I know we're not officially starting our blog until next week...but it looks so lonely.Here are a few of the required ingredients for a Betty Neels Christmas:
*Mince pies. I thought these were like mincemeat pies, until reading Betty. Her characters are described as eating platefuls of them. Come to find out they are more like a mini tart with mince filling.
*Lame presents. Seldom does La Neels get creative with her gift giving. Her leading ladies are most likely to give the leading man a leather wallet, a picture frame or possibly a hard to find book. The leading men are most likely to give the girl a nice pair of earrings (if they are married) or a Gucci scarf (if they are not).
*Family. If the Dutch doctor is in his native country, his entire family - including great-uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews will descend upon his house for Christmas.
*Church. Practically obligatory on Christmas - unless they went to the midnight service the night before.
Skating too...and possibly a bout of mild hypothermia. Christmas is so exhausting!
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm. Well in "Winter Wedding" the heroine gave the hero a silver mouse with a longish tail and he gave her the silver locket the dastardly sister had stolen and then pawned to buy an expensive frock (which she ~ wicked younger sister ~ wore to the dance WITH the hero). This is truly quite the book!
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember the silver mouse gift. His gift was way better in the thoughtful department.
ReplyDeleteI loved the silver mouse gift, thought it was brilliant. But reclaiming the locket was touching and heartwarming, especially as he didn't realize he was in love yet.
ReplyDeleteBetty Laurel
Right. First it's a matter of dirty cricket that he doesn't want any part of. Winter Wedding is MY favorite Neels.
ReplyDeleteCan someone explain the significance of the silver mouse? And the fact that the Professor slipped it into his pocket? I don't quite understand this gift.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of the silver mouse? I don't know if there is any significance in its being a silver mouse (other than it being small and cute perhaps). What is significant is that the Professor slipped it into his pocket, meaning that he liked it and meant to keep it, (perhaps even meant to carry it on his person all the time). He could have just left it lying on a table. Emily did not know what to give him. In Neelsdom, the RDDs/RBDs are often given notebooks and other things that may seem uninspired to us. Typical gifts for men, you know, like ties.
DeleteShe hadn't known what to give him; he had everything, so in the end she had settled for a silver mouse with a long tail, small enough to go into a pocket or for that matter, tuck away in a drawer and forget. She studied his face anxiously as he opened it and was pleased to see that he slipped it at once into his waistcoat pocket.
Thank you! I thought it might have something to do with an English or Dutch custom that I was not familiar with. :)
Delete