Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown Characters #9

Most of us know about the holly and the ivy - plant symbols of Christmas, but have you heard of "The Story of Holly and Ivy"? 
watercolour, pencil and ink sketch - Wilma Simmons 

I is for Ivy... 
Ivy is the main character in a heart warming  1950's Christmas story by Rumer Gooden. 

The Story of Holly and Ivy has the sparkles and sugar of Christmas, the wish fulfilment and whimsy and talking toys. It's also a story about lonely people finding solace in acts of charity, and the importance of taking care of the weakest members of society. A fairy tale with a social conscience. from http://www.goodreads.com/

Ivy is the only child from St. Agnes orphanage not placed with a family for Christmas. Ivy tells the matron that she could go to her grandmother's in Appleton, although there is no grandmother and Ivy wasn't even sure if a place called Appleton even existed. Ivy is put on a train and arrives in Appleton on Christmas Eve, left to explore the town alone. 
There is a toy shop in the town, and a beautiful new Christmas doll named Holly is standing in the display window , wishing for a little girl to come and take her home. The only other toy left on the shelf is Abracadabra, an owl with a rather nasty disposition. The owner of the toy shop leaves his assistant to lock up and says he can choose a toy for himself as a Christmas gift. The shop assistant closes the store, and accidentally drops the key in the snow. Meanwhile, Ivy's search for a grandmother is in vain, and she sees the doll in the shop window, Holly is exactly what Ivy would love for Christmas, and the doll would love a girl like Ivy to take her home. Ivy finds the key that Peter dropped but as night falls, she takes shelter in a nearby alley.

 The next morning,  Ivy returns to the shop to find a distraught shop assistant accompanied by Officer Jones of Appleton Police   Ivy realizes that  the key that she found belongs to the toy shop , and returns it. The assistant is so grateful he gives Holly the doll to Ivy.  Officer Jones, realising Ivy is an orphan,  takes Ivy home where she discovers a beautiful Christmas tree and presents, and Mrs Jones just wishing she had a child to enjoy Christmas with. All's well that ends well - Ivy not only has the doll she wished for, but a family!  The story ends with Officer and Mrs Jones adopting Ivy as their own daughter. Ivy's story is  all about wishing, love and belonging... just the story to invoke the spirit of the festive season. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...
Post a Comment
Read more

Christmas Countdown 15 : Christmas Tree #11 - Disposable

Plastic cups  https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/christmas-stem-ideas-kids/ Advent Blog : Day 11 - Disposable  We are all so much more conscious about ridding our landfills and oceans of plastic waste. For Christmas, here is a way to use up some of those disposable items which seem to multiply at holiday parties and celebrations, or perhaps you have just been saving them up for a creative use.... Who would have thought coffee pods would make such stylish Christmas trees ? ... Add caption If you don't have one of those machines, then perhaps you have coffee on the run - Starbucks or Nescafe ?  from  https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/369858188126737920/ Nescafe cups https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/72761350208620530/ The disposable cups don' t have to be brand names to work well as materials for Christmas trees. Taking an engineering approach to plastic cup trees seems to be the answer for a more ornate result.  from  https:...
1 comment
Read more

Christmas Firsts #11: Penguins

This year, I fell into the sentimental trap of making some penguin softies for Christmas .... and I am not the only one - penguins seem to be everywhere at the moment dressed in Christmassy costumes, with trees, bells, and all kinds of Christmas paraphernalia.   Should penguins really  be associated with Christmas?   Probably not  and not as Santa's helpers as they often depicted. Penguins inhabit the Antarctic region in the South Pole, while Santa Claus it has been established has his home in the North Pole. The theory is that somehow penguins are associated with snow, then Winter, then Christmas, but what about us in the southern hemisphere. Perhaps they are just cute?  Whatever the reason, when were penguins first seen as part of the Christmas scene ?  While there is no verifiable answer, it would seem that Monty the Penguin in the John Lewis Christmas advertisement in 2014  popularised  the trend. (If you are not famil...
Post a Comment
Read more