Roddy Doyle’s Christmas story starter is read by Hilary Rose.

Co-founder of Fighting Words, Roddy Doyle is an award winning and internationally renowned novelist, dramatist and screenwriter from Dublin. His novels for children include: the “Rover Adventures” series, Wilderness (2007), Her Mother’s Face (2008), and A Greyhound of a Girl (2011).

His Christmas story starter is read by actress Hilary Rose, most recently seen in The Young Offenders and Finding Joy on RTE & BBC.

A Christmas Story

Tommy and Lily were twins.

But that’s not the exciting bit of the story.

They were in their back garden.  That’s not exciting either but it will be in a minute.

They were in the garden because there was hardly any room in the house.

At the start of the lockdown their Dad had baked a cake.  He had never done it before and it turned out very well.  It had all sorts of mad things in it and on top of it.  Tom and Lily and their Mam loved it.  So he’d baked another one.  And another, bigger one.  And another.  And another.  

Tom and Lily fell out of love with cake.  But their Dad kept baking it and eating it.  He couldn’t stop.  He grew and kept growing.  They hadn’t seen their Mam in weeks.  She was behind their Dad, somewhere.  She waved at them over his shoulder.

‘Hi, kiddies!’

So, anyway.  Tom and Lily were in the garden.  

The exciting bit is coming up – now.

Lily stood on an elf.

‘Watch it!’ said the elf.

Tom and Lily looked down.  

The elf looked up.

‘Do you work for Santy?’ said Tom.

‘Indeed I do,’ said the elf. ‘He wants to help your Dad.  And he needs you two to help him.’