Christmas Shopper
Victorian Gifting
An excerpt from “The Gift of Christmas Past: A Return to Victorian Traditions” by Sunny O’Neil-
For the Victorians, preparations for Christmas-gift exchanges started weeks in advance of the big day. Although many presents were made at home, the shops were filled with all sorts of goods in abundance.
There was great concern about the holiday becoming too commercial and a “festival of store-keepers,” as one editor put it, in a current issue of The Ladies Home Journal. That theme was repeated in many publications of the time; but considering the profusion of objects for sale overflowing the shelves, no one paid much attention to the admonition.
Things were not all that different in some aspects. The author goes on to say that people that lived in remote towns and villages mail-ordered items from catalogs and magazines. Not only that, many people shopped and made items to sell at charity bazaars. Gifts of preserves and edibles was also popular. These gift-giving traditions feel familiar, don’t they?
Christmas in the Cotswolds The Cotswolds https://www.cotswoldlife.co.uk/home/christmas/24-reasons-to-spend-christmas-in-the-cotswolds-1-4322300
One of my favorite economical, whimsical holiday gifts to my mother (and occasionally myself and a niece and nephew) is the Jacquie Lawson Advent calendar. https://www.jacquielawson.com/advent You really must go look at them if you haven’t seen them. Mellow fun for all ages, each day in December unlocks a new “door” to a game or puzzle or activity that you can play on your computer, smart phone or tablet. This year’s calendar is a Cotswold Village setting, and last year’s (which you can opt for in the Shop tab) is in Edinburgh.
Charlotte’s Family Christmas Traditions
I come from a family that celebrates Christmas, so since that is what I know, I’ll be sharing from it. I hope next year to attract some holiday descriptions from your experiences!
My husband and I have carried on many of the traditions that our parents gave us and we also added some to fit our own family ideals.
Christmas Eve is cozy. We have lots of candles, a fire in the fireplace, a meal of soup and bread, homemade frosted molasses cookies (made from a WWII recipe from my maternal grandma, passed down from the sugar ration days) fudge, maybe some cheese fondue and red wine and sparkling juice. I’ll be putting together my annual jigsaw puzzle with my mom and stepdad. Others may drift in and place a few pieces and then move on. When gifts were plentiful, the children get to open one gift on Christmas Eve- usually we asked which box contained the new pajamas so we could wear them to bed. They used to be encouraged to open the footsie PJs boxes- until those were outgrown. Then the hosting matriarch recites “A Child’s Christmas in Ulster,” prose by Maggi Pierce that we found years ago via a radio broadcast of Celtic Christmas Sojourn. The last thing we do that night is sit around the fire and listen to the old, crackling recording of Dylan Thomas reading his own epic work, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”.
Each year we have stockings for the children (which in our house and in our parents’ houses lasts until the adult child leaves home). The toe is full of an orange or citrus fruit and nuts in their shells. small gifts from Santa are wrapped in unmarked wrapping paper or tissue paper. The cats get catnip calico mice, and the dog gets a treat. Even the birds get special healthy goodies.
After the “kids” are done unpacking their stockings, we open gifts with cups of tea and coffee in hand- keeping the lights low and a re-lit fire. After that, we call our relatives celebrating elsewhere, begin cooking, sledding (if we can) and game-playing and new book reading. We invite extended family to stop in if they want, but we don’t make an enormous feast, it’s carefully planned but a bit modest, so that all of us can also relax and play.
Thanks for letting me ramble on. May your month be blessed.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Coming in 2020 issues of HRM- Insightful interviews with Beverly Jenkins & Grace Burrowes, Laura Frantz & Lauren from American Duchess as well as newsy book and life tidbits from our brilliant columnists.
Fun sites for winter travel… Vermont https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/vermont/vermont-christmas-towns-vt/
Weston, Vermont
