The Christmas Tree that Loved to Dance

The perfect feel-good Christmas gift - a joyful tale of love, laughter and a little festive magic... 
 
Meet Joan, Jessie the talking dog and a dancing Christmas tree in a story only Miranda Hart could tell 
 
Hello to you. I have written a short story, or Tall Tale as I like to call it, because I believe we all deserve moments to cosy up with something simple yet joy-filled and uplifting. If I may be so bold about my own tale! 
 
It contains, amongst many thrills I couldn’t possibly divulge yet, intriguing and exciting mishaps between a Christmas tree that not only talks, but dances (I know!); a dog called Jessie, who also talks, and a woman called Joan, who – less surprisingly, in that she is a human being – talks too. Interested? I should blooming well hope so! 
 
Right, let me tell you all about it . . . 
 
-- 
 
PRAISE FOR MIRANDA HART 
'Miranda is more of an everywoman than ever before' The Times 
'Packed with optimism and wisdom' i 
'Irrepressible and joyous' Daily Mail 
'No comedian, female or male, has been so taken to the nation’s bosom since Victoria Wood' Independent 
PRAISE FOR LUCY CLAIRE DUNBAR 
'Just gorgeous' BBC Radio 2 
 
'The perfect Christmas gift for someone you love' Lorraine

Dive in and discover Miranda Hart’s joyful and heart-warming story of a seemingly ordinary woman, her beloved dog and a forgotten but friendly Christmas tree. 
 
In wintry England, Joan and her small ginger poodle, Jessie, set out on an evening stroll around the neighbourhood. 
 
It is a typical grey, shivery day and Joan is keen to get back home and have a warm, comforting bath. Shuffling around the corner, deep in worry (most unlike her) and not noticing where she is going, Joan trips over a discarded Christmas tree before landing on some black bin bags. A soft landing but a very smelly one. 
 
Suddenly, Joan hears a voice say, ‘I am so, so sorry.’ 
 
Nobody is around. Joan checked. Nobody is hiding behind the postbox, stuck up a tree or hanging out of their window. ‘It was my fault. I am so sorry, I hope you are all right?’ There it is again. 
 
Jessie starts barking at the solitary Christmas tree. Is Jessie the poodle trying to tell Joan that the Christmas tree is speaking? 
 
Surely not . . . 
 
Are we about to discover that, in life, there is no such thing as ordinary?

Miranda Hart (Author) Miranda Hart is a writer, comedian and actor. She is best known for her much-loved and multi-award-winning sitcom Miranda, as well as her BAFTA-nominated role of Chummy in Call the Midwife. Notable films include Spy alongside Melissa McCarthy, and playing Miss Bates in the recent adaption of Emma. Her first book, Is It Just Me?, was a Sunday Times No.1 bestseller, winning Non-Fiction Book of the Year in the Specsavers National Book Awards. Other books include Peggy &amp; Me and the children’s novel The Girl With the Lost Smile. I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and was nominated for Non-Fiction: Narrative Book of the Year at The British Book Awards 2025. 
 
Instagram @realmirandahart Lucy Claire Dunbar (Illustrator) Lucy Dunbar is an illustrator and designer based in Oxfordshire who came to prominence by honouring the likes of The Queen and Matthew Perry with art drawn from behind, always leaving the story open for her viewers to interpret for themselves. 
 
Having been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from the age of two, Lucy temporarily lost her sight in her early twenties. After she’d regained it, she made a promise to herself to draw every day. From that commitment, came her hugely popular online success. She now has an established and fast-growing social media following with 559k followers on Instagram and has appeared on Radio 4's Saturday Live and Lorraine Kelly. Her first book The Book of Gifts was a Sunday Times bestseller.

In January, Christmas trees across the land are taken down, discarded and forgotten. But what if one Christmas tree wants a different fate . . . 
 
This is a story about talking and dancing Christmas trees (yes, dancing!), a dog called Jessie who also talks, a woman called Joan who – less surprisingly, in that she is a human being – talks too, two strange men (and yes, they talk) and their truck (which doesn’t talk). There are also lots of lights, baubles and stars. 
 
Can Joan and Jessie rescue the discarded January Christmas trees, or will their plans be thwarted by the two men and their truck?

Lucy Claire Dunbar

The perfect Christmas gift for someone you love

For Lucy, hope can be found everywhere – in family, friendships and even the changing of seasons – and in her art, she seeks to capture that magic in every line and brushstroke. 
 
From celebrating the kindness of strangers and commemorating loss to reflections on the passing of time and the beginning of new opportunities as the years turn, Lucy’s work combines beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations with words that speak to the heart. 
 
In this, her first book, she’ll be drawing together a range of her most popular artwork, framing it within a series of intertwined short stories, to create an irresistible and perennially appealing gift, whether it’s for your friend, family, partner or yourself.

Lucy Claire Dunbar

Praise for The Book of Gifts

Just gorgeous

The perfect Christmas gift for someone you love

Books by Lucy Claire Dunbar

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter