A late Christmas present...

For everyone!

Now I know Krampusnacht was celebrated back on the 5th December and the Feast of Saint Nicholas was on the 6th December, but Family Green are away in the snowy Austrian Tyrol at the moment, and in a fit of seasonal generosity, inspired by the inspiring surroundings, I am giving away a story I wrote back in 2012.

You can download a pdf of Claws here.

If you enjoy Claws, and you like you future police enforcement Mega-City One-flavoured, then chances are you will also enjoy my latest seasonal Judge Dredd offering, You'd Better Be Good, For Goodness' Sake.

And of course you can find out all about the Krampus in my Christmas book Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - The Chrismologist's Christmas Quiz 2014 - The Answers!

Okay - here are the answers to the Christmas Eve Eve music quiz...



Question 1
What is the name of this Christmas carol? In Dulci Jubilo
Bonus point – Who is playing all of the instruments? Mike Oldfield

Question 2
Who is singing with Bing Crosby here on Little Drummer Boy? David Bowie
Bonus point – What was the year? 1982

Question 3
Which band had a number 2 Christmas hit with this song in 2003? The Darkness
Bonus point – Which song beat them to No. 1? Mad World

Question 4
What is the name of the group singing this song, first recorded in1982? The Spice Girls
Bonus point – What is the name of the song? Christmas Wrapping

Question 5
What is the name of this Christmas song? Fairytale of New York
Bonus point – Name either of the singers. Ronan Keating and Marie Brennan

Question 6
Which character sings this song in the 2013 Christmas movie frozen? Elsa
Bonus point – Who is the singer? Idina Menzel

Question 7
Who is this singing in 1969? Pinky and Perky
Bonus point – What is the song they are singing? Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Question 8
Who is this singing Jingle Bells in 1995? Julie Andrews
Bonus point – Which festival was the song originally written to celebrate? Thanksgiving

Question 9
Which Christmas carol is this from 2010? God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Bonus point – Which band was the singer in during the 1980s? Eurhythmics

Question 10
Who is this singing One More Sleep ‘Til Christmas? Kermit the Frog
Bonus point – Which 1992 Christmas movie is it from? The Muppet Christmas Carol

Happy Christmas!

BBC Wiltshire's Mr Christmas

In case you missed it, here's my appearance on BBC Radio Wiltshire from this time last week...

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - The Chrismologist's Christmas Quiz 2014

Here's a bit of fun to entertain the family this Christmas. Play the following video (with the volume turned right up to 11) and see if you can answer the questions below. Or, even better, split into teams and see who in your family knows the most about Christmas carols and popular festive songs.



Question 1
What is the name of this Christmas carol?
Bonus point – Who is playing all of the instruments?

Question 2
Who is singing with Bing Crosby here on Little Drummer Boy?
Bonus point – What was the year?

Question 3
Which band had a number 2 Christmas hit with this song in 2003?
Bonus point – Which song beat them to No. 1?

Question 4
What is the name of the group singing this song, first recorded in1982?
Bonus point – What is the name of the song?

Question 5
What is the name of this Christmas song?
Bonus point – Name either of the singers.

Question 6
Which character sings this song in the 2013 Christmas movie frozen?
Bonus point – Who is the singer?

Question 7
Who is this singing in 1969?
Bonus point – What is the song they are singing?

Question 8
Who is this singing Jingle Bells in 1995?
Bonus point – Which festival was the song originally written to celebrate?

Question 9
Which Christmas carol is this from 2010?
Bonus point – Which band was the singer in during the 1980s?

Question 10
Who is this singing One More Sleep ‘Til Christmas?
Bonus point – Which 1992 Christmas movie is it from?

(Answers to follow on Boxing Day.)

Christmas Explained, and that last minute Christmas shopping

Not matter how hard you try to be prepared, more often than not you’ll find yourself braving the chaos of the Christmas Eve last minute shopping spree, either in order to pick up that essential festive gift for the dog or another jar of gravy powder.

But before you dash off to the local garage to buy that special someone another chocolate orange, bear in mind that if you've already left your Christmas shopping a little late, you risk paying up to 50% more than those people who are – how shall we put it? – a little better organised.

A survey of Christmas shoppers conducted in 2013 revealed that 16-24 year-olds are actually the most organised when it comes to getting the Christmas shopping done, with nearly 44% of them buying their festive gifts in, or even before, November! Those aged 45 or older are the ones who are more likely to leave it to the last minute with almost a third not even starting on the seasonal shop until the week before Christmas.

The good news is that it's not too late to purchase a copy of my new book Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts and for it to be delivered in time for Christmas in the UK (which is also true of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks).

And if you do happen to find a copy of the book for you under the tree this year, please consider adding a brief review here. ;-)

Happy Solstice!

