Christmas past...
 

While trying to get in the mood for Xmas this year I've been thinking back to other Christmas times - looking at particularly nice ones and trying to work out what were the magic ingredients.

If you could go back and re-live one particular Xmas in your life which would it be and why?

Mine would be Xmas 1974 when I was 11 years old. We went round to my maternal Grand-mother's for the day. There was a full turkey lunch which started at one and went on for ages, crackers were pulled and the Queen's speech watched -pretty much the same as in many house-holds up and down the country. We had Nanny's famous sherry trifle and played Bingo. Ate chocs and dates and nuts.

As well as me, sister Denise, mum & dad and Grand-parents, there were also quite a few of my great-aunts and uncles too.

I had received a telescope and Patrick Moore book for Xmas (educational stuff for me always) and my sister one of those large dolls heads with make-up and accessories to do it's hair. She spent most of the afternoon doing that and then finally i got Nanny's musical jewelery box out and made Denise up with her play make-up and covered her in jewels -there was a lovely photo of her but it got thrown out.

Both the living-room and front parlour had fires lit and there was a great atmosphere -even if it probably doesn't sound that exciting....

I've worked out that it's the people who were that made it a special time.

Time to start thinking who I can invite this year! :)

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Its pretty easy to work out the magic ingredient Di, its kids.;)

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Will I have to wait till I'm a Granny then to have a really good Xmas?:eek::D

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Groove agrees with Mr.Cashman on this subject. But for the kids xmas is a tiresome time of year, with pubs full of Sunday drivers etc.

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No, go to any primary school and watch their faces........Christmas is for children...adults are just bystanders....and cash providers.

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How sad - this is confirmation that I'm just a big kid....

It's what I suspected all along...

That's why I buy the chocolate Father Xmases to put on the tree and the sugar candy stripey walking sticks....

James Stewart eat you heart out -that's why his guardian angel had to save him just before he chucked himself into the freezing river...:eek:

Hope mine are still awake;)

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nowt wrong wi being a big kid, i never grew up, n am too old to start now,you cart on.;):D

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Will start to call you "Peter" then Cashy!

In the meantime -best wishes to you and Paris -hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Are you off to sunnier climes I wonder....

We are expecting plummeting temperatures from Monday(Can't wait!)

Good for the skiers in the Alps!

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Growing older is compulsory, but growing up is optional...Lettie taught me that.
I remind myself from time to time.

When my daughters two children ask me how old I am....I tell them I am 14.
They used to believe me, but I think that now they are getting wise to my ploy.
Oh and they never, ever, ever call me that G word. To them I am Margaret, always have been, always will be.

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Letties a damn good teacher Margaret.;)

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Yes Cashy, I try to remember it when my joints ache, and I want to do the splits :)

I'd only be showing off anyway!

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Christmas is defo for kids and Christmas Cards, I always preferred new year, after I found out there was no Father Christmas:D

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What on earth do you mean -no Father Christmas:eek: -so who brings all the pressies and does the magic?!:D

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Ah but used to be one, its just the fact he was on benefits 11 months a year,so the Torys did away wi him.:D

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My two strongest memories of Christmas are not pleasant ones.
I dislike Christmas, but I hate New Year. I always think that fate has something nasty in the wings waiting to leg me up....and they change the old year for a new one just as the old one stops pinching(like a new pair of shoes).
I never wait up to see the New Year in.......and New years day is just another day to me.
Where is March...bring it on, and be quick about it.

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I have had loads of nice Xmases and can say the same for NY Eve too - one really memorable one in Edinburgh and loads of others with different friends through the years.
The Millenium was spectacular too - was on a farm in a tiny village near Turin -the Alps ark all around the area and the fireworks across the mountains were incredible. We had deep snow, a beautiful tree in the garden all lit up and a great party of colleagues, family and friends...plenty of mulled wine and Champagne and the kids with fireworks and sparklers were having the time of their lives...what a lot of hope was invested in the NY Eve - hasn't turned out to be the century everyone was hoping for so far though...

