FOR OLDER "YOUNG SOULS": TWO JANE AUSTEN DECEMBER GIVEAWAYS

If you happen to be a Jane Austen fan, you're probably aware that this December not only marks the 240th year since Miss Austen's birth (December 16, 1775), but also the 200th Anniversary of the publication of her beloved Emma (published December 25, 1815).

"Where shall we see a better daughter, or a kinder sister, or a truer friend?"

To celebrate one of my all-time favorite books and authors, today I'm offering two giveaway books, for two lucky readers.  I'm also sharing a Christmas recipe and fun ornament project - for everyone!

Christmas is referenced in all of Jane Austen's novels. Christmas celebrations in Georgian England included balls, parties, wassailing, and visiting.

Here's a recipe for the traditional "wassail" drink carried in bowls by Christmas carolers as they went through neighborhoods singing Yuletide songs.

Holiday Wassail
1 gallon apple cider
1 large can pineapple juice (unsweetened)
3/4 cups hot tea

Place in cheesecloth sack:
1 T. whole cloves
1 T. whole allspice
2 sticks cinnamon

Perfect for the crockpot: Let simmer on low very slowly 4-6 hours (add water if needed). Serve warm.  Garnish with orange slices (splash of rum, optional).  Serves 20 [source]  There are many variations of Wassail - go here for more on Pinterest.

Next, I found a fun ornament project for your Christmas tree - or for that Jane Austen Party you've always wanted to have! (Both the recipe and project are from Jane Austen.co.uk. The website suggests using old book pages from a discarded Jane Austen novel. But of course, you could always photo copy a page - double sided - if you can't bring yourself to cut up one of Jane's books.)

Create a Jane Austen Christmas tree ornament - go here.

Ornament Project
1. Cut the page into 8 strips about 3/4" wide.
2. Set 2 strips aside.  Then cut 1/2" from 2 other strips; 1" from two more; and 1 and 1/2" from the remaining two strips.
3. Stack strips into two piles, with the longest strip on the bottom of each pile and so on, until the shortest strips are on top.
4.  Place the two piles together, face to face, with the shortest strips on the inside. Then staple the bottom of the strips together.
5.  Gently guide and line the top ends together, turning down this stack of ends down by turning both sides to the inside of the heart, pinching them together.
6. Staple the top ends together, inside the heart.
7. Form a loop of ribbon, and place it in the center where the strips meet.
8. Staple the strips together again, a bit higher, making sure the ribbon is caught.
9. Add a bow to the front with glue (hot glue gun works best).

On to the giveaways!  I'm delighted to offer you, dear readers, not one, but two books.

Giveaway #1 
My first giveaway book is in honor of Jane Austen's Birthday (December 16, 1775)...

Giveaway #1

A Jane Austen Christmas, Celebrating the Season of Romance, Ribbons, & Mistletoe. "Carlo DeVito provides an intimate portrait of Austen's most cherished Christmas memories with her family: from the gift of her first writing desk, to her first love and heartbreak, to her brewing mead and beer in time for the holidays. Along the way readers will spend a holiday in the Austen house, celebrate Jane's birthday, meet the inspiration for more than a dozen characters, attend the Christmastide series of balls, and learn how to make family's favorite recipes and dedicate a novel to the Prince Regent. Remarkably fresh and supremely entertaining, A Jane Austen Christmas brings Austen's world to life as never before."

Giveaway #2
I just love Miss Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley!! My second giveaway book is in celebration of Emma turning 200 on December 25, 2015...

Giveaway #2

Emma: 200th-Anniversary Annotated Edition (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) with introduction by the book's editor, Juliette Wells.  She refers to it as a reader's edition as opposed to a scholarly one and has included maps, a glossary, several contextual essays, and illustrations of earlier editions of Emma.

Giveaway Details...

There will be one winner for each of the two giveaway books. The giveaway starts today, December 8 and ends on December 15.  Winners will be announced on Jane's birthday, December 16!

Please enter the giveaway by using the Rafflecopter box below:

(Click the left/right arrows to make sure you enter both giveaways!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You CAN Judge These Books By Their Covers!

(But you don't have to, because they're already CLASSICS - soon to be adorned with Penguin Threads Deluxe Classic series bookcovers.)

These breathtaking covers, which wraparound and include french flaps, will be embossed to have the feeling of the intricate embroidery that is being created by Jilian Tamaki.  Click HERE to read her Sketchblog.

The story of Black Beauty never looked so foreboding...

My personal favorite:

Not to be missed - due out in October 2011.