21 December is traditionally the date of the winter solstice, the year's longest night and shortest day, and sometimes referred to as Yule. The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observers' hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the event of the winter solstice occurs some time between December 20 and December 23 each year in the northern hemisphere.

The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradually lengthening nights and shortening days. How cultures interpret this is varied, since it is sometimes said to astronomically mark either the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's winter. Though the winter solstice lasts an instant, the term is also colloquially used to refer to the full 24-hour period of the day on which it occurs.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings and other ritual celebrations around that time.

Did you know...?
The word solstice derives from Latin sol, meaning 'sun', and sistere, 'to stand still'.

Saint Thomas' Day is also celebrated on 21 December. Saint Thomas is commemorated on this day because he was the last one of the apostles to become convinced of Jesus' resurrection - in other words, he was the one who for the longest time remained in the 'night of unbelief and doubt.' He is also supposedly to have died on this day c. AD72, near Chennai in India.

These are various traditions practised on this day, particularly in Germany, including the Thomasfaulpelz or Domesel, and the Rittberg wedding.

Thomasfaulpelz or Domesel (the 'lazybone' or 'donkey' of Saint Thomas day) were names given to the last person to get out of bed and for the last student to appear in class on that particular morning in Westphalia (roughly the region between the Rivers Rhine and Weser, located north of the Ruhr River).

The Rittburgische Hochzeit (Rittberg wedding), also in Westphalia, was an opulent meal served in the belief that if you ate well on Saint Thomas day, you could expect to do so all of the next year.

So, Happy Saint Thomas Day!

Christmas Explained

Ever wondered why robins are so connected to Christmas, what the significance the gifts of the three kings are in the Nativity story, or why you are forced to eat Brussel sprouts with your Christmas dinner? If so, then Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts is the book for you this Christmas.

Christmas Explained also answers these timeless Christmas questions...

Why do people put up Christmas decorations?
Where does the Christmas wreath come from?
Why are mince pies eaten at Christmas time?
Why are carols sung at Christmas time?
When was there a Frost Fair on the River Thames?
Why are reindeer so associated with Christmas?
Why is fish eaten on Christmas Eve?
What was the first Noël?
What have holly and ivy got to do with Christmas?
What is a Christingle?
Who made the first Christmas cracker?
Why do people go to pantomimes during the Christmas season?
What is wassailing?
Who was Good King Wenceslas?
When, and why, was Christmas cancelled?
When did war stop for Christmas?
Why do people build snowmen?

I was actually on BBC Radio Wiltshire this morning, fulfilling the role of their Mr Christmas, helped presenter Simeon Courtie get to the bottom of such festive practices as Christmas pudding, kissing under the mistletoe, and Boxing Day. You can listen to the segment using BBC Radio Wiltshire's listen again service here. (You want to start at 31 minutes in.)

Snow

To find out a host of fascinating facts about snow and ice, pick up a copy of Christmas Explained from Snowbooks today!

1st December

1st December is the feast day of Saint Eligius. But just who was Saint Eligius? The answer to this question (and many, many others) can be found in Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts, available now.

Happy Saint Andrew's Day!

Ever wondered why Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland? Or why the thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland? How Scotch whisky is made, or why the Scots celebrate Hogmanay?

If so, then you need my Scottish Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scotland the Brave.

Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts

Available now from Snowbooks (appropriately enough) Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts is the perfect stocking filler for anyone remotely interested in how the Christmas we celebrate today came to be.

Why do we send cards at Christmas time?
When was there a Frost Fair on the River Thames?
Who is the real Father Christmas?
Why do people build snowmen?

All of these questions, and more, are answered within the pages of Christmas Explained. The book also features an A to Z of Christmas. So don't delay, pick up your perfect Christmas present today!

Coming Soon - Christmas Explained (a.k.a. What is Myrrh Anyway? v2.0)

Coming to a Christmas stocking near you soon from Snowbooks* is Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.

Some readers of this blog may already have What is Myrrh Anyway? in their collection of Christmas books (published in 2008 by Icon Books), Well Christmas Explained is the brand new hardback edition of the book (and actually has the word 'Christmas' in the title).

If you have already read What is Myrrh Anyway? then you'll know that the book's a great read - "As welcome as a warm glass of mulled wine on a wintry night," according to the Good Book Guide - but you will also be thinking, "Why do I need to buy it again?"**

And to you I would say, "Because the text has been completely revised and updated, and at least another 10,000 words of content added. That's why."

So if you want to know where tinsel comes from, or when a frost fair was held actually on the surface of the River Thames, or if you've ever wondered why we build snowmen at Christmas***, then add Christmas Explained to your wish list this festive season.


* Rather appropriately.

** Unless you're buying it as a suitably festive gift for someone else.

*** If it actually snows.

The 50 Best Christmas Cracker Jokes Ever (allegedly)

"What did Adam say on the day before Christmas? It's Christmas, Eve."

For more like this, click this link.