Christmas / New Year Memories

Wandering around the shopping precinct last weekend on our visit, we were surprised to see the Christmas lights and decorations still up, plus banners advertising the pantomime which finished early January! The lights on the trees in Broadgate still lit up at dusk!

Seeing the frantic rushing about today, to buy up everything in the shops before Christmas makes me wonder how modern families would deal with the wartime and postwar Christmas. I know that many of the forum members lived through that period as children and know the real pleasure on Christmas Day of finding a present that was probably home-made by a parent or friend (or even second hand). Nonetheless it was still treasured. Christmas dinner would still be made special in some way despite the rationing or postwar shortages. A lot of ingenuity was used by mothers at that time to make it special. Even postwar the shortages made it difficult to celebrate. I remember that even lemonade was on allocation for some time after the war. The comic annuals for children were still on allocation and any child would be lucky to get a Beano or Dandy Annual. For the grown ups there was still a shortage of cigarettes and tobacco and most luxury items. Sweets were were still on ration, and ice cream a very rare treat, well after the war. I would not like to see the present generation suffer those restrictions but it would be nice to see some restraint in the general over-indulgence of the modern Christmas.

Never mind the brekkies, I've just had to sample some of the first five dozen mince pies that have just come out of the oven. What a life

Last year we started a new tradition. By accident the pigs in blankets were cooked way too early. We don't normally have starters but I suggested that rather than try to keep them moist and warm for half an hour, we should munch them straight away. We are definitely doing that again!

Why turkey? On the run up to my 6 or 7th Christmas I voiced a bold desire - not to have turkey that Christmas. I didn't like turkey and the interminable wait while it cooked wasn't good either. With the issue out there, everyone else admitted that it wasn't their favourite and thereafter we had chicken. As a meat it's dry and tough. It makes an ok stew but other meats are better. It leaves so much left overs it gives people nightmares. So what does turkey mean for you?

Helen I would have agreed with you until Karan and I lived in Vienna. There you can buy juicy turkey breasts - beautiful! What's more, it comes with a smile - the German for "turkey" is Puten! Not quite the same spelling, but we always called our dinner Vladimir!

I must admit I love turkey. I only buy a crown, but Christmas would not be Christmas without the smell of turkey roasting in the oven and those lovely big slices of white meat. I like sprouts as well!

Hi all, I'm tasting like I haven't for ages. Really enjoying food whatever. I've gone bonkers for fish. It was a chef's meal deal at the Earl yesterday, washed down with a glass of red, it was lovely. Morrison's had a small mixed bag of pre-prepared veg which included sprouts which I tried. Too much for one meal, so the following day I finished it off with Birds Eye battered cod fillet. I enjoyed it more than with the braised beef, the previous day. Happy eating.

Helen, I also did not particularly like turkey, finding it dry, tough and not very tasty. For many years we had chicken and pork shoulder, much moister meat. Then I heard of brining, admittedly not a great secret but we'd never bothered before. We now have a small turkey and, after cleaning out, steep it in a bucket of salty water for 24 hours then rinse it in fresh water, pat it dry and spread butter under the skin. The meat is moist and delicious, gives us at least two days dinner, then sandwiches and finally a curry. The remaining carcass is simmered with vegetables to make a lovely stock for soups and/or gravy.

Great answers. To be fair, my Christmas turkey days were in the era where the birds were all massive and took two strong men and a JCB to get one in the oven. I have considered brining, especially as pork is going increasingly tough as they breed leaner animals. I wasn't averse to turkey schnitzel in Switzerland but that gets pummelled into submission before it gets covered in breadcrumbs. I'm a fan of slow cooking and love a shoulder of lamb that's had at least 4 hours in foil and water before being drained and finished up with crisping. If the meat doesn't almost fall off the bone you haven't cooked it long enough. Mmmmmm.

We rented a cottage for a couple of years when Roy worked for a farmer. It had an old Aga, the slow oven was wonderful for roasting an overnight turkey. It was a smelly time, the cottage was next to a chicken farm and stables, which smelled to high heaven and the farm. I also went to work in the offices. The farm grew and processed onions. Friends always used to be saying to me they could smell onions. The upside with the cottage was, with all the chicken and horse manure, we could grow the most wonderful veges.

Christmas lights, decorations and the German Market - filmed on 25 November 2021.

Pretty but sad, because there aren't enough people to enjoy it. You're still doing a grand job, Brother Joybert

Making me feel very nostalgic! All I remember from Coventry's Christmases up to 1973 was a decorated tree in Broadgate, unless my memory fails me. That is quite an improvement! Karan and I have enjoyed the "Kriskindlemarkts" in Vienna several times, so we are very jealous of you this year!

Hi all, Please note the elaborate no expense spared lighting. Ten bulbs adorning the window, with special attention given to low power consumption.