Welcome to day 8 of the 2011 Virtual Advent Tour.
*Patti Smith @ Peppermint Ph. D.
*Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made on
*Kat Pruce @ No Page Left Behind
*Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair
*Will @ Exciting Writing
Today's special shout out of thanks goes to Chris from Stuff as Dreams are Made On as this is his fifth year of participating in the tour! Thank you for your contributions over the last 5 tours and your support Chris! Kelly and I really appreciate it!
If you are inspired by the posts that you have seen today, it is not too late to join in. You can still sign up at the sign up post.
Over the next couple of weeks I am going to bring you a number of quotes from a book called Empire Day by Australian author Diane Chamberlain. In the first three quotes which I will post next week, the characters look back to the Christmas festivities in their native countries, and in the excerpts next week, the characters talk about their first summer Christmas here in Australia. The book is set just after the end of World War II predominantly in Sydney.
Page 224-225 Empire Day by Diane Chamberlain
Hania hated the idea of Christmas in Australia. In Poland, with her foster parents, it had been different. Shivers still ran down her spine whenever she thought of the hushed atmosphere in the church on Christmas Eve, with the flickering candles, the smoky smell of incense and the soulful voices chanting and praying. After Mass, she'd look forward to the traditional spicy beetroot borsch with potato pirogi. Her foster father would lug home a huge fir tree and the house would be filled with a sharp piney smell. Then they'd hang shiny baubles and coloured stars on the ends of the branches and arrange gifts around the tree.
By way of explanation, Hania was actually a young Jewish girl who was fostered by a Catholic family to keep her safe during World War II. Now, she is in Australia with her mother so not only is she looking back on Christmas in another country, but also in effect a whole other life.
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