Over the last 5 years I've always seen in NY alone and it's so sad -my husband always covers for one of the men to stay off and is up milking at 2-30 am. I watch the TV and ring up family and friends as the NY comes in where they are...would love to go back to the partying days!:D

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My dad's birthday was New Year's Eve so we always had a party when I lived at home, and I got used to celebrating. Lately we have stayed at home as not been invited to any parties nor found a decent pub to frequent. Still like the idea of celebrating it though. One year I'll do the party myself when the house refurb is done and it's fit to be seen.

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For many of my married years I was working at Christmas...so Christmas was often postponed. Sometimes I was working New year as well.

Don't bother about the state of the house, why spend a fortune doing it up only for it to be ruined by a bloody good party?

Have the party now, then, if you've done it right you'll have an empty shell to apply you're own thought's to.

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2Wise words Less, maybe the house is just an excuse...

But... we've already spent over 20K on damp, electrics, drains, plumbing, things you can't see... it was a wreck. Would like to make it look a bit more salubrious now.

Oh, what a shame, investing in property when you could be out on the razz every night.

Take a look at the old folk, money spent on accomodation, their neighbour rents, both end up ga, ga, end their days in nappies, but which one had the better hangovers?

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We've done well out of property moving four times gradually south to north and we've had some pretty good hangovers in our time. :signbeer::drink: :drunk::pain30:

Well, good luck, been there, done that, left a hellova stain on the Tshirt.

Please, enjoy, nothing is meant as a criticism.

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I didn't take it as a criticism, I think you may very well be right in general the way things are going.

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If it rains on washday you blame the Tories:D :p

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We'll have less o' that thank you. He'll be calling you a troll and a divvy next.:D:D:D:D

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No thats only reserved for you:tongueout

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I don't think I've had a bad Christmas, especially not as a child. I love going to see the nephews and nieces on Christmas day (if I'm not working), and playing with all their new stuff. Yes, I'm nearly 44 and I still play..:D

The strangest Christmas was last year. Me and Sparks went to the Ashes.As we had Boxing Day Test Match tickets, we spent Christmas in Melbourne. On Christmas Day we got up with the obligatory hangovers. We were staying in a motel type place so we had a bowl of cereal and I went to the laundry and did some washing.
We went for a walk, the day was cloudy but fairly warm, the trams were all running and all the public transport was free on Christmas Day. We hit St Kilda beach in the afternoon with a bottle of wine and some nibbles. There were thousands of people on the beach having barbies, some had even taken tables and chairs and full turkey dinners down there. It really was all very sociable but......... I missed my family, when I rang the kids up, they were so excited telling me all about their new toys and asking when we were coming home. I actually felt quite sad but soon got over it when England paggered Australia on Boxing Day:D
We came home mid January and I have been playing ever since.

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Don't think I could get used to having Xmas in summer -I know when I ring up my sister in NZ at Xmas they are having an all day bar-b-q - would seem too strange...they still have a tree and decorations etc. but I think it must be weird.

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The Oz Christmas is a strange affair.........forty degrees in the shade and there you are eating hot turkey and stuffing...with Christmas pud for afters.........and the perspiration pooling like lakes in all your crevices.

I have done this a few times, but always with family out there to make it special, so I was never homesick.

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Funnily enough,first year i lived in Spain,was amazed to see bar-b-qs on the beach, i thought it was great, beats freezing yer nads off here imho.

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I had a (five star hotel) christmas in Funchal Madiera - wonderful.
We were a group of over 45 singles.
The food, the weather, the company were all brilliant.

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Bit of a traditionalist where Christmas is concerned, North West Europe, cold, snow, fog & ice has to be, wouldn't have it any other way. :)

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Thats the way to do it.;)

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Funchal is one of the nicest places I've ever been too, the street slay down the cobbles was something to behold:D

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Punch used to say that when he'd clobbered Judy:D

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Same here DiG!

Gone cold here finally after some decent snow in the Alps.

Drove to Pavia yesterday to visit a friend in hospital - the view was amazing of the snow on the mountains, beautiful sunny, freezing day - all the colours were really vivid.

