This year's newly published children's books- recommendations from our book panel:
22/11/18
22 November 2018
We decided at the Father Christmas Training School that there should be at least one book in every stocking. Because we didn’t want to duplicate books the children already had, Grumbo, Tingle and Rhodri set up a Book Review Panel to choose the best of the recently published children’s books each year. (I am hoping reading all these books may improve Grumbo’s spelling, though it seems a bit late in the day)
Ethel has made another bulk batch of mincemeat which she hopes will keep until next year as she is convinced we may have rationing soon. She has also insisted on getting an enormous extra freezer just in case. I may have to forbid her from reading the news if this goes on – she is looking quite fraught. I doubt myself if any of her preparations will last as Tingle and Grumbo will have found their way into the store cupboard long before March.
With so many of the Father Christmases off with man flu things were actually much easier here for a while as there was less interference (you know what I mean!), but now it has spread to the Mother Christmases we really are far too short staffed. The worst of it is that Grumbo, who I am sure started the whole epidemic off, is now better. He would insist on wandering about sneezing everywhere and looking pathetic when he was ill, trying to get sympathy because he hates being on his own, but now of course, having infected everyone else, he has been the first to recover. I was pleased to begin with - I thought he might be useful. I should have known better! He decided to re-organise the packing system to make it 'more efficient' as there was only him and a couple of elves left to run it. I have to admit, they did get through it quickly. The only problem is that Grumbo's system involves wrapping all the presents first and then attaching the labels....so now we have hundreds of parcels and no idea what they contain or who they are for. So if you get the wrong thing this year, that will be the reason.
Meanwhile, Rhodri, who sensibly went for his flu and pneumonia vaccinations last week, has had a bad reaction and his vaccinated arm is the size of a sumo wrestler's and he is very miserable. He can't even get his jacket on , but apparently it should go down in a few days.
Well, time to marzipan the cakes, if Grumbo hasn't got to the kitchen store room first.
Meanwhile, Rhodri, who sensibly went for his flu and pneumonia vaccinations last week, has had a bad reaction and his vaccinated arm is the size of a sumo wrestler's and he is very miserable. He can't even get his jacket on , but apparently it should go down in a few days.
Well, time to marzipan the cakes, if Grumbo hasn't got to the kitchen store room first.