3 4 Friday - Excitement, Extravaganza and Exposing a Mystery Guest

No, no clues. You'll have to see for yourself!

Someone unexpected has appeared in our window.

At first glance, it looks very much like Father Christmas; the beard, the red clothes dusted with snow. A big fat tummy.

But we are fairly sure it is someone in disguise. If you think you can identify our mystery visitor you might win him! We have entry forms in store - all you need to do is to let us know who you think is disguised as Father Christmas. Come on down and take a look...

We think it's all to do with the annual Abingdon Extravaganza on Saturday 30 November. It’s a day-long celebration featuring a parade at 11.45am, fun in the market square all afternoon (including reindeer!) with the big Christmas lights switch-on at 5.30pm followed by a grand firework display.

All day at Mostly Books, we’re inviting you to enter our competition to win £30 of Usborne books – simply come into the shop and take part in our Christmas colouring competition. You will also be able to make a Christmas decoration that you can take home – and grab a free Usborne goodie bag whilst stocks last.

Finally, there’s a fab Christmas competition running all around town this December – the Abingdon Independent Christmas. Collect your special Christmas tree from any of the 20 shops taking part (including Mostly Books) and every time you visit one of them, you’ll get a star to stick on your Christmas tree. Collect ten stars from ten different shops – and enter a competition to win a £20 voucher from one of the shops.

So there we are – three ways to win this Christmas. And if you need some ideas, take a look at our special Christmas recommends newsletter that should have arrived last week. If gremlins or overzealous spam filters stopped you receiving it last week, you can view an online version here.

3 4 Friday - three reasons to bring your children to Abingdon on Saturday

Tomorrow (Sat Dec 1) sees the annual Abingdon Christmas lights switch on with a fantastic all-day event - the Abingdon Extravaganza. To lure you into Abingdon, there is free parking all day, the Christmas parade with Father Christmas starts at 11.15am, and there is a whole host of performances, activities, fun and games leading up to the lights switch-on and firewords at 5.45pm.

There are rumours that Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy & Timmy will also be in town during the day...Iggle Piggle may also be at Mostly Books from 2.30pm...

Full details can be found here - but if you are coming to Abingdon tomorrow, we've picked out three of our favourite children's books for today's '3 4 Friday' #FridayReads selection:

Matilda’s Cat – Emily Gravett 
This is another fabulous book for 3+ from award-winning author Emily Gravett. Her illustrations are just wonderful and the expressions on Matilda’s cat are priceless as she tries to entice him to play with her in dress up games and picnic parties. Matilda’s relationship with her poor tormented cat is a comedy classic and there is much for children to enjoy in this deceptively simple book.

And in the run up to Christmas we have a competition to win your very own cat of the fluffy toy variety (who has already been a huge hit in the shop). Buy a copy of Emily Gravett’s book and guess a name for Matilda’s cat to win you own in time for Christmas...

Atticus Claw Breaks the Law – Jennifer Gray
Atticus (Grammaticus Cattypuss) Claw is a tabby cat and a master criminal cat burglar. When he receives a mysterious message asking him to a meeting in a sleepy coastal town, he packs his bags and sets off. The world's greatest cat burglar likes a good mystery but this time has his curiosity got the better of him? Asked to steal all the town jewels and leave the humans baffled, he thinks nothing could be more straightforward.  But when he moves in with Inspector Cheddar and his family, he starts to wonder if a life of crime is really for him...A great new book that will keep your kids gripped and eager for the next chapter!

Winterling – Sarah Prineas
Fer has always felt different and out of place, only feeling right when she’s out in the open countryside, whatever the weather. When she comes across a boy (who’s also a dog) being chased by wolves (which aren’t just wolves), she also finds 'The Way' – a passage to another world and the possibility of answers to all her questions, such as what happened to her father and who she really is. But as Fer enters this enchanting world to which she feels a strange connection, she doesn’t realise just how dangerous it is, or that it is her destiny to free the land from its imprisonment in ice and evil.

An exciting and frosty story with wonderful characters – I particularly like the rebellious Puck, Rook, and the wolves who are just a little bit stupid!

Abingdon Christmas Extravaganza - and a smiley snowman

November is over. Tomorrow night is the annual Abingdon Extravaganza, parade, Christmas lights switch-on and fireworks. This year there will be entertainment in the market square, and hopefully the temperature will be slightly warmer than last year when some of the band musical instruments froze...not to mention one or two Cubs and Brownies.

We spent Sunday doing our Christmas window, and very festive it looks too. Someone came into the shop this evening asking "where did you get your snowman". She was gutted when she learned it had been made for us...

He is a very smiley snowman, and he has been making a lot of people - young and old - smile.

And here he is at night. Aaah.

If you come into the shop, take a look at this utterly gorgeous nativity set from German toy company HABA. Designed to be a family heirloom, and drawing on a German tradition of lovely wooden, handcrafted nativity sets, this does have a wonderful wow-factor. £99 - but we are selling it for £87.99...

The parade starts at 6.45pm, with fireworks scheduled for (approx) 8.30pm. And this Saturday it's a special Christmas shopping day in Abingdon, and all the car parks will be free...

Festive fun

This evening Abingdon switched on its Christmas lights, with some fantastic new eco-friendly lights in the market square taking centre stage. The Abingdon Blogger has already got his early report up. As it was a Victorian Evening theme, he makes the comment that "Dick Van Dyke could walk around unnoticed" and I can only say...guilty m'lud. It's amazing what a bit of boot polish and a flat cap can do... Anyway, outside the shop the parade came past, including stilt-walkers... ...and of course Father Christmas himself: Inside the shop it was bustling - due in part (no doubt) to our free hot punch and Christmas biscuits, which went down a storm on what was a particular chilly evening. The Mayor and his entourage took advantage when they popped in:

Alex and Timothy enjoyed their first Abingdon Extravaganza - and the whole evening seemed to go extremely well. Now I just need to go and wipe that polish off my face...