Category Archives: Christmas

The Life of Riley

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Frost loves a pantomime (oh yes we do!) and so does Riley Clark, who returns to Bognor Regis this Christmas to slap his thigh in Cinderella as Dandini. We nipped off to the seaside for a cuppa and a chat with him.

Credit:youreventphotography.uk

Q: Cinderella is widely regarded as the best-loved panto of all time. Why do you think this is?
A: Because it is such a classic. It is funny and emotional, with a couple of nasty bits thrown in by those ugly sisters, and of course it is magical.

Q: What makes The Alexandra Theatre in Bognor Regis such a great venue for Panto?
A: It is big enough that you experience lots of audience participation and atmosphere, but small enough to still feel intimate. It is shaped perfectly that you will never miss a gag. But I think my favourite part about working there has to the staff. Everyone who works there is so friendly and helpful that you are sure to have a good experience from the moment you walk through the doors.

Q: As well as several other pantomimes over the years, you starred as the baddie in Beauty and the Beast in Bognor two years ago. We’re guessing that you love panto?
A: I love doing Panto because it’s the one time of year where both actors and audience can come together and be silly while telling a great story and feeling all Christmassy at the same time.

Q: How did you get into acting?
A: After seeing a panto at the age of 8 (I was in my first show aged 9!). I was in awe of the actors onstage, and how they got to tell a story and bring laughter and joy to all of these families – everyone had a couple of hours of pure enjoyment. I decided a couple of years later that I wanted to pursue acting as a career and here I am today. I also perform my own Swing and Rat Pack act.

What is your Christmas wish?
A: that everyone comes to see the show! I know for a fact it’s going to be a great one, and if you’re lucky you may get to see the mice do a little song as well! I wish all Frost readers a very Merry Christmas.

Q: When is it on and how can we book tickets?
A: Cinderella runs from 12 December 2018 – 2 January 2019. Box office on 01243 861010; www.regiscentre.co.uk

FASCINATING PANTO PEARLS

• The word pantomime comes from the Greek words ‘pan’ meaning all, and ‘mimos’ meaning imitator.

• Travelling entertainment in Italy and France, the traditions of the Italian Commedia dell’ Arte were also influences on modern panto, as were British Music Hall and of course traditional fairy stories.

• Cinderella, originally written by Charles Perrault in 1697, was based on a folk story. The slipper was probably made of squirrel fur, but the change to glass came about as a result of a translation mix up: the French word for glass is ‘verre’ and white squirrel fur is ‘vair’. But it was a change for the better. Cinders wearing footwear fashioned from a dead rodent isn’t really in keeping with the romance of the story!

• Fairy Dust was a hurried addition to the original story of Peter Pan. Originally Peter and the Lost Boys could fly independently, but after reports of children injuring themselves as they tried to fly from their beds JM Barrie added Fairy Dust as a requirement for taking flight.

Little Splashers by Hape – Review

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How many parents – and grandparents  – look forward to that time when you can dunk the little ones in the bath and know that bed time is just around the corner. It’s a lovely time of the day, for many reasons, but bath toys are always a welcome addition along with the bubbles. I’m already a huge fan of Hape products but the new Little Splashers range is wonderful. First of all, no scissors or screwdrivers needed to prise these colourful creatures from the packaging. A mere second to peel away the sticker and the package pops open with a little pressure in the right place – an added bonus. I loathe packaging.

The toys themselves appear larger that others I’ve come across and perfect for little hands. We tested the cheery red octopus, the green puffer fish, a crab and a starfish. Two sea creatures in each pack.

They quickly fill with water and squirt from different places – the starfish from every point, the octopus from every arm. Our little testers had lots of fun whether they were empty or full of water. The fish and star fish have suckers which means they can stick on the side of the bath so there were lots of different opportunities for play.

Far and above the kids enjoyment I really rated the addition of removable pieces that allowed me to empty out all of the water and properly dry the inside of the toys. So much more hygienic. A really lovely addition to bath time.

