The Squeee

This is the first post of this year's theme, which is oh so imaginatively called: Swedish Ways . This is a theme focusing on the year in a Swedish calendar, with all those things we celebrate, when and why, or rather, how . There are a lot more things than eight days of note here, so let's get crackin' with the first one: Nyårsafton , or simply good ol' New Year's Eve in English. Figured it'd be easier to start off with that, rather than writing about New Year's Day tomorrow and having to either wait a year to explain what happened the night before, or having to explain it now and then again in a year's time, so I'm starting a day early, technically. When it comes to Swedes, in all likelihood, New Year's Eve will be spent in one of two ways: Binge drinking at a party or Quiet night at home in front of the telly

After checking all the comments for who has responded, and then subtracting those that aren't eligible for either not answering the qualifying question or for not leaving contact details (yes, this was a prerequisite to enter - I either need to know you in one way or another so I know how to get hold of you if you win, and if I don't, you need to leave me a hint of how to contact you), the winners in the big Xmas Giveaway are as follows:

Secret Santa is awesome sometimes. Here's what I got in this year's Secret Santa over att Rollspelet Svenska Hogwarts : I have a sneaking suspicion as to who the Secret Santa is, but even if it's not her, I still love it. Thank you, Secret Santa! You rock! :D Also: I'll be closing the comment sections for the giveaways some time tomorrow. Not sure when, as will be AFK in the afternoon, and not sure how long for. Possibly I'll close it in the evening or morning, depending on time. Still time to enter if you like, though, but you have less than 24 hours. :)

Hoping you have a fabulous day, wherever you are! :) And clickie here to hop over to Y I Mum and ogle a couple of very saucy santas ... :D

Item 12 in the Christmas Giveaway is a book, or rather, a couple of books! Beyond the Legend and its sequel Forsaken Legacy by Jo Ann Mason , who is kindly providing these paperbacks. What a way to end the week - with a double giveaway! :)

Item 11 (and the penultimate one) in the Christmas Giveaway is a handcrafted natural wood wand , courtesy of Thornfield Handcrafted Wands .

Item 10 in the Christmas Giveaway is a book, or rather, a manuscript printed in a book, namely that of award-winning The Piano by Jane Campion . You know, the 1995 film set in New Zealand, starring Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Harvey Keitel and Anna Paquin.

Item 9 in the Christmas Giveaway is a 2-disc Region 2 DVD set of Jane Eyre (2006 ), courtesy of the Daily Mail , which as a newspaper isn't worth the paper it's printed on, but comes in handy here. I already have the DVD of this production, so don't need it. Got it when I bought a selection of these newspaper giveaway DVDs on eBay and have been hoarding them ever since. :)

Item 8 in the Christmas Giveaway is a graphic novel, Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews and Will Conrad . It's the first of the graphic novels to bridge the gap between the TV show Firefly and the film Serenity . I'm giving this one away simply because we managed to buy two back in the day, and we only really need one.

Item 7 in the Christmas Giveaway is a book as well as an almanac: Llewellyn's 2006 Magical Almanac . Okay, so the almanac itself is out of date (although it will technically be semi-in-date again in 2012, heh), but the book itself isn't - it has many articles in it (see below), and should be of interest to those interested in Magick, Paganism and folklore. 'Tis, after all, Yule today!

Item 6 in the Christmas Giveaway is a book (have you spotted the pattern yet?): Whisper of Scandal by Nicola Cornick , which I gave a 3.9 out of 5 in July 2011, when it was released, and this is my review copy up for grabs. :)

Item 5 in the Christmas Giveaway is a Christmas jazz CD from France: Noël en Jazz , courtesy of Yves Rocher, which is where I get all my beauty products from. I'm not keen on jazz personally, so that's why I'm giving this away.

Lots of trailers to post about today. Okay, not lots ... more like two. Still, that's two more than usual. Look out for Wollaton Hall in the background! :D I'm not sure I'm all that grabbed by the trailer itself, but I do jump with glee over seeing Wollaton Hall in it.

Just in time for Christmas. Thanks, Peter Jackson! Spontaneous comments: OMG, Richard Armitage sings!!!! Other than that? It looks great. Can't wait for it to come out. :D Oh, should the above video stop working, it'll still be available on the official website for The Hobbit .

Item 4 in the Christmas Giveaway is another book: Wuthering Hearts by Kay Woodward , which I gave a 4.5 out of 5 in July 2011, when it was released. It's sort of a modern take on Wuthering Heights for young adults (girls ~11-15 or so), and yup, this is my review copy. :)

Item 3 in the Christmas Giveaway is a souvenir notepad from Haddon Hall , which I picked up when I was there for the Jane Eyre behind the scenes tour in October ... which I still need to write about. It has the same picture that I have on my keyring and shows Haddon Hall in all its Thornfieldy splendour.

Item 2 in the Christmas Giveaway is a book, Rags-to-Riches Bride by Mary Nichols , which I gave a 2.5 out of 5 in August 2010, but you might like it better. Or worse! Who knows! :D It's part of the Mills & Boon Historical line, which means we're talking 1837 here, aww.

Item 1 in the Christmas Giveaway is a souvenir leather bookmark . I've picked up a few different ones this autumn, because bookmarks are useful things. Please specify which one you'd like if you win, because I have a few to choose from.

All of next week, or "starting tomorrow", I should say, there will be giveaways galore here. Well, it's coming up to Christmas, and I thought it would be fun to spread some Christmas cheer. :) I've even bought myself a new mug - because when I saw it, I thought it was a good size - been wanting something a bit bigger! - and the colour and pattern on it is a pretty good match for this blog! Perfect! £2.50 from Asda as a separate mug. They also have entire sets of plates and stuff! :D It will be a double giveaway every day, or at least most days. A book, and a little something to go with it. Err, except they are done as separate giveaways, but if you're lucky you might get one of each. ;) Nothing will be received before Christmas, or indeed shipped, as winners will not be drawn until Christmas Day. What's on the menu, well ... come back tomorrow and you'll find out! :) Along with what should be a review of the new Sherlock Holmes film, of which...

Laura over at Laura's Reviews , who hosted the fab All About the Brontës Challenge in 2010, has come up with another great challenge: all things Victorian! Two to six (or more) items, and a whole year in which to do so, brilliant.

If you're a Harry Potter fan in the vicinity of Macclesfield, Cheshire (UK) on Friday afternoon/evening, 16 December 2011, there's a Wizarding Winter Fair to attend. I'll be there, with all my handmade wands . :) Hope to see you there!