Christmas 2019

Thanks bym for the child catcher info. I remember all those sweets along with Newberry Fruits. I didn’t like any of them especially Turkish delight.
But Christmas cake, mince pies, Christmas pudding - all good. Neither I nor anyone I knew ever choked on the 6d coins in the pud. It’s a marvel we all grew to adulthood without the Health and Safety Executive.
 
My last cats never touched the Christmas tree. The current two....the Christmas tree is out in the porch, and the door between porch and hall is closed! Utter monsters, both of them.
I remember the orange/lemon slices. And Orchard Jellies, which you can still get. I also remember when getting a single box of chocs between the family was such a huge treat! They would be rationed out over a few weeks! My grandmother used to, every Christmas, present each of her "children's" families with a tin of biscuits that she had bought the previous January in the sales! So every year, we got a beautiful tin of stale biccies!

I also remember hanging around the kitchen on Christmas Eve, because mum used to buy "batch" loaves to make breadcrumbs for stuffing. She grated them by hand, and we'd all be there like hungry little magpies, waiting for the crusts!

Mince pies, I love them, but not shop bought ones. I'm finicky about my pastry! And once Christmas day is over, I lost all interest in mince pies. Can't manage them. They are a pre Christmas delight, for me.
 
Yes we never choked on a 6D, or the little toy in a cracker. Never became a chain smoker from the chocolate cigarettes. Pink sugar mice were another seasonal delight. I remember orchard jellies also, and home made mince pies, cake and pud every time. Oh the thrill of a hot mince pie on Christmas Eve. Percy Dalton peanuts in a tin were a real treat.
No one ever told you not to buy a doll or a car for their child "as we are bringing them up as gender neutral and don't want to objectify them" One of our drivers got told that by their sister
 
But tomboy girls like me got given dolls and tea sets, when what I really wanted was a larger Meccano set. I only had a 2A which made a limited number of models. I played with it for hours, ignoring the teasets and dolls. Best present when I was 8 was a proper knife in a leather sheath to hang on my belt when out playing wars with my gang, against a boy gang in the Council Grounds. Our poor old dog spent hours tied up in our camp, being a horse in its stable. When I was overdue to come home, my grandmother would come and rescue the dog, with much tut tutting, and tell me 'only another ten minutes, now. '
 
Absolutely Marigold we all grew up ok. OH says she never played much with dolls, much preferred outdoors and Lego and her brothers Meccano. We also played cowboys and Indians without becoming gun toting criminals in later life.
Very envious of your proper knife in it's leather sheath
 
Still haven't got round to seeing if we have any Christmas cards left over from last year, let alone buying new ones. Maybe this would do?
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/dec/14/stephen-collins-on-christmas-bugs-cartoon
 
bigyetiman said:
No one ever told you not to buy a doll or a car for their child "as we are bringing them up as gender neutral and don't want to objectify them" One of our drivers got told that by their sister
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My little grandson is obsessed with tools (he was barely 2 when, going over there one day, I was greeted with "We're working. Nanny, come! I will show you the chainsaw!"), engines, trains, etc. But, he also plays with the dolls his mum had when she was little. Mum's got a baby, he's got a baby!
 
Our friends nephew who is four is happiest playing with his toy oven or helping mum in the kitchen
 
bigyetiman said:
Our friends nephew who is four is happiest playing with his toy oven or helping mum in the kitchen
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Yes. Grandson loves to help with cooking and baking too. Especially when there are eggs to "smash"! :lol: They made gingerbread during the week, but the baby needed holding, so the almost 3 year old did all the rolling and cutting out by himself! He was so very proud offering people his gingerbread men!
 
I must say I tend to agree with Tweetypie - Bah! Humbug. We've never really "done" Xmas and never used to do many cards when we lived in Yorkshire. Since we came here we promised to keep in touch and so I send more now. I happen not to like turkey, and a goose is incredibly expensive so we have a saddle of lamb this year. Don't like anything with dried fruit, either, so no mince pies, Xmas pud, Xmas cake, etc. So it's roll on 27 Dec for me, too.
 
