

Olivia Helps With Christmas by Ian Falconer.  The best book about Christmas for smalls and not-so-smalls.  All of the Olivia books are fabulous, but this one is my favourite, and it’s one of those rare children’s books that adults don’t mind reading again and again. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olivia-Helps-Christmas-Ian-Falconer/dp/184738272X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322667409&sr=1-1

Mulled cider

Not only is mulled cider way less alcoholic than mulled wine (vital if you are a lightweight like me) but it doesn’t give you those awful mulled wine black teeth & lips which do no-one any Christmas party favours under the mistletoe.  So for the sake of festive romance, stick to this:  Heat up a litre of dry cider (I use that cloudy Breton stuff) with a 250ml of apple juice, a tablespoon of caster sugar (more if you like it very sweet), one cinnamon stick, 6 cardamom pods, 4 cloves, 1 star anise and the peeled zest of an orange.  You can add a splash of brandy if you like but that would make me fall over so I leave it out.

Merry Christmas!

Pippa's debut novel Lizzy Harrison Loses Control is still available in paperback and eBook, and you can pre-order her new book Unsuitable Men (due 15th March 2012) in paperback now.