Emma Thompson and Greg Wise’s Last Christmas essay collection is the perfect holiday book

We know, we know.

Hallowe'en hasn't passed yet, so it feels awfully early to be talking about anything Christmas related just yet. But this was honestly too good to resist - we promise. Over the last few months, you have no doubt heard about the upcoming film, Last Christmas - and yes, it was inspired by the Christmas anthem of the same name by Wham!. Well, we've got some good news: there's going to be a book accompanying the movie - and it's released at the end of this month. Last Christmas follows Emilia Clarke's Kate, who works as an elf in a Christmas shop in London - and nothing seems to be going quite right for her. But that all changes when she meets the mysterious Tom, played by Henry Golding.   But the book is a little different: it's a collection of essays, curated by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise, celebrating the magic of the holiday season - and in day-to-day life. The personal essays have been "written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent Garden." The description continues:

"When you think back to Christmases past, what (if anything) made it magical? Looking towards the future, what would your perfect Christmas be? What would you change? What should we all change? "Away from the John Lewis advert, the high street decorations and the candied orange in Heston Blumenthal's Christmas pudding, this gem of a book introduced and curated by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise celebrates the importance of kindness and generosity, acceptance and tolerance - and shows us that these values are not just for Christmas."

Last Christmas officially hits shelves on October 31, while the movie arrives in Irish cinemas on November 15.

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