I've always loved Christmas, just the whole peacefulness of it. Of course, I live alone now! peacefulness is rather easy to come by! My late husband had loved Christmas too, all the lights, and the carolling, etc. Hearing from those I wouldn't hear from at other times is quite a bonus. And I love all the gift making. This year, I've made Irish Cream liqueur, plum brandy, plum wine, granola, cushions and bunting, and this week will be making biscuits, truffles and fudge. I make a christmas cake for two brothers, mum, dau and myself, and puddings for everyone too. I'll be icing the cakes this week, except my own. And turkey & ham is about my favourite dinner!
 
We did the bloody Christmas cards this morning. OH got started whilst i took the dog out for her walk, then I joined in, only to find he hadn't ticked off the list for ones he'd done, just the 'ones that came to mind' - so I had to go through and check them all before starting on the ones he refuses to do, i.e, our neighbours which will be delivered by hand. Then came the stamps - back in about 2004, I did a bulk buy of 200 plain second class stamps, at about 10p each as the price was about to go up, and we have been using them ever since. (What price is a second class stamp nowadays?) We have friends we have confessed to this, and they've promised to let us know if the stamps stop working, but all OK so far. But over the years in storage, the glue has died on the stamps so they have to be stuck down with whatever adhesive we can find that works. Did all that, put it all away, wiped the glue off the table because he refused to put a sheet of paper under the stamps when gluing them - and then realised OH's lack of method meant two crucial elderly family members, usually only seen at funerals but not yet attending their own, (presumably,) had been omitted. So had to get all the bits out and do theirs. Only to find that when i came to put the second card into its already addressed and stamped envelope, I'd chosen an envelope belonging to a smaller card from the by-now muddled collection of odd cards left over. Then, whilst he went down to the post, I spent most of the rest of the morning wrapping up presents for the family who are coming at the weekend.

I'm also working against the clock to finish a jersey I'm knitting for the daughter who isn a leading light in Extinction Rebellion - my adaptation of a yoked fairisle jersey with a row of the XR symbols round the base of the yoke, then the XR slogan REBEL FOR LIFE round the next level, back and front, then some infill fairisle patterns to finish off round the neck. I'd got as far as finishing the knitted text, which was tricky, before realising to my horror the I'd misread the pattern for the yoke and hadn't decreased enough stitches before beginning the text. So had to unpick 10 rows, recover 350 stitches, do the correct decrease row to get down to 280 stitches, plan out the text and start again - have just finished the 4th of 8 rows of text. They arrive on Friday - and it's going to the wire .... still have to clean the house and do loads of cooking.

I'm feeling like a fellow Founder Member of the Bah Humbug Society. I'm glad I don't know any addresses for my good friends on here, so none of you will be miffed at not getting a card, and I'm free to say what I really think!
 
That did make us laugh marigold, excellent. We must see a pic of the jumper it sounds fantastic.
OH has just received the latest bulletin from Sail Amsterdam 2020, so her head is firmly stuck in next August as she has excitedly realised she is going to add 39 + tall ships to her ever growing list. Christmas is just a mere interlude to her at the moment.
That's the good thing about the forum we can say what we think, when will OH be allowed glue again ?
 
LadyA said:
"Marigold, we DEFINITELY need pics of that jumper!!"
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And I need to be in a position to post them!

Sorry, Lady A, I messed up your post. The top line was yours and the other one was my reply, I clicked on the Edit symbol of a pencil instead of the Quote one.
(Or should that be the Quotation one? I don't want any comeback from Val!)
 
We had a Christmas card yesterday, your average square card, gold colour with a silver star embossed in the middle, on the back of the card it said " warning this is not a toy, not to be given to small children, as they can easily choke on small parts" :-)19 :-)19
Nanny State in full flow there
 
Well, I have had a wonderful Christmassy morning! Took the grandson to Toddler Group for the Christmas "party". No food was served, because some mums don't allow sweets and choc, and there are allergy considerations, etc. But we all wore our Christmas jumpers, Santa Clause did arrive, with a sack full of gifts. And there were little voices chirping "Jingle Bells" with much clapping of hands, and "We wish you a Merry Christmas" with more clapping and foot stomping. Then I took grandson to the playground (or, in his words the "pingground") where we went on swings, climbing frames and a roundabout. And finally, we went for a bit of lunch together. Happy, if tired, child left home to his mum. And tired grandma also home for a sit down! :lol:
 
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