Emma's Guest Review: Lynn Marie Hulsman - A Miracle at Macy's

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

One lost dog. Two lonely hearts. A Manhattan Christmas full of magic.

Shy homebody Charlotte is planning her usual quiet Christmas celebration: Turkey for two for her and her beloved pet dog Hudson. Only, this year, little Hudson decides to take matters into his own paws and give his favourite human a holiday adventure she’ll never forget.

When Hudson runs away the week before Christmas, Charlotte is devastated. She’d rescued him from the trash years before and gave him a place in her home – and her heart. But with the help of uptight Englishman Henry, Charlotte ends up on a magical treasure hunt around Manhattan to find her furry, four-legged bestie.

Spotted in Central Park as one of Santa's Little Helpers, or last seen in the arms of a supermodel in Times Square, Hudson leads Charlotte and Henry on a very merry dance around the Big Apple, where love, (or should that be Christmas?!) actually is all around.

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Happy Harper Christmas: Q&A with Jane Linfoot

It's week two of the Happy Harper Christmas event organised by Katey Lovell and it's my pleasure to welcome Jane Linfoot, author of The Vintage Cinema Club, back to the blog to find out what she loves about Christmas.   

What's your earliest or best Christmas memory?
As a child, our family used to spend Christmas with my grandparents on their farm, which was somewhere I loved. When we went to bed on Christmas Eve my grandmother always used to sneak out into the garden and ring bells. Once when I was quite small I remember looking out of the bedroom window onto a frosty moonlit garden, and seeing Santa flying past on his sleigh. Looking back, I think it must have been a lucky coincidence that a helicopter happened to be passing, but it had me convinced for years.

What are you most looking forward to this Christmas?
I’m looking forward to putting the tree up, because that’s when it feels like Christmas has begun. And I love helping my partner to decorate his house – he has thirteen boxes of Christmas stuff, and last year I counted seven Christmas trees at his. I hate taking the decorations down though, because everything looks so sad afterwards. Sometimes I accidentally-on-purpose forget to take down some of the fairy lights, because I love a bit of year round twinkle.

Do you have any family Christmas traditions that you follow?
We always decorate the tree with something home made - biscuits in festive shapes are a favourite, especially with the dogs, who sidle past and help themselves. And although the girls have their own places now, we all like to meet up early on Christmas morning, for a dog walk and present opening.

If you could invite one person, dead or alive, to celebrate Christmas with you, who would it be? 
The fun answer to that is Johnny Depp, dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, would make the party go with a swing. He’s very decorative, and I like his wry humour.

The sad answer is that I really wish my dad was still here – I’d give anything for Christmas with him.

Sadly I know exactly how you feel although for me it's my mum, Christmas has never been the same since we lost her so suddenly. 

Happy Harper Christmas Guest Post: Perfect Mince Pies by Sophie Pembroke

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Sophie Pembroke to the blog as part of the Happy Harper Christmas event that myself and fellow bloggers are taking part in this December.

Every year, I have grand plans for Christmas baking. I pour over festive cookery books, sticking post it notes on all the recipes I want to try. And every year I end up just making my mum’s mince pies, because they’re better than every other Christmas recipe out there anyway. 

In fact, they’re so good, I even wrote them into a book. Several times over. 

In The Kiss Before Midnight, Molly’s Mum, Philippa, has gone a bit mince pie crazy. Molly, meanwhile, is being driven slowly by crazy by Jake, her brother’s best friend, who has been part of the family forever. But don’t worry, Molly has plans: 

Molly stared after Jake as he followed her mum inside.

“Now, you have to try my latest batch of mince pies. Can you believe, I have fifteen different sorts of mincemeat to try this year? You’ll have to keep track and tell me which one you like best,” Philippa said, as they disappeared into the hall and through the doorway on the left that led to the lounge.

Jake might be in the house, but he wasn’t home. Not really. He still doesn’t believe he belongs here. Which was pathologically stupid. 

He’d stood stiff and uncertain, even as Philippa had thrown her arms around him, welcoming him home. After all these years, shouldn’t he know better? Unless… unless this was her fault. Unless her lingerie and talking about kissing had made him awkward around her family.