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Christmas preparations past and present

mw0njm. said:
i was just thinking of the Christmas time at school when i was a kid making yards of paper chain decorations, drawing christmas trees on green card and cutting them out and covering them in glitter etc,home made cards and was thrilled when we sent them to people. and most of all taking tins of chomp and jelly etc for the party that we had in the Hall:grinning:
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Oh. Happy days.
I recall making a Santa Claus with articulated arms and legs using little split pin staples. Cotton Wool for a beard and as snow on his boots.
He was brought out every Christmas and as a nipper I was really proud of him.However,as I grew up I thought it was time he should be chucked out. Mom had none of this and out he came year after year.
I never understood why.
Then I had children of my own,light dawned. I have a comb case made by my daughter when she was four. She is now thirty six.
I have a drawing of Spot the Dog drawn by my son when he was five,his favourite toy. He is now thirty two.
I can't bring myself to throw them away.
Got to go,something in my eye.

NoddKD, The enlightened one.
 
NoddKD said:
Oh. Happy days.
I recall making a Santa Claus with articulated arms and legs using little split pin staples. Cotton Wool for a beard and as snow on his boots.
He was brought out every Christmas and as a nipper I was really proud of him.However,as I grew up I thought it was time he should be chucked out. Mom had none of this and out he came year after year.
I never understood why.
Then I had children of my own,light dawned. I have a comb case made by my daughter when she was four. She is now thirty six.
I have a drawing of Spot the Dog drawn by my son when he was five,his favourite toy. He is now thirty two.
I can't bring myself to throw them away.
Got to go,something in my eye.

NoddKD, The enlightened one.
Click to expand...
Great story & wonderful family remembrance! Our children are two years apart (slightly off topic) and both made step stools in wood shop at school when they were twelve, they are now 50 & 52, we still have those stools. They have been used for everything, plants, to lift stero speakers off the floor and for sitting by the fire and stepping. We moved them preciously in our car when we relocated from NJ, to Oklahoma to NY back to NJ and now Tennessee!
Thank you NoddKD for the memories! And yes, Merry Christmas to one and all!
 
NoddKD said:
Oh. Happy days.
I recall making a Santa Claus with articulated arms and legs using little split pin staples. Cotton Wool for a beard and as snow on his boots.
He was brought out every Christmas and as a nipper I was really proud of him.However,as I grew up I thought it was time he should be chucked out. Mom had none of this and out he came year after year.
I never understood why.
Then I had children of my own,light dawned. I have a comb case made by my daughter when she was four. She is now thirty six.
I have a drawing of Spot the Dog drawn by my son when he was five,his favourite toy. He is now thirty two.
I can't bring myself to throw them away.
Got to go,something in my eye.

NoddKD, The enlightened one.
Click to expand...
Great family memories of Christmas past and all those Christmas Santas and drawings were made with love and to you are priceless. Hope your eyes are better.
 
Like the presentiation of the Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Does anyone else like Christmas tins ? Over the years I've had many, but they end up disappearing or being used for anything other than Christmas stuff. I have one for my Chrustmas cake and a lovely panetonne tin where I keep the grandkids treats. A few weeks ago I bought a tin of shortbread solely on the basis of the tin it came in. (I know pretty shallow and extravagant). But with the impressive stag on the front and its tartan surround, I had to have it. However, I did promise myself to fill it full of homemade shortbread once the the original contents were eaten. And that's NOW !

Why is shortbread called shortbread ?
 
Vivienne14 said:
Like the presentiation of the Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Does anyone else like Christmas tins ? Over the years I've had many, but they end up disappearing or being used for anything other than Christmas stuff. I have one for my Chrustmas cake and a lovely panetonne tin where I keep the grandkids treats. A few weeks ago I bought a tin of shortbread solely on the basis of the tin it came in. (I know pretty shallow and extravagant). But with the impressive stag on the front and its tartan surround, I had to have it. However, I did promise myself to fill it full of homemade shortbread once the the original contents were eaten. And that's NOW !

Why is shortbread called shortbread ?
Click to expand...
Perhaps because once purchased it has a short life?

NoddKD
 
Vivienne14 said:
Like the presentiation of the Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Does anyone else like Christmas tins ? Over the years I've had many, but they end up disappearing or being used for anything other than Christmas stuff. I have one for my Chrustmas cake and a lovely panetonne tin where I keep the grandkids treats. A few weeks ago I bought a tin of shortbread solely on the basis of the tin it came in. (I know pretty shallow and extravagant). But with the impressive stag on the front and its tartan surround, I had to have it. However, I did promise myself to fill it full of homemade shortbread once the the original contents were eaten. And that's NOW !

Why is shortbread called shortbread ?
Click to expand...
Love those tins.
We just received a tin of Crawfords shortbread with a picture of The Queen on horseback! Shortbread is about gone but the tin is a keeper!
 
