Christmas Fun Time with Zarina - Page to Stage Reviews

This year, for my Christmas feature, I've invited several authors and book bloggers for a fun Christmas Interview. My next guest is fantastic blogger Zarina, from Page to Stage Reviews. Zarina blogs about books, travel, arts & culture, and I always love reading about her latest adventures. Welcome Zarina!

Now that Christmas is fast approaching, let's talk about Christmas settings. If you could go anywhere in the world to celebrate Christmas, where would you go?

I always go home to the Netherlands for Christmas to be with my family, but if I can take them with I’d definitely spend it in Canada instead! It’s my favourite place in the world anyway (especially British Columbia/Vancouver), and with snow-capped mountains in the distance can you imagine anything more festive?

And what would be the last place you'd want to be stuck during Christmas?

In transport. Been there, done that, it’s not fun.

If you could sneak into a literary world during this holiday, then which one would you pick?

Harry Potter so I could spend it at Hogwarts, if only to see the Great Hall lit up with all its Christmas magic. I’ve been to the Harry Potter Studios here in London when they did their ‘Hogwarts in the Snow’ event and I properly geeked out because it felt like I was actually there. They even treated us to freshly baked mince pies! The only thing missing was the actual characters we know and love.

Actually, talking about literary worlds, if you had to choose between Disney World and The Wizarding World of HP for a visit during Christmas, which one would you choose?

This is just cruel! I’m a huge Disney lover and have been to the parks in Paris, Tokyo and LA, and Florida has been on my wish list for years to go to. But then there is Harry Potter… Actually, I think I’ll pick Disney World just because it’s not just a single park and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a lot smaller, being just a part of Universal Studios. So I’m going rational here rather than actually choosing between two of my biggest fandoms XD

Now, let's talk presents. Which book is on top of your wish list?

Oh gosh, where to start? I’ve really gotten into collectible editions of classics in the past few years and they’re kind of the only books I keep nowadays on my overflowing shelves. I really love the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound hardbacks and am eyeing Robin Hood, King Arthur, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn for my collection next.

Do you have any recommendations for bookish gifts for bookworms (that are not books)?

Anything from Evie on Society6 or The Literary Gift Company. Etsy is also a great source of bookish gifts, especially for jewellery like these sterling silver quotation mark studs <3

I'm always curious about Christmas food. What are your traditional festive foods in the Netherlands?

We do something called ‘gourmetten’ for second Christmas Day (26 December). This means we have bowls of uncooked food like different types of meats and veg on the table alongside a device on which each family member has a miniature pan to do their own cooking in. It’s a fun way to spend some quality family time together as it forces you to pace yourself!

Any British specialties you have discovered that you cannot live without during the festive season?

Terry’s Chocolate orange! How I survived 25-odd Christmases without this sweet delight I do not know.

And finally, what's your favorite festive gif?