Expecting snow tomorrow so it may start to feel a bit festive at last - still have all the presents to buy so i hope we don't get snowed in, though i quite like it when that hapens!:)

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Don't know about the Alps mobertol, it looks very alpine outside my gaff this morning:D

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Lovely Jay -are you on for a White Xmas in Ossy then I wonder?

Everything looks so much prettier when covered in snow, white, clean and untouched....Am such a romantic! Not a thought for everyone struggling to go about their everyday business:D

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Well it sure looks like a Christmas Card scene outside this morning:D

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Don't mind the cold and snow at all so long as it stays white and crisp rather than grey and slushy.

Bring on the gluhwein and the gingerbread! :drunk:

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Got to agree with that Sue & by Gingerbread I assume you mean Lebkuchen. :)

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Oh yes the ones with pink or white icing not the chocolate ones.

Usoally buy some each year but have forgotten so far... will have to see if they still have some in Aldi.

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I make my own -they are dead easy and make a nice pressie for friends. I also make Chocolate truffles (would you believe i still have chocolate from some Easter eggs that needs using up)

Last year I was dead keen and made a selection with mince pies and Cantucci (almond biscotti) for friends. I also made my own patés and terrines too -am still waiting for inspiration this year...

I have put the dried fruit steeping in Brandy and Port for the mince-meat this aft. -once you've tried home-made you'll never buy Robinson's jars again! (I use Delia Smith's recipe without the suet!):)

Normally I also make home-made ravioli with a braised beef stuffing on Xmas eve, while listening to my Xmas CD's.:D

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As I don't yet have a proper kitchen in this house I don't cook more than I have to.

Always used to make my own mincemeat usually at the same time as pudding and cake so about 6 weeks before Christmas to give it time to mature. Sometimes didn't use it till the following year.

Also have a pate recipe to die for...

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Just looked up Delia mincemeat recipe the essence of which seems to be putting it in a warm oven so that the suet melts and coats everthing. How do you do it without the suet :confused:

My recipes for pudding cake and mincemeat come from the Sunday Times circa 1980. So good I have ever botheed experimenting but the cutting is a bit dog eared now!

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I just do it without and it works fine all the same:)

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always loved christmas when i was a kid .. used to get the phone calls from ireland my aunts and uncles ringing up to wish us merry christmas .. more often than not my dad was in his pj's cos i'd got up at an unearthly time to see if father christmas had come .. lol then it was a race to get dressed before everyone arrived ... because we'd have christmas at our house. After dad died the first xmas we had at our house .. but after that we split up .. mum would go to my eldest sisters - she did roast beef instead of turkey .. and id go to my other sisters because she always did roast turkey and all the trimmings .. and thats what i did every year till 2005 and didnt go that year cos my sis had gone to india for the month of december .. so i did the cooking that year for me and my brother ... but after that gone back to my sisters except for 2 years ago .. when i went up to the spugsters .. and that was strange not being wi family ... first time id not spent christmas day wi the family ... last year spugs came down .. and got my familys idea of xmas ..

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Yes, Christmas was much more exciting when you're young.

When a strange old man had been fiddling about in your bedroom, emptying his sack, and filling your stocking, whilst you peacefully slept.

http://www.allthingschristmas.com/fo...ies/santa1.gif

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Well it looks like the white Christmas is fading fast they're forecasting double figure temperatures latter in the week

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Here it's freezing cold and bright today - no snow forecast for the next 3 days here...

However, one of the big electrical stores in Italy (UniEuro) is offering to refund whatever you spend at their stores from now till Xmas IF it snows in Milan on New Year's Eve!

Anything you need Jay? Might be worth giving it a try:D

I used to enjoy going out New Years Eve when I was younger. Nowadays the pubs are full of Chavs who drink 2 pints and they think they're Mike Tyson who will fight you as quick as look at you.

One of things I hated about New Years Eve was queuing up to get into pubs which all year round are more or less empty, then having to queue at the bar to be served and somebody joined the queue after you and they get served before you.

