CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN BLOG Saturday 5th December 2020
CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN ADVENT BLOG Saturday 5th December 2020
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12 RAMBLINGS OF CHRISTMAS
ONLY 20 SLEEPS TO CHRISTMAS
- A CHRISTMAS QUOTE
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly. – Andy Rooney
- CHRISTMAS FEATURE I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
One of the key events in the Countdown to Christmas is the final of ITV series I’m A Celebrity Get me Out Of Here. And that happened last night. And the winner was Giovanna Fletcher. The First
Queen of the Castle. Congratulations Giovanna! Jordan North was runner up.
That means we are a huge step nearer Christmas.
The 2020 I’m A Celebrity Get me Out Of Here! was the 20th series . 20 celebrities have been crowned winners. Who have all the winners been? Tony Blackburn was the first in 2002. Here is a full list:
1.Tony Blackburn (2002 winner) Radio DJ & Presenter
2.Phil Tufnell (2003 winner) England International Cricketer
3.Kerry Katona (2004) January 2004 Former Pop singer with girl band Atomic Kitten
4.Joe Pasquale (2004) December 2004 Comedian
5.Carol Thatcher (2005) Daughter of Margaret Thatcher
6.Matt Willis (2006) Pop singer with Punk band Busted
7.Christopher Biggins (2007) TV actor & presenter
8.Joe Swash (2008) Mickey Miller in the BBC soap EastEnders
9.Gino D’Acampo (2009) Italian-British celebrity chef
10.Stacey Solomon (2010) Finished in 3rd place on the 6th series of The X Factor
11.Dougie Poynter (2011) Bassist with the pop rock band McFly
12.Charlie Brooks (2012) Janine Butcher in the BBC soap EastEnders,
13.Kian Egan (2013) Pop singer with boy band Westlife
14.Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty (2014) Motorcycle Racer
15.Vicky Pattison (2015) Ex On The Beach Star
16.Scarlett Moffatt (2016) Gogglebox Star
17.Georgia Toffolo (2017) Made In Chelsea
18.Harry Redknapp (2018) Foot Ball Manager
19.Jacqueline Jossa (2019) Lauren Branning in the BBC soap EastEnders
20. Giovanna Fletcher (2020) Mum, Author & Blogger
3. CHRISTMAS MOVIE
4. CHRISTMAS SONG
- Stay Another Day Kylie Minogue 3:41
5. CHRISTMAS CHILDREN’S BOOK
A BRAND NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK PUBLISHED TODAYIS OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK
Lily and the Magic Comb by V V Brown and Kate Hazell
This beautiful book in words, story and pictures is not a Christmas book but a book that would make a wonderful Christmas present that whoever receives it will treasure through life.
There is so much I want to say about the book and the author, and the book is so good it has its own post .
So, click on the picture of the cover of the book to discover all its wonders!
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (Author, Illustrator)
Paperback : 32 pages
Publisher : Puffin; 35th Anniversary edition (25 Sept. 1980)
Reading level : 2 – 6 years
Spend Christmas with everyone’s favourite Snowman! This special edition comes with a sparkly glitter cover, and introduction by Raymond Briggs.
One winter’s night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins.
Raymond Briggs’ classic is a true piece of Christmas magic – narrated entirely through pictures, it captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is recognised throughout the world.
The Snowman is the perfect festive read for ALL the family!
For little ones: The Snowman board book
For younger readers: The Snowman and Snowdog (a picture books with words)
For readers aged 7+: The Snowman – re-imagined by Michael Morpurgo
The Snowman and the Snowdog by Raymond Briggs (Author)
Paperback : 32 pages
Publisher : Puffin (5 Sept. 2013)
Reading level : 3 – 5 years
The Snowman flies again in the follow-up to the Christmas classic.
Billy and his mum have moved into a new house, but Billy isn’t very full of Christmas cheer, as his beloved old dog has passed away.
