When I was growing up, my mother had a number of ways of doing things that would doubtless nowadays be called ‘hacks’ but to her were common sense. For example the tooth fairy: in our house the tooth fairy collected her spoils from under the easily accessed front door mat, rather than having to ferret around under a sleeping child’s pillow.

Another was tree presents at Christmas. Not an original idea in itself, but we always had a present from the tree on Christmas Eve after tea: it took the edge off the desperate urge forhristmas Day presents  and, in order to keep us occupied when sent to bed early with over-excitement, it was pretty well always a book.

This would be a perfect book for that occasion. Prettily presented, with all the beautiful festive Scandinavian designs enlivened with a little sprinkling of gold, this is a chocolate box of treasures just right for working through next to a pine scented tree, a warm hearth and some Glögg or other warming beverage of choice.

A mixture of classic well known tales from the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, and modern day stories from Karl Ove Knausgaard and Vigdis Hjorth, this collection spans all the positive and not so positive experiences of the Christmas season. From stars, fir trees, births, deaths and gardens springing up on mystical Christmas nights, to imbibing Santas and a longing to get away from the family and be alone, this is fully packed with Christmas tales encompassing every side of the festive season.