Summoned by a silent, insistent calling on Christmas Eve, Danny Westmarch enters the shadows of Hanchurch Woods where a very familiar Yuletide figure offers him a vital mission...to visit the mysterious village of Winterwood and unlock the gate that will allow Father Christmas to enter Staffordshire. It seems simple enough, but Danny soon discovers that the village is terrorised by the Griffin, a lion-like beast from the underworld which despises Christmas and has no intention of allowing him to succeed. Soon Danny realises that his mission gives the phrase 'surviving Christmas' a whole new meaning...
