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Christmas preparations past and present

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
You either love an early start or you hate it. I'm in the "love it" camp. If you 're starting to feel the mood, let's hear your memories, the traditions you and your children are carrying on and any good tips or ideas. (And all before 25 December please).

I'd like to kick off with this Co-op brochure. It gave me the push to get started on the Christmas cake. I made ours last week, it's sitting in its greaseproof wrapping, in its festive tin doing its thing waiting for its weekly feed of a drop of brandy. The smell when you lift the lid - wow, you just can't beat it. Interestingly, the Co-op sems to suggest self-raising flour. I've never used SR flour in any of my Christmas cakes.

Under 'Cheeses' the Co-op had Kraft Rarebit - what's that ? I know what rarebit is and obviously Kraft is the cheese, but a ready made Rarebit ?! Don't get that. Maybe it was flavoured cheese. But the fact that it caught my eye would mean I'd have had to give it a go. A useful post-Christmas snack perhaps ? And I've never seen or heard of a tin of lobster. Another store cupboard item that could come in handy post-Christmas.

The Co-op brochure doesn't have any advent calendars. But thinking about it these weren't filled with chocolates (and other goodies) like the ones of today. Ours were the 'lift the flap and, oh look it's a rocking horse ' variety. And I notice there's no tinned ham, maybe because they sold fresh ham ?

New things this year ? I'm determined to avoid buying any new Christmas decorations. So shall be remodeling some of our old ones. The Christmas table cloth from 30 years ago will be out again too.


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Doesn't sound too appetising Mike ! But it shows the Co-op offering its customers convenience at a busy time of year. But I expect most would prefer to make it from scratch.
 
what an interesting brochure viv...i am still reading it ...do you have a date for it

lyn
 
Vivienne14 said:
You either love an early start or you hate it. I'm in the "love it" camp. If you 're starting to feel the mood, let's hear your memories, the traditions you and your children are carrying on and any good tips or ideas. (And all before 25 December please).

I'd like to kick off with this Co-op brochure. It gave me the push to get started on the Christmas cake. I made ours last week, it's sitting in its greaseproof wrapping, in its festive tin doing its thing waiting for its weekly feed of a drop of brandy. The smell when you lift the lid - wow, you just can't beat it. Interestingly, the Co-op sems to suggest self-raising flour. I've never used SR flour in any of my Christmas cakes.

Under 'Cheeses' the Co-op had Kraft Rarebit - what's that ? I know what rarebit is and obviously Kraft is the cheese, but a ready made Rarebit ?! Don't get that. Maybe it was flavoured cheese. But the fact that it caught my eye would mean I'd have had to give it a go. A useful post-Christmas snack perhaps ? And I've never seen or heard of a tin of lobster. Another store cupboard item that could come in handy post-Christmas.

The Co-op brochure doesn't have any advent calendars. But thinking about it these weren't filled with chocolates (and other goodies) like the ones of today. Ours were the 'lift the flap and, oh look it's a rocking horse ' variety. And I notice there's no tinned ham, maybe because they sold fresh ham ?

New things this year ? I'm determined to avoid buying any new Christmas decorations. So shall be remodeling some of our old ones. The Christmas table cloth from 30 years ago will be out again too.


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We are in the same camp Viv! My wife's Christmas tablecloth maybe a little older but who cares.
Love those COOp prices, don't we wish! We still have the fall Halloween decorations up but the Christmas decorations will be up soon. Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho!
 
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:
 
Vivienne14 said:
You either love an early start or you hate it. I'm in the "love it" camp. If you 're starting to feel the mood, let's hear your memories, the traditions you and your children are carrying on and any good tips or ideas. (And all before 25 December please).

I'd like to kick off with this Co-op brochure. It gave me the push to get started on the Christmas cake. I made ours last week, it's sitting in its greaseproof wrapping, in its festive tin doing its thing waiting for its weekly feed of a drop of brandy. The smell when you lift the lid - wow, you just can't beat it. Interestingly, the Co-op sems to suggest self-raising flour. I've never used SR flour in any of my Christmas cakes.

Under 'Cheeses' the Co-op had Kraft Rarebit - what's that ? I know what rarebit is and obviously Kraft is the cheese, but a ready made Rarebit ?! Don't get that. Maybe it was flavoured cheese. But the fact that it caught my eye would mean I'd have had to give it a go. A useful post-Christmas snack perhaps ? And I've never seen or heard of a tin of lobster. Another store cupboard item that could come in handy post-Christmas.

The Co-op brochure doesn't have any advent calendars. But thinking about it these weren't filled with chocolates (and other goodies) like the ones of today. Ours were the 'lift the flap and, oh look it's a rocking horse ' variety. And I notice there's no tinned ham, maybe because they sold fresh ham ?

New things this year ? I'm determined to avoid buying any new Christmas decorations. So shall be remodeling some of our old ones. The Christmas table cloth from 30 years ago will be out again too.