So when the snow falls and Billy starts to build a Snowman, he knows exactly what to do- he builds a Snowdog too!
Later that night, something magical happens, taking Billy on the most wonderful Christmas adventure.
This book includes an audio CD featuring a narration read by Benedict Cumberbatch, and the music from the beautiful film score.
The Snowman and The Snowdog was shown on Channel Four over Christmas to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of the original Snowman film, based on Raymond Briggs’s iconic children’s picture book. 11 million people watched the film to rave reviews.
Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs (Author)
Paperback : 32 pages
Publisher : Puffin; 1st edition (5 Sept. 2013)
Reading level : 2 – 5 years
Raymond Briggs, creator of The Snowman – inspiration for The Snowman and The Snowdog – introduces us to a rather grumpy Father Christmas.
In this hilariously irreverent Christmas book, Father Christmas has awoken from a dream of summer sun to discover it is December 24th, Christmas Eve – the start of his longest night’s work of the year! Much merriment ensues as Father Christmas travels the world, with a few issues along the way, to bring joy to children everywhere.
Published 40 years ago, this delightful anniversary edition has lost none of its charm. This book was awarded The Library Association’s Kate Greenaway Medal.
6. CHRISTMAS CAROL
7. IT’S A CRACKER (CHRISTMAS CRACKER JOKE)
Who is Santa’s favourite singer? Elf-is Presley
8. EVERY CHRISTMAS TV TIMES COVER
9. A FAMOUS SCROOGE
10. SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT – A TOP TV CHRISTMAS SPECIAL FROM THE PAST
Gavin and Stacey – Christmas Special
UK/Special/ Christmas 2008Aired on BBC
And a brand new episode Christmas Day 2019 which broke all records
Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers star as Smithy and Nessa. Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb star as Gavin’s parents (Pam and Mick), and Melanie Walters (Gwen) is Stacey’s mother and Rob Brydon (Bryn) is Stacey’s uncle).
Baby Cow Productions produced the sitcom for BBC Wales. Three series totalling twenty episodes were broadcast from 13 May 2007 to 1 January 2010 on BBC Three and later on BBC One. Broadcast on Christmas Day 2009 and New Year’s Day 2010, episodes of the final series formed a significant part of the prime-time BBC seasonal programming.
Gavin & Stacey was acclaimed as a hit breakthrough show for the BBC and was the most nominated show in the 2007 British Comedy Awards. It won several awards, including the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs) Audience Award, and the British Comedy Awards Best TV Comedy Award, both in 2008. In 2019, Gavin & Stacey was named the 17th greatest British sitcom in a poll by Radio Times.[2] The series was directed by Christine Gernon who had previously directed other popular BBC sitcoms such as One Foot in the Grave.
Corden and Jones wrote a Christmas Day 2019 special for BBC One. With 18.49 million viewers, the broadcast in the United Kingdom was the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade and the most-watched comedy in 17 years
11. NICE LITTLE CHRISTMAS NUMBER
41 £375,000 per year from All I Want For Christmas is royalties Mariah Carey makes
42 £400,000 per year Pogues make from royalties for Fairytale of New York
43 £500,000 per year is the amount of royalties earned per year by Slade from Merry Christmas Everybody
44 £250,000 is what Paul McCartney earns a year off his Christmas song, which is widely regarded as the worst song he ever recorded.
45 1843 The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned by civil servant Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843.
46 £8,469 was the price received in a 2014 auction for one of the first Christmas cards and it featured a family drinking wine
47 159 years ago Robins appeared on Christmas cards starting as a joke, when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
48 1847 The year the Christmas cracker was invented by a London sweet shop owner called Tom Smith
49 “12 days, according to tradition, you should eat one mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas to bring good luck.
50 17th century: It’s technically illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day in England. In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas pudding, mince pies and anything to do with gluttony. The law has never been rescinded
12. CHRISTMAS TV ADVERT
Waitrose 2020 Christmas TV advert