General Chat

Hello All I thought you would like to read these snippets from an article of a book I purchased recently. Chambers Journal 1876. which I bought pennies. Saturday December 16 1876 Take a glimpse of England in the days of the stage-coach at Christmas time, and then what an animated spectacle it presents itself! The road is alive with passengers and vehicles of every description; The famous Norfolk coach laden, nay well nigh overwhelmed, with the poultry of the country, on its way to London, must have been a most suggestive sign of the time, being itself at once the herald and conveyer of the festive turkey. The 'Yule Clog' or 'Log' was a great feature in Christmas customs of olden times, and is still lighted in some parts on Christmas day. It was once the custom to kindle the log with the last years brand, and was first placed in the middle of the hall and not suffered to be thrown on the fire till each guest had sung his Christmas song. The 'Christmas candles' with their wreaths of evergreen originated in the former name of Christmas ' The feast of Lights'. A word on the host of observances of Christmas day. Would not the juveniles of this age at once rise in an indignant conclave to protest against the omission of the subject the 'plumb-pudding' This dish was once called 'the hackin' presumably from the chopping that is necessary; and as dinner was generally served in ancient times at one P.M. an old book says that 'the hackin must be in boiling by daybreak, or else the cook must be run round the market-place by two young men till she is ashamed of her laziness. Merry Christmas shirley

Thank goodness for Pressure Cookers! Very interesting, Shirley. Conjures up quite a picture! Thanks for that..... Merry Christmas! Janet

thats lovely shirley thanks merry xmas to you and yours.

"or else the cook must be run round the market-place by two young men " seems to me any wise cook would leave the hackin until well into the day :op