 

Hape Teddy and Friends Bath Squirts, Suitable for 0 months +, £12.49 

Swimming Teddy was the cause of lots of fun and laughter. Smiley Teddy with his swimsuit and rubber ring sped across the bath, powering through the bubbles. A lovely size to hold and easy to use – a few turns of the button on his back sets his legs kicking through the water. Great fun to be had before bedtime.

 

Hape Swimmer Teddy Wind-up Toy, Suitable for 12 months +, £9.99 

 

Strictly Briks: Dream, Create, Grow

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Strictly Briks are Strictly Brilliant. What a fabulous add on to all those building bricks you have in the toybox. Strictly Briks enables children to create multi-storey platforms quickly using the baseplates and Stackers. And we all know how impatient small children are.

The various sets of Strictly Briks allow for plenty of creative play and are a fabulous extension to all of those other branded brick sets that almost all of us have played with at some time or another. Memories of Christmas morning building forts and castles come to mind. Happy Days.

Strictly Briks Trap & Gap™

I was really impressed with the Trap and Gap™ pack – the kids are going to have so much fun with this – Hadley pushing his cars up and down the ramps and Huxley using them as an ark for his animals. Who doesn’t love a trap door! Perfect for wizards and fairy godmothers to appear from.

The Trap and Gap set contains:

Trap and Gap™   Baseplates

Set includes 2 Trap and Gap™ Baseplate 10″ x 10″

2 Stackable Baseplates 10″ x 10″

15 Stackers™

£21.99 at Amazon

Strictly Briks – Brik Tower

The Brik Tower set makes building multi platforms quick and easy. Using the stackers children can soon build a tower – much easier than putting together small bricks to create varying levels on a building. Perfect for castles, garages, houses and any other building your child can imagine.

The Brik Tower set consists of:

12 Baseplates 6″ x 6″ and 80 Stackers™

£24.99 at Amazon

www.strictlybriks.com

Ages 5+

Due to small pieces not suitable for under 3s.

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: SECRETS OF SEASONAL SUCCESS – Jane Cable takes a sleigh ride with Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain

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How much of your working life does the business of books take up?

The business of books, in one way or another, takes up all of my working life now. Earlier this year I made the leap and gave up the day job to write full-time. I had been gradually cutting down my hours, but going out to work two days a week meant compromising time at the keyboard. I was increasingly feeling that I was spinning one plate too many and something had to give. Nonetheless it was a difficult decision because I loved my job, but following my heart has been the right thing to do.

Now I can write from six thirty to lunchtime and work on guest posts, blogging and interviews in the afternoons. It’s a much better balance all round.

 

What’s your business model to earn a living from writing?

I don’t have a formal business model, but writing full-time has given me the opportunity to take on different projects and I am now beginning to earn from a wider source than book sales. Writing short stories for magazines is a good way to supplement income and I have also taught a ‘writing a novel’ day course. That said, I’m not poised to order the diamond shoes just yet and my priority is, and always will be, focusing on writing novels readers love.

What do you write and what do you consider to be your major successes?

I write commercial fiction for Simon and Schuster, although I prefer the term ‘feel good fiction’. I want my readers to feel whisked away to the fictitious town of Wynbridge as soon as they sit down with the book.

I feel very fortunate to have readers getting in touch every day to tell me how much they love Wynbridge and want to live there, or that they have purchased my book to take on holiday or to give as a Christmas present. For me personally, those messages and tweets are all major successes. What could be more flattering than a reader loving what you have written so much that they take time out of their day to tell you?

I’m also very proud of my two Christmas books. Mince Pies and Mistletoe at The Christmas Market was my winter 2016 release and having listened to readers and friends who had been disappointed by novels which featured ‘Christmas’ in the title but barely covered it in the book, I was determined to pack my pages full of festive feeling. Looking at the response it definitely worked and it wasn’t far into January before my editor called asking if I would consider writing another one!

Needless to say I jumped at the chance. I already had the beautiful setting of Wynthorpe Hall in mind and got to work straightaway. The result was Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair which was published in October and again, I’ve crammed in as much cinnamon and spice as possible.

 

Tell me about your latest project.

