The perfect Christmas corrective

The Museum Association's Museum Journal reports the closing of the Red House Museum:

Red House Museum in Gomersal is closing its doors today after Kirklees Council halved its funding for museums and galleries.
The popular local museum attracted hundreds of visitors to its final event, Red House Christmas, earlier this month.
The museum is housed in a 17th-century clothmaker's house decorated in the style of the 1820s. It features displays on local history and the Brontë sisters, who were frequent visitors to the house.
The loss of Red House Museum follows the closure of the nearby Dewsbury Museum in November.
Most of the collections from both museums are being placed in secure storage while the council considers how they should be displayed in future. A number of items on loan have been returned to their original owners.
The council is inviting expressions of interest from community groups interested in running the vacated museum buildings via community asset transfer. The asset transfer would include a covenant for community use, with the option of using up to 30% of the building for commercial purposes.
If no groups come forward by the 6 March deadline, the buildings will be sold on the open market. [.,,]
The council has advertised for tenants to stay in the vacated buildings for security while their future is being decided. A decision on any asset transfer bids is due in April next year.
Alistair Brown, the Museums Association’s policy officer, said: “These museums were hugely popular and their closure will be a real blow for the people of Dewsbury, Gomersal and the surrounding areas.
"Unfortunately, Kirklees Council’s decision to close these museums is not an isolated incident. Councils across the country are being forced to make drastic reductions to their spending on cultural services as a result of deep government cuts to local authority budgets.
"We fear that more museums will close next year unless the government reconsiders its approach.” (Geraldine Kendall Adams)

To Walk Invisible is Radio Times' top pick in their selection of Christmas TV programmes.

To Walk Invisible, 9pm, BBC1
If you’ve reached that stage in your Christmas holidays when you’re growing weary of sharing bonhomie with your nearest and dearest, just think, it could be worse, you could be a Brontë sister. Sally Wainwright’s harrowing dramatization of life in Haworth for three women who write like angels but who, it seems, are destined to see out their days serving their menfolk or being governesses is the perfect Christmas corrective. Finn Atkins, Chloe Pirrie and Charlie Murphy are formidable as Charlotte, Emily and Anne, striding the village streets like bonneted Reservoir Dogs as they seek to fulfil their destiny as the greatest of all writers.

The Spenborough Guardian shares the trailer as well as a slideshow of images. CultBox features the production as well.

The Himalayan Times on the joy of reading:

I cannot pinpoint exactly when I became interested in reading but it was in my school years when I huddled over the fiction section in the school library.
I started off with Agatha Christie and then moved on to classics like Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott. In the class-room we read the abridged form of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I re-read them and then some more. My propensity for reading grew as years went by. (Dixya Poudel)

This columnist from the Sunday Post prefers Jane Eyre over Bridget Jones:

The Radio 4 programme Woman’s Hour published it’s Power List last week of those who ‘influenced the lives of women.’
But like all those lists, it leaves you thinking – really?
On the list were Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, singer Beyonce and the fictional character Bridget Jones.
Well maybe it’s just me, but I can’t honestly say that any of them made a huge impact on my life.
Give me Charlotte Brontë living in a quiet parsonage in Haworth who wrote my favourite novel ‘Jane Eyre’ any day over Bridget’s admittedly amusing antics. (Margaret Clayton)

The Fashion Spot has selected 25 bridesmaid dresses for winter weddings and apparently

If Jane Eyre made its way to your wedding mood board, this is your bridesmaids' dress. Demure yet daring (hello, teal sequins), it and others of its semi-sheer, dove gray, tea-length kind will complement any Victorian-inspired gown. (Cordelia Tai)

I can't for the life of me see anything remotely similar to Jane Eyre though.

Saying It Out Loud posts about Jane Eyre.