The witty and irreverent guide to surviving the festive season from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Rivals, now a major series streaming on Disney+.

'Being prepared is the secret to a more harmonious Christmas. If Joseph had booked a room in advance, Jesus would not have been born in a stable.'

Christmas is looming. Will your mother-in-law present you with yet another hideous jersey this year? How are you going to cope with Granny's dog or the ghastly in-laws? Has the row about where to spend the holiday already started, and it's only August?

Jilly Cooper has the answer to everything. Whether you should seek refuge in the cooking sherry or suggest a wholesome family walk, Jilly offers, in her own irrepressible style, sound but often hilarious advice about how to get through the roller-coaster ride we call Christmas.

Praise for Jilly Cooper
'There is no one else like Cooper' Guardian
'The Jane Austen of our time' HARPERS & QUEEN
'The funniest and sharpest writer there is' Jenny Colgan
'Jilly Cooper is the very best' Daily Mail
'Jilly is a genius' Clare Pooley
'No one else can make me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time, quite like Jilly Cooper' Gill Sims
'Jilly Cooper's non-fiction is just as entertaining as her novels' Pandora Sykes


Jilly Cooper, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024

Jilly Cooper was a journalist, author and media superstar. The author of many number one bestselling books, she lived in Gloucestershire where her groundbreaking Rutshire Chronicles series was set.

Awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of Gloucestershire and Anglia Ruskin, she also won the inaugural Comedy Women in Print lifetime achievement award in 2019, and was appointed DBE in 2024 for services to literature and charity. She died in 2025.