I’m now working on my sixth novel which will be released next summer. This one features a Wynbridge resident who isn’t living in the town, but don’t panic. I’m planning for her to visit her friends and family at least twice so there’ll be plenty of opportunities to catch up with the girls from The Cherry Tree Café and The Mermaid Pub.

Thank you Jane for inviting me to feature today and I may take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas!

 

Since my interview with Heidi Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair has taken the Sunday Times bestseller list by storm and just has to be this year’s most successful seasonal romance. Heidi lives in Norfolk with her wonderful family and a mischievous cat called Storm. Find out more about her here: Website: http://www.heidiswain.co.uk/

 

Why Technology is Ruining Christmas By Ian Shepherd, author of The Sleighmaker

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A third of children will be sending their wish lists to Santa by smartphone app this Christmas.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Now, when the kids aren’t looking, swipe their gadgets – all of them – and hide them in a sock drawer until December 26. Because technology is ruining Christmas. And I mean ruining it.

I wrote an unashamedly traditional children’s book called The Sleighmaker, which is out this week. My publisher assures me that it will capture the public’s imagination in much the same way as The Snowman did all those years ago. Except that it won’t. Because that was then, and this is now. Raymond Brigg’s classic picture book was released in 1982, long before Britain’s obsession with all things ‘smart’. In those days, children read books for entertainment, not homework. Books were the must-have ‘device’, the original hand-held tablet.

Children still love to read – a lot. Sales of children’s books rose 16 per cent last year to £365million, according to figures released by the Publisher’s Association. But in today’s tech-obsessed households, where youngsters spend an average of six hours-a-day (yes, you read that correctly) glued to an array of ‘smart’ screens, the paperback no longer takes centre stage. Technology and its new leading lady, the smartphone (which has never been, er, smarter), steal the show. A quarter of children will use one to send Christmas wishes via Facebook on December 25. Yes, technology has written off the humble pen, too.

And so back to Christmas and the thankless pursuit of that impossibly perfect day. Nothing, even the in-laws, should be allowed to spoil it.

Except that technology in any of its guises almost certainly will. Its availability anywhere in the home will prevent kids from focusing on wonderful books like The Snowman (and The Sleighmaker). It will fill your home with irritating noises, and reduce your children’s vocabulary to monosyllabic grunts. It will also cause your children more harm that cocaine, if you believe the warnings (Earlier this year, an addiction therapist claimed that giving children a smartphone is like “giving them a gram of cocaine”. She said time spent messages pals on Snapchat and Instagram could be just as dangerously addictive for teenagers and drugs and alcohol).

A new smartphone app lets kids scan the barcode of a toy they want for Christmas before sending their parents an automated email with the details.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Now, when the kids aren’t looking, swipe their gadgets – all of them – and hide them in a sock drawer until December 26. Because technology is ruining Christmas. And I mean ruining it.

The Sleighmaker (Raj Joshi Publishing) is out now priced £11.99 in hardback, £6.99 paperback and £4.60 as a Kindle eBook. Signed copies and further information from www.thesleighmaker.com 

 

Frost Loves: Winsor & Newton Gift Range 2017

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Frost loves these art sets from Winsor & Newton. The fine art supplier has the most beautiful gift sets of top-quality art materials. A perfect show-stopping gift.

Just in time for the holiday season, Winsor & Newton, one of the world’s leading fine art suppliers have released their 2017 Gift Range. Combining craftsmanship with innovation, this all year round gift collection is perfect for all artists and crafters alike.

The range consists of five curated sets, each containing a collection of world class art materials including ink, water colour, acrylic paint, mediums and metallic markers and presented in a beautiful keepsake box. I was wondering if you would be interested in including a set from the gift range in your Christmas Gift Guide?

Winsor & Newton 2017 Gift Collections

 For the budding artist, inspiration starts here.

The new gift range is built upon Winsor & Newton’s extensive knowledge, passion and artistic understanding to curate and has been designed to ignite artistic journeys that will excite the mind and engage the senses with each set containing a unique collection of high-performance art materials.

