Joy Laforme is a self-taught illustrator and an artist with an M.A. in interactive design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Born and raised in the Hudson Valley in New York, Joy eventually settled in a small town outside New York City near the Ramapo Mountains. Her mother's love of all things Americana and garden have informed Joy's contemporary folk art style and her work with brands, publishers and print publications. She works in a variety of mediums, including digital, gouache and pastel.For more work, please visit www.joylaforme.com, and follow her on Instagram and Pinterest @joylaforme for the newest available artwork and behind-the-scenes images. Helen Mortimer grew up in Hertfordshire and as a child she loved the preparations for Christmas, especially searching local hedgerows for holly and ivy to make into a wreath and decorating the tree on Christmas Eve while listening to carols. Helen now lives in Oxfordshire where she works as a children’s books editor and has also had some of her own titles published including The Winter Wish (HarperCollins) and Omar, the Bees and Me (Owlet Press).

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• DENMARK: A heart with a fairy-tale beginningAUSTRALIA: Elf on dutySYRIA: December Pancake DayGERMANY: Christmas windowsGREECE: Oh, Christmas boat!SWEDEN: Lighting up the darknessPERU: Did someone say chocolate?PHILIPPINES: Let it glowCANADA: Festive place namesSPAIN: Stable scenesMEXICO: A Christmas journeyFINLAND: Citrus and spice and all things nice!NEW ZELAND: Blooming ChristmasPORTUGAL: Festive frittersSOUTH KOREA: Grandpa SantaUKRAINE: The legend of the Christmas spiderUNITED STATES: Santa track and tracePOLAND: Starry, starry nightTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Let’s play some parangUNITED KINGDOM: Walking in a winter wonderlandJAPAN: New Year’s pineITALY: La BefanaFRANCE: A cake fit for a kingETHIOPIA: Win or lose, celebrate GennaTemplates

Joy Laforme is a self-taught illustrator and an artist with an M.A. in interactive design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Born and raised in the Hudson Valley in New York, Joy eventually settled in a small town outside New York City near the Ramapo Mountains. Her mother's love of all things Americana and garden have informed Joy's contemporary folk art style and her work with brands, publishers and print publications. She works in a variety of mediums, including digital, gouache and pastel.For more work, please visit www.joylaforme.com, and follow her on Instagram and Pinterest @joylaforme for the newest available artwork and behind-the-scenes images. Helen Mortimer grew up in Hertfordshire and as a child she loved the preparations for Christmas, especially searching local hedgerows for holly and ivy to make into a wreath and decorating the tree on Christmas Eve while listening to carols. Helen now lives in Oxfordshire where she works as a children’s books editor and has also had some of her own titles published including The Winter Wish (HarperCollins) and Omar, the Bees and Me (Owlet Press).

Select Guide Rating

• DENMARK: A heart with a fairy-tale beginningAUSTRALIA: Elf on dutySYRIA: December Pancake DayGERMANY: Christmas windowsGREECE: Oh, Christmas boat!SWEDEN: Lighting up the darknessPERU: Did someone say chocolate?PHILIPPINES: Let it glowCANADA: Festive place namesSPAIN: Stable scenesMEXICO: A Christmas journeyFINLAND: Citrus and spice and all things nice!NEW ZELAND: Blooming ChristmasPORTUGAL: Festive frittersSOUTH KOREA: Grandpa SantaUKRAINE: The legend of the Christmas spiderUNITED STATES: Santa track and tracePOLAND: Starry, starry nightTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Let’s play some parangUNITED KINGDOM: Walking in a winter wonderlandJAPAN: New Year’s pineITALY: La BefanaFRANCE: A cake fit for a kingETHIOPIA: Win or lose, celebrate GennaTemplates