A Christmas Tradition . . .

... which only began last year, but I'm going to keep it going.

I am so lucky that my family loooooves giving books for all occasions. Birthdays, Christmas and even Easter. One year at high school, instead of chocolate, my dad got me Judy Blume's Forever.

Made me the most popular girl in school for about 3 weeks as that book got borrowed and borrowed and borrowed and badly dog-eared.

Lately, a new tradition has crept in. Last year my dad gave everyone a copy of the (AFL) Footy Almanac edited by sporting fanatic and all-round marvellous bloke John Harms. Dad had one article that made it to the 2010 print edition, and boy, was he stoked. So stoked he gave everyone a copy that year.

Of course, last year my first Ondine book came out and I contributed just about all of the chapters (and I say just about all, because my editors at Egmont came up with some cracking suggestions so I give credit to them whenever I can). I did think about giving copies to people but thought it might be self-serving.

This year, the gloves are off. Dad has scored three articles in this year's Footy Almanac and my second Ondine novel is out. Self serving or not, if Dad gives me 'his' book for Christmas, he's getting two of mine in return.

I am also giving copies to 'Super Da', my grandfather. The books are a huge hit in the old folks home. They have two copies of book one in their library!

Meanwhile, I hope everyone is having a fabulously festive season, whatever you celebrate and wherever you are in the world. I've been scrubbing the deck today in 30C heat (that's about 91 on the F scale. F for "F it's hot!".) Tomorrow there will be 16 of us around the outdoor table, encompassing four generations. My mum will be down one end of the table BEHAVING HERSELF and my dad and step-mum will probably sit up waaaay down the other end BEHAVING THEMSELVES and we'll stuff the middle of the table with cousins as a buffer zone.

It's going to be a cracker!

Whatever you're up to, have a very merry one.

Love, Ebs