Jenny Colgan on her latest book and love of a family Christmas

Queen of rom-com Jenny Colgan adores Christmas, is proud as punch of her Scottish homeland, and loves its fairytale castles so much she’s made a Fife fortress her forever home.

So, snuggling down this Yuletide with a hot mince pie and an American movie about an author retreating after a scandal to a Scottish pile where she locks Skean Dhus with its Laird before falling head over heels in love, must be the perfect Christmas treat, right?

Not quite.

The Doctor Who fan – who has written six Time Lord books – would rather tune in to the BBC’s 60th anniversary specials featuring fellow Scots David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa as the 14th and 15th Doctors.

“How hilariously funny are all those American Christmas films about Scotland?” Jenny giggles when P.S. catches up with her in her Edinburgh flat. “The movie A Castle for Christmas made me laugh so much. I quite enjoyed it but so much of it was hilarious. I want to take the pee, just a little bit, out of what people’s idea of Scotland is, compared to what it is really like.”

Jenny Colgan’s latest book

Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop, peppered with laugh-out-loud moments, is the perfect vehicle. The second in the Christmas Bookshop series, which had its debut in time for the 2021 festive season while Scotland was mired in lockdown misery, it stars Carmen who, after losing her department store job, takes up her Edinburgh-based sister’s offer of a bed and a position at McCredie’s, a struggling city bookstore.

The follow-up sees Carmen still at the bookshop but this time round an American film company has decided that McCredie’s is the perfect location for a cheesy Christmas movie. To top it all, Carmen is being turned out of her sister’s house, while the love of her life has flown off to foreign climes, and a shady businessman is trying to buy the bookshop from which to sell cheap tourist trinkets.

Author Jenny Colgan at her 20th-Century castle home in Fife.

“I had a ton of fun writing it,” says Jenny. “But I also wanted to write about the housing crisis in Edinburgh, which is shocking, although the novel is in no way social commentary.

“And I wanted to write about the commercialisation of the city, which is a living, breathing town. It’s not Disneyland and sometimes it can feel it is treated like that. I wanted to look at the funny, touristic side of Edinburgh and how we Scots are seen by tourists. But I also wanted to show the real beauty of Edinburgh.

“This series came about because of all the things I used to complain about at Christmas – like the expensive Christmas markets – when we had lockdown, I missed them so much. Edinburgh was beautiful in lockdown, it was snowing and empty and gorgeous, but I really missed the life and the people who visit and how much they love it when they come.”

The multi-award-winning, best-selling author previously revealed: “I’ve lived in lots of places but moved back to Scotland several years ago and really started writing about my homeland and everything I’d fallen in love with about it. It’s an absolute treat to feel that people recognise the love I have for Scotland.”

Jenny’s favourite time of year

She will be celebrating Christmas at home in Fife with her family, husband Andrew, 56, a New Zealander, sailor and engineer, and their children, Wallace, 18, a university student, Michael Francis, 16, and Delphine, 14.

“Christmas is absolutely my favourite time of year,” she beams.

“We spend Christmas at home in Fife, with as many of our families as are about, and have a huge real tree in the castle, and lots of little fake ones to add sparkle to the flat.

“Andy and the kids go and get the big tree from a forest in Fife while I unpack the Christmas decorations. Because I travel a lot for my job, wherever I go I always pick up a decoration, and we always get one when we go on holiday. My favourites are my Christmas Tardis from a Doctor Who convention in LA, and a cowboy boot-wearing Santa from a family holiday in Texas.

“We have a tradition in our family of watching the movie Elf when putting up the tree. I wrap the presents in the garage while watching The Sound Of Music.

“On Christmas morning we have a 7.30am strict earliest wake up time, which is less of a struggle now the kids are all teenagers. Then it’s pancakes, bacon and maple syrup for breakfast and great big presents right away, no messing about. My husband once dressed up as Santa on his motorbike and drove into our garage where we were having a party with a sidecar full of presents. That was awesome.”

A family Christmas

Christmas lunch is a shared affair, she reveals: “My husband barbecues the turkey outside rain or shine, I do all the bits inside and my dad, Michael, who is 78, does pudding, often a trifle, plus Christmas cake.”

Jenny has special memories of Christmases past with her dad, brothers, Robin, 50, and Dominic, 48, and cherished mum Mary, 71, who died after a series of strokes in 2016. Jenny, who had been living in France, had moved home to be close to her.

“Growing up, Christmas was always a big, special deal in our house,” she says. “We never made lists but somehow just got wonderful things. There were lots of people in the house and I remember the heating would be on all day. That was a massive deal. My best-ever presents were the Narnia books in a box, and my own typewriter, but it was always brilliant.”

Her worst Christmas was in the run up to the loss of her mum. Reliving that harrowing time, she says: “My mum was very poorly, and my sailor husband was abroad. The children and I spent half the day visiting my mum in hospital, where we got the worst diagnosis, then five hours in Schiphol Airport waiting for a flight to France to see my husband.

It was so awful it’s almost funny, particularly as my children were small and got to wear their pyjamas to the airport. They remember it as an amazing Christmas, which just proves life is a black comedy.”

Their family gatherings usually turn into a musical affair, her brother Robin tinkling the ivories and her dad on guitar and violin. This year Jenny achieved Grade Eight at piano and last week gained the Associated Royal Schools of Music Diploma. She’s planning to play for her loved ones and neighbours during the festivities.

In the meantime, she is getting stuck into anniversary episodes of Doctor Who.

She grins: “It’s been so much fun. I stopped writing the Doctor Who books a little while ago because it took too much of my time but when I was watching all the old series, I felt sad and thought, ‘why did I stop?’ The BBC has done such a lovely job. Ncuti is going to be a fantastic Doctor, but I wished there were 20 David and Donna episodes!”

Jenny’s Christmas wishlist

Jenny Colgan has a special Christmas wish – for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to end.

And she has this message for her readers: “I send love and happiness to you whether your Christmas is noisy, quiet, chaotic, fun or a bit fraught. I hope it still has its moments of light and joy and laughter. And, if all else fails, put reindeer ears on yourself or your pet and take a funny picture.”

Jenny also shares her favourite reads and recommendations:

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. She said: “I always like to read this 1973 children’s fantasy novel at Christmas and really recommend it.”
The Fall by Michael Wolff. “I am really enjoying this book about the Murdoch dynasty and Fox News and the battles over which of the three children become Murdoch’s successor. It’s very gossipy.”
1599: A Year In The Life Of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro. “This one took the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Baillie Gifford ‘Winner of Winners’ award in 2023”.
The Running Grave by Robert Gailbraith (aka JK Rowling). “I love the Cormoran Strike books and that you can just snuggle up and lose yourself in them.”
None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. “I love Lisa’s work. Her books are always on my reading list.”

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop, by Jenny Colgan, is published by Sphere, £14.99. Jenny is a guest on The Big Scottish Christmas Book Club on BBC iPlayer