Winsor & Newton is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fine art materials. Drawing on a commitment to quality and a tradition of innovation, the brand remains dedicated to the craft of the fine artist, providing them with new ways to explore their creativity and share their work with a worldwide community. These sets offer artists and non-artists the chance to gift creativity, to kickstart, improve or round-off an artist’s collections of the finest art materials

Green and Black’s Velvet Edition and Pralines: Great Stocking Fillers

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We love Green & Black’s at Frost. We think they are the perfect stocking filler. Eating the chocolates yourself is probably a better idea…we joke, of course.

We tried the Praline milk chocolate, the velvet edition dark chocolate 70% cocoa and the organic milk collection. The latter is 12 miniature bars of milk and white chocolate. Each one is as delicious as the last. We highly recommend Green & Black’s this Christmas.

Following the launch of the luxurious Velvet Edition dark chocolate range, they have just created their very first chocolate praline boxes, the perfect present for chocolate lovers this Christmas. Each praline reveals a whole hazelnut in the middle, wrapped in decadent truffle filling and covered in a layer of either milk or dark chocolate, to suit all tastes. They’ve just launched exclusively in Tesco.

Christmas Gifts: Sweet Treats

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Sweet treats are always great stocking fillers at Christmas as well as something naughty to have on the table at Christmas time. We’ve selected our favourite festive sweet treats that’s bound to bring joy to anyone this Winter.

Mr Stanley’s Confectionary.

We were most impressed with their traditional and elegant packaging. Mr Stanley’s confectionary pays homage to an old era of confectioners and we think that anyone with an appreciation for sweeties will love a gift from Mr Stanley’s. Great for stocking fillers or as a good selection for your Christmas table, our favourites from the Christmas collection were;
Mini Candy Canes – £3 I love to use these to decorate the tree or stick on the front of Christmas cards.
Festive Fudge Selection – £3.99 Rich and buttery, Mr Stanley’s covered all of the festive flavours with Christmas pudding fudge, Salted caramel fudge, Mincemeat butter fudge, Christmas spice with orange fudge to choose from.
White Chocolate Matches with Popping Candy – £6.99 We love this luxurious and delicious candy and the extra pop made it all the more fun. And if it’s milk or dark chocolate you prefer than Mr Stanley have got an assortment of chocolate matches to suit you.
These were just a selection of our favourites but be sure to check out their full range online which includes traditional sweets, liquorice and candy, sweet jars and biscuits.

mrstanleys.co.uk


Divine Chocolate

Divine Chocolate are proud of where their chocolate comes from. They are the only Fairtrade chocolate company co-owned by cocoa farmers and this Christmas, they are launching a new range of chocolate gifts to send and share with loved ones. Spoil someone this year with their New Divine Luxury Collection RRP £8 which includes 16 dusted truffles encased in 70% dark chocolate. Or how about their new thins to add to their dark chocolate mint thins and dark chocolate ginger thins, this year they have Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Thins RRP £4. For something completely festive, why not try a bar to share in limited edition flavours Milk Chocolate with spiced cookies or Dark Chocolate with cranberries and hazelnuts both RRP at £2.40. By supporting Divine Chocolate and choosing their range of delicious gifts, the co-ownership with the farmers ensures that they receive a share of the profits and enables them to gain a greater insight of their industry. All of the products mentioned are available to buy in Waitrose and Oxfam but to check out more of their range visit

divinechocolate.com

Cutter and Squidge

Need something sweet for your Christmas afters this year, Cutter and Squidge the Soho based bakery have a lovely range of products including their famous Biskies and Dream Cakes to suit anyone with a sweet tooth. Their focus on natural premium ingredients will make sure anything you try is made with extra love and care and the Festive Collection is no different with it being free from preservatives and additives and handmade from scratch. All products apart from the cakes can be shipped nationwide with the exception of the Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake which is available to be shipped anywhere in the UK. We recommend you try a Festive Biskie Box which you can choose between Coconut Melted Snowman Biskie, Black Forest Biskie, Gingerbread Man Biskie and Christmas Wreath Biskie. The attention to detail and quality will just blow you away. If you’re looking for something a little more substantial, why not try a bespoke hamper which are packed full of tempting and delicious goodies and range from £75-£250. Check out their huge and impressive range at

cutterandsquidge.com