Visit a good olde English pub this Christmas

I really would suggest if you are in My England over Christmas that you enjoy a pub meal. There is nothing like going into a pub at Christmas the fire going, the smells often of yesterday. Many have old beams and the jolly feeling that although you might be a foreigner you are welcome in. It is as if you are part of this family. That has been my experience. Pub food is priced fairly well in comparison to eating out a restaurant in England which can be very pricey.

You see that many pubs date back a long time the oldest pub in England dates back to 795 Ye Olde fighting Cock in St.Albans well that is at least what my computer has informed me.

I loved going to some of the pubs and having a meal. I felt like I was transported back in time.

You have to try some turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day the day after Christmas and enjoy sitting back in a chair by the fire.

I love the sandwiches in the summer at a local pub, so take a trip to a local pub and enjoy a wonderful Christmas sandwich with all the trimmings of mustard and pickles on the side.

I don't drink alcohol but i do love the family feeling and the meals that one can enjoy there.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Dare to see a Nativity in England

If you are heading to England for the holidays, I dare you to venture into a small old church and watch the children put on a Nativity play. The little girls laughing and the boys being shepherds. Least we forget the baby doll, that some how always gets dropped. In saying all that there is magic when you go in and watch children telling a story of long ago. Your heart and soul smiles.

Take the time to listen to their voices singing Carols maybe slightly different than where you are from. To me I close my eyes and see my nephews Christmas play and carols been sung in Aylmerton and Stanton village. From Christmas services to end the school year at Cromer to singing carols at The Potters house in Bury St. Edmunds. They are cherished memories that I ask you to share and be a part of.

If you dare to venture into a church you will be captured in a part of England that is only captured at this time of year.

Truly may God bless you in doing so.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Christmas in London 2011

Christmas in any major city can be full of fun. I have ventured into London for a few. To see the amazing lights and window displays is pure magic. The bookstores seem to flood with magic as old stories come to life of sugar plum fairies and Scrooge, seem to fill our minds of a time captured in books from long ago.

The many places to ice skate take us back to a time when perhaps life was just a little bit more simple. The many markets with traditional wreaths and sweets galore and you can even find chestnuts been sold, will cheer any soul. You might well find sweets and traditions from many countries as you walk the many streets of London.

The buses seem to have no end to the journey up and down Oxford street and oh dear Covent Gardens. I loved walking around Liberties and looking at the wonderful material's.

Garlands and lights fill this city and the traditional Christmas tree in Trafalgar square to me just brings a smile across my face. The many musicals and pantomimes that can be watched around London you just have to see one Panto' to be pulled in and love them.

Westminster Abbey and many churches throughout the city will have amazing services throughout this time of year. You might learn a new carol or two.

It is just magical, even landing in London over Christmas is just special.

So take the time to walk down the old streets of London try a mince pie or two, see a Panto and experience a magical city that you will never ever forget.

Below are some useful links enjoy.

http://www.londonforchristmas.com/ http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/

http://www.londontown.com/London/Christmas-Carols-and-Services-in-London?searchCriteria=Southbank%20Centre

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26 each year. Here is a few countries that celebrate it: Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and Canada. This holiday started in the nineteenth century in Britain while Queen Victoria was reigning. The name Boxing Day comes from the tradesmen who went out to get their Christmas boxes. The boxes were given the day after Christmas and were for their hard work and trustworthiness throughout the year. On this day, people celebrate by eating the leftovers from Christmas day in a sandwich or in a dinner with roast potatoes, vegetables, and much more. My Nana would give salt beef for dinner to her family on Boxing Day. This beef would have to be ordered in. Usually people will give money or something to charities, people who need it, or those who have been in service jobs.

No one is for sure when Boxing Day actually started but some think that it could have started in the Middle Ages (A.D. 400's-1500's), or in England when the lords and ladies gave presents in boxes to their servants. They have also thought it might have started with the priests who opened their charity boxes and gave money to the poor. All of these traditions, along with many others, were done the day after Christmas.

A lot of sports are held of Boxing Day. Fox hunting used to be done in England where the higher class of people dressed in red and brought their dogs to hunt the poor foxes down. Football matches and horse racing are well-known games that are watched on TV. The Boxing Day Dip (swim) started in 1970 in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with the Tenby Boxing Day Swim. People will dress up into silly clothes and swim in the North Sea. This a charity event held in Europe. The largest Boxing Day Dip (swim) is held by Lions Club of Sunderland, England.

"Good King Wenceslas", a Christmas song loved by my Nana, tells of St. Stephen who was the first martyred Christian. Just a little after Christ's crucifixion, St. Stephen was stoned, but he is still well-known in his Christmas carol. Because of him, Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day.

So this year's Boxing Day (December 26) remember to enjoy the day and have fun.

Emily

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights.

There's always room for one more.

Christmas lights in England.

