And speaking of being in the UK and Christmas, since you ARE here. I was going to pepper the F-list with questions but if you and wellinghall have a moment (and it is fine of course if you do not) but I am trying to research British Christmas traditions and then try to dial it back to the 1940s. I've found some great things about dancing and singing in the living room -- though I couldn't figure if there were radio broadcasts of music or if people played the piano or records. Also, I learned about everything be rationed and dipping your greens in epsom salts and festive beets and carrots on the table. Among the things I was wondering -- I assume that churches are all behind black out shades and no lights (I know I read that somewhere). But do people go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? And which is normally celebrated? Or is both? And are presents opened on Christmas Day or Eve? In the states there are lots of variations, may reflecting ethnically where the family came from -- families of Italian origin have fish feasts on Christmas Eve; families from German traditions have their events on Christmas Eve. Now, most churches have a children's service in the last afternoon on Christmas Eve and many have sung services much later, between 10 and 12.
Any information you would be willing to share about your holiday traditions and/or sources to extrapolate to to the 1940s would be lovely!
Oh and that very foreign thing to American tastes known as the pudding... is that something people would have tried to make? Or would they try to buy it and not be able to get it -- I saw cites that they simply were not available -- hundreds signed up and the store only had 2? This is one where I understand that families with ties to American families did get things -- chocolate, soap, liquor, cigarettes, toilet paper, and other things. There's a real Scrooge arriving to save the family with a Christmas goose feel to it all, but I was going to run with it -- for just that reason -- that all life's problems can't be solved with a goose, and the sense of humility/shame and deep gratitude. I assume however, that a proper English pudding would not have been available from the American PX. Any insight you have into the pudding, including whether I'm being too over the top to even think on it would be much appreciated!
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Any information you would be willing to share about your holiday traditions and/or sources to extrapolate to to the 1940s would be lovely!
Oh and that very foreign thing to American tastes known as the pudding... is that something people would have tried to make? Or would they try to buy it and not be able to get it -- I saw cites that they simply were not available -- hundreds signed up and the store only had 2? This is one where I understand that families with ties to American families did get things -- chocolate, soap, liquor, cigarettes, toilet paper, and other things. There's a real Scrooge arriving to save the family with a Christmas goose feel to it all, but I was going to run with it -- for just that reason -- that all life's problems can't be solved with a goose, and the sense of humility/shame and deep gratitude. I assume however, that a proper English pudding would not have been available from the American PX. Any insight you have into the pudding, including whether I'm being too over the top to even think on it would be much appreciated!