Hello everybody! For the second post of Christmas day, we have a piece from 2022 debut author Rebecca King, about what Christmas would be like in her world and the presents her characters would give one another. Onto the post!
It’s Christmas morning and there’s only one way I can imagine it beginning in the quiet village of Everspring… With Hans.
Hans, the magical clock hand from Mount Never is bouncing up and down on Ember’s bed, screaming ‘It’s Christmas!’ as loudly as he possibly can. His tiny feet are tapping out the rhythm of Jingle Bells long before the sun has risen but, of course, he wakes up the whole of the Shadows family, gleefully dancing and singing all his favourite songs as Ember, Juniper, their mum and Hans gather in the family living room.
Handmade baubles fills the tree; there are knitted winter animals from Juniper, reindeer fashioned from bolts and screws from Ember, and hundreds of paper snowflakes cut by Hans. So, with the tree twinkling and Hans singing, the family gathers round to open up their gifts. Here’s what I’d be putting under the tree for my characters this Christmas.
Ember Shadows.
Ember is probably the easiest person in Everspring to buy a gift for. Anything gadget, inventing or engineering related would go down a treat. I’d probably settle on a selection of materials and tools, plus a book about some famous inventors to keep her inspired, as she loves to read.
Juniper Shadows. A bird bath, or a hedgehog house would be a great gift for Juniper. She loves animals, so anything that could help her care for them would be perfect.
Hans.
Oooh, Hans would be so fun to buy for! He gets excited trying new food combinations in Everspring, so he’d probably get a little hamper of weird and wonderful foods: Tangfastics, Marmite, wasabi flavoured snacks… anything to surprise him!
Florence.
To help her with her newspaper, I’d give Florence a beautiful notebook and a voice recorder. She would love getting all of the Mount Never gossip on tape!
Ms Daylands.
Running Everspring can be hard work, especially with Ember changing everything… Ms Daylands deserves some fluffy socks, a hot chocolate, and a good book.
Flint.
A camera and photo album so he can record every moment of this long-awaited Christmas with his family.
The Bookworms.
Ink, of course! I’d make sure the bookworms of Mount Never had all plenty of ink this Christmas, which I hope would keep me on their good side!
But I’m pretty sure my presents would be nothing on the gifts they’d give each other. I imagine Hans would wrap up a handmade coupon booklet for every one of his friends offering tickets for help whenever they needed it. Ember would have invented something special for everyone; a new bookrest for Juniper would finally be finished, a special portable printing press for Florence, and miniature versions of her favourite inventions for Hans.
So with the gifts unwrapped, the Shadows family would be together in the living room, everyone playing with their new presents together. Ember would soon be busy inventing something new for their home while Hans helped (also stuffing himself full of mince pies and marmite). Juniper would make sure any reindeer passing by had plenty of carrots to feast on, and their mum would be watching on while finally getting back to writing her novel in a beautiful new notebook given to her by her daughters.
And if Hans had any say in it, the day would probably end by wrapping up warm and heading out to carol. There’s nothing he loves more than spreading positivity, and singing at the top of his voice is a perfect way to go about it! Even if he never gets the words quite right and ends up making up his own lyrics…
Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you’ve had the best day, and would love to hear your thoughts on Rebecca’s book/post in the comments ❤
Speak very soon,
Amy xxx
Golden Books Girl 