Mr Briggs feels Christmas is over sentimental and says his book is actually about mortality
Even though The Snowman probably made him a millionaire several times over through book sales and royalties, author Raymond Briggs, now 83, admitted in a 2012 interview that he doesn’t like Christmas much.
And a bit like Scrooge, he also doesn’t like spending money.
He said he feels Christmas is over sentimental and said that his book in which the animated film is based is actually about mortality.
A self-confessed ‘grumbler’, he said that he found the TV film version of his book ‘a bit corny and twee, dragging in Christmas’.
‘But it worked extremely well’ he told Radio Times.
Despite his 1978 book selling 8.5 million copies – by 2012 – he said he still lived a very frugal life and bought most of his clothes from his local charity shop.
The shirt he was wearing for the interview cost £3, he said.
‘I’m not a fan of Christmas, although I support the principle of a day of feasting and presents, but the anxiety starts in October: how many are coming? Are they bringing grandchildren? How long will they stay?.
‘I buy clothes from charity shops, although I draw the line at trousers’ he said, also confessing ‘I’m a notorious grumbler.’
He admitted he does not read many children’s books and is ‘not a fan of Christmas’, despite the animated version of his famous book featuring a visit to Father Christmas at the North Pole.
‘You can’t keep up with the damned things’ he said of children’s books.
‘I’ve never read Enid Blyton. I went once to Roald Dahl’s birthday party so must have read something of his. He was fairly curmudgeonly.’
He added ‘Huge amounts of money have been generated by The Snowman. I’m not interested. I read it’s sold three million copies, but publishers bandy about numbers that aren’t usually true.
‘I don’t spend anything. I don’t like going abroad – the Gatwick Airport hellhole.’