There is something special and fairy tale like about seeing Christmas lights. As a child I remember going window shopping in Norwich and seeing all the window displays.

London has some amazing lights and can be seen by going around on the buses or simply walking.

But every city and even village has it's magic.

From Santa dashes in many towns and cities to lights on a Melksham house England and it's magic will leave an everlasting impression on your minds of a time past and wonders to come.

Many transport us back into time.

So if you find yourself in England this Christmas enjoy the lights be a child again and allow that magic to transport you back in time.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Christmas Crackers the party version.

Required Supplies and Equipment	Wrapping paper (cut to 7.5 x 12 inches) -- crackers made with lighter weight papers will tear apart easier when pulled. Stiffener ends (cut into 2.25 x 7 inches -- use 60-70 weight white card stock, such as 67# Exact Vellum Bristol. Fortunes, jokes or riddles. Cracker snaps. Paper hats. Small gifts or novelty items (at least one per cracker). Cracker rollers (1 pair). Cardboard tubes (2 x 4 inches). Low temperature glue gun. Scissors. Curling ribbon.
Step by Step Directions	1 -- Insert rollers into ends of cardboard tube (if fit between tube and roller is not snug enough, add a little masking tape to smaller (red) end of roller).
	2 -- Lay roller-tube assembly on back of wrapping paper making certain tube is centered across length of paper. Apply a small drop of glue from glue gun to bottom middle edge of paper and roll tube back over glue.
	3 -- Place snap under front (leading) edge of roller-tube assembly, making certain snap is centered across length of paper.
	4 -- Roll paper onto roller-tube assembly to within a half inch or so of paper's end. Make certain paper rolls evenly (straight) onto tube.
	5 -- With glue gun, run a narrow bead of glue along back of paper about a quarter inch in from top edge. Roll paper over glue keeping glued seam pressed against work surface for several seconds to allow glue to harden (placement of glue bead may have to be adjusted slightly inward if glue flows out of seam onto outer surface of wrapping paper).
	6 -- While holding paper cylinder in middle (one hand grasping cardboard tube), remove roller from each end of cylinder.
	7 -- Roll stiffener end into slightly smaller diameter cylinder than cracker and insert into end of cracker until even with outer edge. Do not cover snap during this procedure -- it must remain free in end of cracker.
	8 -- Spread stiffener out firmly against inside wall of cracker end and glue into place with glue gun. 9 -- Repeat step 8 on other end of cracker.
	10 -- Using thumb and forefinger, crimp (gather) one end of cracker between tube and reinforced (stiffened) end.
	11 -- Securely tie a 10 - 12 inch length of curling ribbon onto the gather of the cracker using a double knot. Then clip off the loose ribbon ends.
	12 -- Insert gifts/messages into open end of the cracker. The fillable central part of the cracker measures 2 inches in diameter by 4 inches in length. Your items must fit comfortably into this space in order for the cracker to be closed and finished. When filling your crackers, make certain you do not push the cracker snap into the center of the cracker.
	13 -- Repeat steps 11 and 12 for open end of cracker.
	14 -- Check the finished end of the cracker to make certain the snap is located near the outer rim of the cracker and not too far down into the cylinder. Reposition with fingers as necessary.
Your cracker is now finished and ready to be shared with your party guests. Some practice is usually required to make a consistently well-wrapped and formed cracker. Techniques such as the one described above using solid core centers, rollers, and stiffened ends have been found by many people to be among the easiest methods for making nice looking crackers. Other techniques and directions for making your own party crackers can be found at the following web addresses: http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/make-your-own-crackers.htm I found this site which explains very clearly how to make our English Crackers. Everyone who has ever gone to England at Christmas will be familiar with the good olde English Cracker. As a child many of us will remember getting a party hat and a joke. We even had little crackers on the tree. The gifts inside really are up to you. Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights There's always room for one more.

Bless someone else this Christmas and be blessed.

Well I hate doing this but my post on here is similar to the one on my other blog. I would not be true to myself if before I start sharing the amazing things about Christmas in England I point out the many that need help.

In this economy it is easy when we are doing well not to reach out. I meet a woman today at church she said "more food would be nice" we are not living in the Victorian era, we can all help. A friend sent me gifts I felt so humbled and blessed honestly I miss home more than words can say. She said she was now in a position to bless others. There are many single families, widows, elderly people, people without a job or who are working minimal wage jobs and fighting to survive. Please if you can help in anyway someone you know or just call, take food over. An act of kindness goes such a long way. Single parents deal with the heartache of seeing their children see how every penny counts. Widows are trying to heal sometimes broken hearts and the elderly are often forgotten and are in cold homes alone.

I am not preaching simply asking where ever you live.

Do an act of kindness this Christmas it will bring such blessings.

Wishing you lots of blessings as you think of how to bless someone else.

Lisa