Then after midnight when you've seen in the new year you can't get a taxi for love or money and if you do they treble the price and sometimes you get an unlicensed taxi trying to tout for your business.

Luckily for the last 5/6 years Myself and my partner spent Christmas and new year in Northern Ireland at my parents house.


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Does anyone actually like Mince Pies?

If Mince Pies are so good why don't we eat them in summer as well? Same with Christmas Pud.

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Yes, I actually like mince pies and I do eat them at other times of the year if they are on sale.

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Love 'em both. They are traditional to Xmas as they are very rich and contain preserved fruits - fresh fruit not being available in winter in the past...

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And originally, the pies actually contained meat along with the fruit and spices.
I have a little brain worm that is telling me that they were origianlly from the arabian countries....but am quite happy to be educated if someone else knows differently.

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Didn't know about real meat being in them! That's a new one on me -will see if I can find out more...

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Found the following -seems you were right Margaret -don't think Mutton in mince pies would go down very well today though! Interesting to see the real significance of these traditional things though and their link to the Christian faith which is something that is more or less lost today...

"At Christmas the Tudors enjoyed mince pies, but they had far more significance than today in that they had 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the apostles, they contained fruit (raisins, currants, prunes) and spices (cloves, mace, black pepper, saffron) and also mutton to represent the shepherds. The fashion was for them to be shaped like a crib, but this practice was banned by Oliver Cromwell.

The Tudors also had Christmas pudding but this was shaped like a sausage and contained meat, oatmeal and spices. Twelfth Night cake was fruitcake baked with an item in like a coin or dried bean, whoever found it became King or Queen or host for the evenings entertainment."

To see more follow this link:A History of Desserts

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I love mince pies, problem is the 1st boxes are out in the shops in early November and the sell by date is usually well before Christmas Day.

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Found this about Victorian Xmas traditions:

"The serving of the pudding was one of the great rituals of the Victorian Christmas dinner; indeed it was almost as much a ceremony as the creation of the pudding. The plum pudding, made up of suet, bread crumbs, raisins, and spices, was a family effort. On Stir-Up Sunday at the beginning of Advent, each family member took a turn a beating the pudding, making a wish, and stirring clockwise for good luck. Then a ring, coin, or thimble was tossed into the batter.

Until Christmas Day the pudding hung from a sack, then it was boiled in beef broth for eight hours. After dinner it was turned out on a platter, topped with a sprig of holly, set alight, and carried into the dining room.

The head of the household sliced and served it, asking a blessing on all who prepared it. Biting into the portion with the ring meant marriage; the coin, wealth; and the thimble, a happy but single life."

It seems the Victorians put ground minced beef into their mincemeat too!

In the South people would have Roast Goose while in the North it was more tradional to have Roast Rib of Beef!

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With four daughters Christmas has always been very hectic, when they were young it was dolls, dolls houses, dolls prams,dresses,annuals,and one would wake the others at some unearthly hour no chance to stay in bed,then off to grandmas for tea with a car full of toys.As they grew older it was music and tvs and lads hanging around the front of the house.
Now its all at our house on Christmas day---4 daughters 4 husbands 5 grandchildren 2 boyfriends 1 husband 1 greatgranchild and this year we have another greatgrandchild 4 months old. Grand Total 20 Me and Wife included great party plenty of food and we all enjoy it and look foward to meeting. I get the washing up.

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Sounds wonderful Roy, hope you all have a great day together!:)

Apart from the washing up of course;)

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If you can wash up your welcome

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Wassat? No Father Christmas!!! You've gotta be joshing!!!

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At least it will make it easier for those of us who have to take to the roads come Christmas Day.

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See, I'm not as daft as I am cabbage looking.
I am sure that I read somewhere that the fruit and the meat with the spices came back with the crusaders....certainly moroccan dishes today contain lamb and apricots along with spices.......and for anyone who wants to tell me that Morocco is North Africa, not arabia, I know.

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Me too Michael, luv um

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Ya but if somebody buys um in November and gives um me the sell by date is irrelevant:D