Highly Anticipated Jacquie Lawson 2013 Advent Calendar Now Available to Count Down the Days to Christmas

-- Popular holiday calendar boasts Edwardian theme

LURGASHALL, England, Nov. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With sales of around a million copies a year, the Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar is becoming a steadfast Christmas fixture on the desktops of people all over the world.  And no wonder: the sheer beauty and originality of the animations ensure that both adults and children will be entranced for the 25 days of each calendar.

For the new 2013 calendar, users will be taken back 100 years or so to a grand English country house in the Edwardian era, where they will witness the elaborate preparations for Christmas both above and below stairs.  Every day from December 1st to 25th, the fun begins with searching for a glowing red ornament within the main scene and clicking it to reveal a new animation. Some are interactive games or puzzles, like helping to decorate the house with flower displays or festive wreaths; others are delightful seasonal animations along the lines of the beautiful e-cards for which the company is famous.  Users can also explore the magnificent house and gardens, venture into the grand hall, play games in the pavilion, or spend a little time reading quietly in the library.

Each of the 25 animations is accompanied by original Christmas music, specially written and arranged by Mike Hughes-Chamberlain, who is as passionate about the quality of the music as Jacquie and her team are about the artwork.  And this year, some of the music was performed by the Choir of Salisbury Cathedral, which adds a magical "Christmassy" feel.

"We've been working on this Advent Calendar almost since last Christmas!" said Hughes-Chamberlain, who is also co-founder of jacquielawson.com.  "It's fantastic to see how well it has come together.  The period detail, the gentle humour of the animated stories, and the sheer beauty of the artwork are a real delight!"

The Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar makes a wonderful early Christmas gift for friends and family, and at just $2.00 a copy for orders of ten or more, is tremendous value and a great way to share a common experience with friends and loved ones throughout the Christmas season. Also new this year is the ability to print and save designs from some of the interactive games, which can then be shared on Facebook and other platforms using hashtag #JLAdventCalendar.

Last year's Alpine-themed version is available for PC and Mac again this year, and past versions of the calendar have been re-released in iPad format, including the popular London themed calendar and the original Village calendar from 2010.

About Jacquie Lawson

Jacquie Lawson lives in the small English village of Lurgashall, in West Sussex. She trained as an illustrator at St. Martin's School of Art, and has many years' experience in drawing, painting and design, including architectural perspectives, book illustration and cartoons.  She began working on e-cards in 2000, and by the following year her animations were becoming so popular that she teamed up with Mike Hughes-Chamberlain to meet the demand by creating the jacquielawson.com website.  Over the years, a select few additional artists have joined the team, and the collection of e-cards has grown to its current total of nearly 300, each one showing a degree of artistry and attention to detail rarely seen in this medium.  For more information, and to see all of the available e-cards, visit www.jacquielawson.com and join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JacquieLawsonEcards.

Video with caption: "Demo of Jacquie Lawson 2013 Advent Calendar https://www.jacquielawson.com/advent". Video available at: http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-MM23791-20131125-1.mp4

Image with caption: "Jacquie Lawson 2013 Advent Calendar --Gardens at night https://www.jacquielawson.com/advent". Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131126/MM23791-a

Image with caption: "Jacquie Lawson 2013 Advent Calendar --Hall https://www.jacquielawson.com/advent". Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131126/MM23791-b