(subtitle: Kris demonstrates how blogger can be a useful tool for procrastination)

Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors of all time.

The extent to which I adore his work is proven by the fact that I never wait for the paperback editions of his books (I’m patience personified for all other authors I read/keep). I always, always buy him in hard cover; cost is not an issue for me when it comes to the great TP.

For those of you, who are not familiar with his Discworld series here is a snippet written by him which I appropriated from his website:

Welcome to the Discworld. It started out as a parody of all the fantasy that was around in the big boom of the early ’80s, then turned into a satire on just about everything, and even I don’t know what it is now. I do know that in that time there’s been at least four people promoted as “new Terry Pratchetts” so for all I know I may not even still be me.

You may have already guessed my most-loved Christmas-type story is one written by TP entitled Hogfather.

The blurb:

It’s the night before Hogswatch. And it’s too quiet.

There’s snow, there’re robins, there’re trees covered with decorations, but there’s a notable lack of the big fat man who delivers the toys…

He’s gone.

Susan the governess has got to find him before morning, otherwise the sun won’t rise. And unfortunately her only helpers are a raven with an eyeball fixation, the Death of Rats and an oh god of hangovers.

Worse still, someone is coming down the chimney. This time he’s carrying a sack instead of a scythe, but there’s something regrettably familiar…

HO. HO. HO.

It’s true what they say.

‘You’d better watch out…’

TP is an extraordinarily clever writer and this book is a very enjoyable parody of Santa Claus and other tales.

It was adapted to television in 2006, but I’ve yet to see it so don’t know if it was good or bad… hee, hee… get it?? Well, I thought it was funny.

Anyway, here is an image from that show, which just happens to be a great visual of one of my fave Discworld characters:

Death as Santa… you gotta love the imagination of someone who comes up with that.

PS – Wow, I say ‘you gotta love’ a lot, don’t I? See this is why I don’t aspire to be a writer cos coming up with words is just way too hard. Maybe I can change my blog name to ‘you gotta love’ and use it as a snazzy catch phrase… hmmmm *ponders*…