Vivienne14 said:
Like the presentiation of the Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Does anyone else like Christmas tins ? Over the years I've had many, but they end up disappearing or being used for anything other than Christmas stuff. I have one for my Chrustmas cake and a lovely panetonne tin where I keep the grandkids treats. A few weeks ago I bought a tin of shortbread solely on the basis of the tin it came in. (I know pretty shallow and extravagant). But with the impressive stag on the front and its tartan surround, I had to have it. However, I did promise myself to fill it full of homemade shortbread once the the original contents were eaten. And that's NOW !

Why is shortbread called shortbread ?
Click to expand...
Love those tins.
We just received a tin of Crawfords
shortbread with a picture of The Queen on horseback! Shortbread is about gone but the tin is a keeper!
 
Oh I loved the Quality Street tins. They had an image of a Regency street on them. Probably unrealistic and very sanitised but they always attracted me as a kid. Sadly I think most of these boxes are plastic now.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Like the presentiation of the Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Does anyone else like Christmas tins ? Over the years I've had many, but they end up disappearing or being used for anything other than Christmas stuff. I have one for my Chrustmas cake and a lovely panetonne tin where I keep the grandkids treats. A few weeks ago I bought a tin of shortbread solely on the basis of the tin it came in. (I know pretty shallow and extravagant). But with the impressive stag on the front and its tartan surround, I had to have it. However, I did promise myself to fill it full of homemade shortbread once the the original contents were eaten. And that's NOW !

Why is shortbread called shortbread ?
Click to expand...
No not just Xmas tins but tins throughout my life. Some are very rusty no matter what I had done to preserve them and are no longer in the house but store Pete's nails screws etc.
 
G G Jean said:
No not just Xmas tins but tins throughout my life. Some are very rusty no matter what I had done to preserve them and are no longer in the house but store Pete's nails screws etc.
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GG totally a! I was blessed to have worked with the people who make those tins and to this day am amazed at their skills and dedication. A very European thing but mostly Brits. My wife also loves them says I am biased :) , don’t think so they are just good!
 
Vivienne14 said:
Like the presentiation of the Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Does anyone else like Christmas tins ? Over the years I've had many, but they end up disappearing or being used for anything other than Christmas stuff. I have one for my Chrustmas cake and a lovely panetonne tin where I keep the grandkids treats. A few weeks ago I bought a tin of shortbread solely on the basis of the tin it came in. (I know pretty shallow and extravagant). But with the impressive stag on the front and its tartan surround, I had to have it. However, I did promise myself to fill it full of homemade shortbread once the the original contents were eaten. And that's NOW !

Why is shortbread called shortbread ?
Click to expand...
Every year I buy my daughter in law a tin of biscuits from M & S - last year it was a musical one with lights that played on the ceiling showing Santa's sleigh and reindeer gliding across. I think this year it's back to a house that can be used with a tealight. Definitely agree Viv, I love a nice tin.

As for your shortbread question I've always thought it was due to the large amount of butter or 'shortening' that's used. It's a theory anyway!
 
Janet Hunt said:
Does anyone remember this picture of Kong dressed as Santa in 1972?

And from the 60's the Christmas lights in the City, used to love seeing them switched on.

www.birminghammail.co.uk

The way Birmingham used to look when the Christmas lights were switched on

From the 60s to now - we know how to put on a good light show
www.birminghammail.co.uk www.birminghammail.co.uk
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We Birmingham that is used to have great Christmas lights. I remember Kong but cannot remember him being dressed up as Santa but looked good .
 
Lady Penelope said:
Every year I buy my daughter in law a tin of biscuits from M & S - last year it was a musical one with lights that played on the ceiling showing Santa's sleigh and reindeer gliding across. I think this year it's back to a house that can be used with a tealight. Definitely agree Viv, I love a nice tin.

As for your shortbread question I've always thought it was due to the large amount of butter or 'shortening' that's used. It's a theory anyway!
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Got that tin from Marks last year and a musical Christmas tree a few years before also with shortbread in The musical chimes sadly do not work anymore but still looks nice.
 
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We're all familiar with the large containers of Quality Street, Celebrations etc of today. But do you remember the small tins of Quality Street, about 6" diameter ? Don't know if they were meant for children, but we got them as kids, sometimes instead of a selection box. Made useful containers for odds and ends like buttons etc after they'd been eaten.
 
And did anyone have a sewing box using an old Christmas cigar box ? I did for a while but it became too small when I got interested in sewing. So then I moved on to a Christmas Quality Street tin at home (and a tall silver Bournvita tin for my school sewing lessons). But in time my daughter bought me a proper sewing box (for Christmas about 10 years ago) with trays and pockets in. Right fancy by comparison.
 
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