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Kraft Rarebit were the slices of cheese that the Co-op sold Viv and there were 8 slices in the pack, as I recall, obviously intended for those that could not be trusted to cut a piece of cheese off with a knife ;) :

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Thanks John. I don't remember that at all. I expect it had something like Worcester Sauce added. I like Welsh Rarebit, but when I was little we simply had cheese on toast ! Remember it well, especially if it burned your mouth.
 
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This 1962 Family Christmas booklet published by McDougals gives us a couple of ideas for festive snacks. However, I don't think I shall be serving up sardine rolls. Game chips sound interesting. They recommend 4 bags of crisps, heated on a tray at the bottom of the oven. Well that just sounds like hot crisps to me, where's tha 'Game' ? Never had crisps with Christmas Dinner.
 

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Vivienne14 said:
Thanks John. I don't remember that at all. I expect it had something like Worcester Sauce added. I like Welsh Rarebit, but when I was little we simply had cheese on toast ! Remember it well, especially if it burned your mouth.
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That’s because we were always to eat it right out of the toaster!
 
John L said:
Kraft Rarebit were the slices of cheese that the Co-op sold Viv and there were 8 slices in the pack, as I recall, obviously intended for those that could not be trusted to cut a piece of cheese off with a knife ;) :

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I note that if you look closely, not only is it (and the others) not real cheese (not surprising if Kraft was involved) but they AND the OLD ENGLISH samples were Australian
 
Vivienne14 said:
This 1962 Family Christmas booklet published by McDougals gives us a couple of ideas for festive snacks. However, I don't think I shall be serving up sardine rolls. Game chips sound interesting. They recommend 4 bags of crisps, heated on a tray at the bottom of the oven. Well that just sounds like hot crisps to me, where's tha 'Game' ? Never had crisps with Christmas Dinner.
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I'm with you on the sardine rolls Viv, although my Dad was happy to eat sardines straight from the tin (in oil as well as in tomato)! :eek:
 
mikejee said:
I note that if you look closely, not only is it (and the others) not real cheese (not surprising if Kraft was involved) but they AND the OLD ENGLISH samples were Australian
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Correct Mike, better known as cheese food, with just an essence of cheese. Kraft had subcontracts produce for them.
 
Vivienne14 said:
This 1962 Family Christmas booklet published by McDougals gives us a couple of ideas for festive snacks. However, I don't think I shall be serving up sardine rolls. Game chips sound interesting. They recommend 4 bags of crisps, heated on a tray at the bottom of the oven. Well that just sounds like hot crisps to me, where's tha 'Game' ? Never had crisps with Christmas Dinner.
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the 60s menu is very similar to what we had viv... :) lovely

lyn
 
We had similar too Lyn, except one or two years we had a capon instead of a turkey. Didn't know why this was until I recently read that turkey was relatively expensive in the early 1960s. This was because there was no mass production of turkeys at that time.
 
Vivienne14 said:
We had similar too Lyn, except one or two years we had a capon instead of a turkey. Didn't know why this was until I recently read that turkey was relatively expensive in the early 1960s. This was because there was no mass production of turkeys at that time.
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got my turkey in the freezer viv...well its a turkey crown but same difference :D
 
mw0njm. said:
i contacted Kraft about stopping making them slices,and replacing them with the very thin slices individually wrapped things. no reply off them
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Handling fresh/real cheese is far more difficult. Those slices in #10 are actually made from a liquified material then packaged. Very fast and automated, high profit.
 
Ah! yes PROFIT the word that matters most to big corporations. Does not matter if it is tasteless, but it is interesting what consumers will put up with. :weary_face:
 
My newsfeed has just informed me that Mcdonalds have announced that in America they will be improving their products . These "improvements" include:
  • "Cheese" will be taken out of refrigerators sooner so it melts more during cooking
  • Onions will be rehydrated after purchase for more juiciness
  • Lettuce and pickles will be stored in smaller containers so they must be refreshed more often
  • And more of their revolting sauce
www.mirror.co.uk

McDonald's changing Big Macs to win back customers - 7 major alterations

Changes to the Big Mac include everything from how the burger is cooked, how many are grilled at a time and how ingredients are handled before even making it into the bun
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
The other changes involving smaller lumps of predigested gunge are apparently to increase juiceness. O f course nothing to do with increased profits !!
 
We're down to just us two this year (our choice) although we will be seeing the family over the holiday. I usually make a Brazil nut and chestnut roulade for the main course with all the usual (veggie) trimmings. This year I have broken with tradition and will be buying everything. I visited M&S to order one of their veggie roasts only to find that you had to spend £50 before they would take the order! I went on line and ordered all I wanted from Sainsbury's for far less.

When the children were little, before Advent Calendars became popular, I saved 24 little socks and put a small gift or sweet in each one for each of them. These were pegged across the mantlepiece ready for 1st December. I still have the socks - funny how you can't throw things away.

Church Christmas Fair this afternoon - been going to it for over 50 years but it's now in the church itself not the church hall as this was sold earlier in the year. This has caused several people to stop going to the fair as they think it's disrespectful. I personally don't think God will mind.

I shall be assembling my Advent candles later today and lighting the first one tomorrow.
 
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