Time to get Christmassy! I’m delighted to be kicking off Advent by taking part in the blitz for this lovely festive story.
Him With The Beard
Do you remember that moment you stopped believing in Santa Claus?
When nine-year-old Mille suddenly no longer believes in Santa Claus, it turns the house upside down.
Her mother, Stella, is in a pickle as the hunt to find Santa Claus unearths some family secrets.
Christmas is at risk!
And there’s only one person who can save it.
My review
This is a lively and lovey festive novella. Our heroine is mum Stella, office mouse for most of the year but every December coming out of her shell and into her own as a Christmas elf helping out at Santa’s grotto. This year, though, she goes even further…
Every household needs a Stella at Christmas! What a kind and energetic and total Christmas-crazy person she is, galvanising everyone around her into the Christmas spirit. But not daughter Mille this year. She’s decided Santa doesn’t exist, and that’s that. She sees through all her mother’s efforts to persuade her he’s real. And worse, her cynicism begins to eat into Stella’s beliefs and enthusiasm too. Husband Kalle tries to keep everyone happy and upbeat but there’s a lot of tension this Christmas. Has the season of goodwill been ruined for ever now that him with the beard no longer holds sway?
This is a funny and clever story. It touches on so many key Christmas issues – Santa of course, family love and gatherings, tradition and memories. Christmas is a time that really brings back moments from the past – our childhood Christmases, recollections of time with grandparents or parents or other relatives now passed away, that magical belief in Santa. It’s true that once our children stop believing in Santa, Christmas can lose a good chunk of its charm and raison d’être. But, if like Stella, Kalle and Mille, we look beyond the man in red and all the consumerism we can see that the Christmas values are still there and are to be cherished. Santa comes in many different forms.
I adored the atmosphere of this novella, which is set in Denmark. I was lucky enough to experience the run-up to a Danish Christmas many years ago when my husband worked there temporarily. I had the famous and delicious rice porridge and a glass or two of Christmas aquavit, and came home with loads of beautiful wooden and paper Christmas decorations that still adorn the house and tree even though they’re all thirty years old now!
Do read this gorgeous little story. It’ll truly get you into a Christmassy mood but also make you think about what this rather crazy season is actually all about.
Purchase Links
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pernille-Meldgaard-Pedersen/e/B07HXLPDSJ/
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Pernille-Meldgaard-Pedersen/e/B07HXLPDSJ/
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/him-with-the-beard
Itunes UK – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9788797086216
Itunes US – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9788797086216
Author bio
Pernille was born in 1988 and loves that she was born in the decade with the tallest hair, the most colourful clothes, and the best music.
Her imagination never stands still, and it’s often expressed in words and pictures.
She wrote her first story when she was six years old. It was about the cat she unfortunately never got but wished for more than anything.
She loves autumn and Christmas and believes in elves.
From day to day she is a knight in training, an animator, and a secret agent – she has saved the world a few times by now.
She’s also a professional daydreamer.
She thinks the recipe for a good book is the same as the one for having a good life – a sense of kinship, humour, love, and that one thing that gives you a daily smile.
Vestercity is a fictional city based on her upbringing near the city of Herning in Denmark.
Social Media Links –
twitter: https://twitter.com/Pernille56
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PernilleMeldgaardPedersenAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pernillemeldgaardpedersen/
website: https://pernillemeldgaardpedersenuk.blogspot.com/
And look, there’s a giveaway!
Giveaway
Win A Cosy Christmas Pack – with One Jim Shore Santa Claus Ornament, Santa Claus Marshmallows, A Chocolate Advent Calendar, A Pretty Christmas Storage Box and finally, A Signed Copy of my book Him With The Beard.
Open internationally.
link to giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2ed2358c3/