We really entered into the Christmas spirit for our November meeting with a talk about Christmases past, specifically what it was like to celebrate the festive season in Victorian times.
Our speaker, Katherine Collett, dressed in a stylish Victorian riding outfit talked us through the ways in which the Victorians changed the Pagan and Norse wintertime traditions and moulded them into the Christmas as we know it today.
We learned how an 1848 engraving of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert decorating a Christmas tree inspired many to follow suit and trees began to be brought into homes and decorated at Christmas. Although candles were used in the decorating in those times, health and safety might take a dim view.
Katherine told us how Tom Smith, on a visit to France, saw bon bons wrapped in paper and it gave him the idea to wrap sweets in paper and he later added chemicals to make the small crackles as they were opened.
Many of our traditions came from the writings of Charles Dickens with his A Christmas Carol, including the ideas of festive foods and gifts.
We learned how turkeys came to the UK from America and were first farmed in Norfolk, from where the new railways could transport them throughout the country.
Katherine entertained us with Christmas carols and more contemporary songs with her beautiful clear soprano and we were invited to sing along, which most of us did.
Altogether a very entertaining and informative evening, I'm sure we all thought a lot about Katherine's words when we brought the tree in to decorate this year.
So what else have we been up to? Another venue for afternoon tea at Random Hall in Slinfold, which was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious and the service exemplary, and for those who couldn't make it due to illness a takeaway box was provided so the poorly ones didn't miss out too much.
We have also just had our WI Christmas party, it was a lovely evening hosted by our president Sandra. We all brought delicious buffet items and the committee provided the liquid refreshments, here are some of the pictures below.
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