Harlequin Presents editor, Tessa Shapcott, has written a Harlequin version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, the last verse of which is: On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve diamonds sparkling,
Eleven billionaires bidding,
Ten princes proposing,
Nine mistresses marrying,
Eight sheets – they’re silken,
Seven playboys pleasuring,
Six Greek tycoons a-laying,
Five desert kings!
Four virgin brides,
Three French men,
Two hired wives,
And the boss’s secret baby.
And, as reported at Dear Author, Harlequin is also giving away some free ebooks between Christmas and New Year. Details are here.
The illustration of the Virgin and the Boss's Secret Baby (secret from King Herod, at any rate) is from Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, via Wikipedia.
The Christmas Price Index is an economic indicator, maintained by the U.S. bank PNC Financial Services, which tracks the cost of the items in the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas". If your true love happens to be a desert king, a Greek tycoon, a billionaire or a prince, he could easily afford such an outlay.
I have the deluxe reprint version of Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, published back in the 1960s by Georges Braziller, with gold leaf and all.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite picture: The Adoration of the Magi:
http://www.christusrex.org/www2/berry/f52r.html
I particularly like the way that the hunting cat in the foreground is washing his paw, oblivious to the miracle surroundint him!
Yes, and in that picture, because of the perspective, it almost looks as though one of the people is prostrating himself before the cheetah's tail.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I've made too merry with the Aquavit.... I'm enjoying how one comma could have forever changed the Harlequin Presents line:
ReplyDeleteSix Greek tycoons a-laying(,) Five desert kings
Laura: You know the line--"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this."
ReplyDeleteCertainly MINE haven't!
Oh, Talpianna, that's wonderful! Where is it from? I'd love to give credit where it's due.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I'm home from Los Angeles and busily reading "Virgin and / or Barbarian King and / or Slave," which I find I quite enjoy. Perhaps I should spend more time with category romance; it looks like SB Sarah plans to in the coming month. We could make it a trend!
A happy new year to all of us, and may all our heures be tres, tres riches--or at least the ones we spend reading!
Eric, it's proverbial; you can find it on tee shirts all over the place. I never got my favorite tee of all: the one with the picture of the cat and the legend: I Got This Shirt for My Husband--Good Trade, Eh?
ReplyDeleteI haven't decided whether to buy The Book; but if I do, I absolutely REFUSE to refer to it by that title! I shall call it The Sack of Rome: Paper or Plastic?
Laura: I have a charming little book consisting of the lady's thank-you notes to her true love--they get progressively less grateful, until the last one, which is written by her lawyers. I think the illustrations are by Ronald Searle.
ReplyDeletemay all our heures be tres, tres riches--or at least the ones we spend reading!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd much rather have time to read than eleven billionaires bidding or six Greek tycoons a-laying, no matter how riches they were. As the recipient of the gifts discovers in the book Talpianna mentioned (at least I think it's the same one that I've read), that sort of gift may be very rich, but it would also be very, very inconvenient.
Not to mention annoying the neighbors with all that music-making!
ReplyDeleteTalpianna, I love that title! I think I'll refer to it that way in my post (with proper credit, of course!).
ReplyDeleteFeel free to use it, Sarah--my fees are very modest.
ReplyDelete