The laugh-out-loud funny guide to surviving the Christmas season from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Rivals.

'A magnificent storyteller' Guardian

'Few writers have brought such joy to the nation' Harper's Bazaar

‘Jilly Cooper's non-fiction is just as entertaining as her novels’ Pandora Sykes

‘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, though summer is not yet a distant memory?

Never fear: Jilly Cooper has the answer to everything.

Whether you should seek refuge in the cooking sherry or suggest a wholesome family walk, Jilly offers sound but often hilarious advice about how to get through the roller-coaster ride that is the festive season.

Praise for the legendary Jilly Cooper:

'Cooper was a master at serving relatability [...]. She majored on joy, pleasure, tenderness, and romance' The Standard

'There is no one else like Cooper' Guardian

'The queen of glamorous escapism' Woman & Home

'The funniest and sharpest writer there is' Jenny Colgan, bestselling author of The Christmas Bookshop

'Jilly Cooper is the very best' Daily Mail

'Hilarious, witty, wise, astute [and] flawlessly entertaining' Helen Fielding, bestselling author of Bridget Jones’s Diary

‘Jilly is a genius’ Clare Pooley, bestselling author of The Authenticity Project

‘No one else can make me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time, quite like Jilly Cooper’ Gill Sims, bestselling author of Why Mummy Drinks


Jilly Cooper, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024

"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