The Chronicles of Narnia

I am very excited to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe soon. It looks wonderful. I just finished reading the book the other evening, though my mother read them to my sister and me when we were small children.

You can find more links to information about Narnia here and here.

Send Someone a Christmas Card

The British Library allows you to send e-cards featuring lots of beautiful old images from the Library's collection.

Send a Christmas card to a friend or family member here.

I sent the "Buckingham House" e-card to Lady Christine just last night.

Here is a little bit of information about Christmas cards from the British Library:

Although people had exchanged hand-written greetings for centuries, commercially printed Christmas cards seem to have originated in London in the mid 19th century.

The first Christmas card was probably designed in 1843 by London artist John Calcott Horsley. He was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman who wanted a card to send to friends and business acquaintances. The inscription read: ‘merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you.’ This card is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

What does a Queen's servant receive for Christmas?

This is an interesting article. Have you ever wondered what the Queen gives her royal servants for Christmas?

Hello Magazine: The Queen Ensures Gifts Are Exactly What Staff Want---

Most households Christmas inevitably means a race to get organised in time for the big day - unless, of course, you live in Buckingham Palace where preparations began in March. Just before Easter the Queen's staff received a letter asking what was on their wish list.

Not that the 550 members of the monarch's staff have carte blanche to go wild with fantasies of buying up Harrods. "A couple of conditions apply," reveals royal biographer, Brian Hoey.

Gifts range from £28 for the most junior employees to a maximum of £35 for longer-serving staff members. One footman, who's been there for 28 years, has been collecting a dinner service, one plate at a time, which, he reckons, will be complete by the end of the next decade.

Employees can then expect to receive their gift in an official present-giving ceremony. "Their names are called up by the Lord Chamberlain and they come forward to meet the Queen," adds writer Brian."They thank her saying it is exactly what they wanted.

The tradition is part of a festive routine that has been followed for the last 50 years. Other customs include the arrival of family members at the Sandringham estate by order of precedence, with most junior members invited to turn up first.

Presents, which tend to be modest tokens of affection, are opened at tea-time on Christmas Eve, with Prince Philip presiding. On Christmas Day the family sit down to a black-tie dinner - the ladies wear tiaras - before playing charades. And no one is allowed to go to bed until Her Majesty retires.