The Enid Blyton Society

Maybe this is a silly idea, but I just had a thought that it might be nice to have some sort of count down to christmas on the website?

Don't know how it would be done: maybe a virtual advent calendar where doors open when you click on them, or maybe just something that opened automatically every day?

It was just an idea, but I havent a clue how it might be achieved.

That's a nice idea, although I have no idea how it could be achieved either

I love advent calendars, particularly the old-fashioned ones with nice illustrations. I'm not so keen on the brashly illustrated chocolate calendars, although I don't mind the chocolate

I'm looking forward to Christmas this year as I'll get to play Father Christmas for the first time. Monty will be about 14 weeks old, so he probably won't know what's going on, but it will be fun anyway.

Perhaps if there were 24 participants, each allocated a day, they could put up a quote or a picture for "their" day.

Viv

what initially gave me the idea were all those lovely pictures Tony has been putting on the book listing pages.

Viv of Ginger Pop wrote:Perhaps if there were 24 participants, each allocated a day, they could put up a quote or a picture for "their" day.

Viv

Now that sounds like a good idea...

Viv of Ginger Pop wrote:Perhaps if there were 24 participants, each allocated a day, they could put up a quote or a picture for "their" day.
Viv

It’s not too late to start - for 2008 that is.

This passage sets the scene nicely. Enid portrays the atmosphere of preparing for Christmas in a wintry setting.

Pip set out his painting things, poked the playroom fire, and sat down to finish his Christmas cards.
“You do them nicely, Pip,” said Bets, looking over his shoulder. “I wish I could keep inside the lines like you do.”
“You’re only little yet,” said Pip, beginning to paint red berries on his card.

The others join them and Daisy brings a present to finish. Seems like they made their own cards and presents.

There was a lot of "home made" goings on both during and after the war! I remember in the late 40s my mother making a decorated "tree" from a branch onto which she fixed little flowers made out of wax and used cut up strips of silver foil from chocolate for tinsel! We kids had a wonderful time helping in the making and decorating!

This is a good idea. Here's a nice one for today from The Secret Island;

Soon the bedrooms were full of dolls, books, trains, balls, aeroplanes and motor cars! It was the lovliest Christmas morning the children had ever known - and certainly Jack had never in his life known one like it! he just simply couldn't believe his luck.

"You deserve it all Jack" said Nora. "You were a good friend to us when we were unhappy - and now you can share with us when we are happy".

The last sentance in particular illustrates very well Blyton's consistent theme of hard work and loyalty bringing their reward. A nice end to a terrific book.