Best memories of Christmas

Thanks Barbara--and sorry Rick (virtual tissues to you)! Ledbury is a wonderful place, and all the more so during the holidays. Here is Stephen Nunney's photo of St. Michael and All Angels where the carol service was held:

Picture by Stephen Nunney

If you've got time, take a look at the other POE photos of Ledbury--definitely a great place to visit! On New Year's Eve 2003, we had a spectacular meal at a restaurant just 30 yards down Church Lane from Ivy Cottage called the Malthouse--and then a trip to the cinema in nearby Great Malvern on New Year's Day to see Return of the King! It doesn't get much better than that!

Yes Ledbury is a lovely place to spend Christmas Rob. It isn't far from me - less than an hour's drive. We go to Malvern quite often. We go to Bewdley every Christmas now as most of my family live there. 

Lovely to read all your heart warming memories of Christmas everyone!

That must have been a great Christmas Diana.

A few other Christmas memories have come to mind. As a child we always had wonderful Christmas lights that were Cinderella coaches all across the window sill. They were very magical. On Christmas morning my big sister always waited to see me open my presents before she opened hers. She still does even now!

Christmas 1982 we were living at Stroud Green in Newbury, Berks. This was our first Christmas in England. Several young boys and girls were outside our front door carolling. We invited them in, made them some hot chocolate and fed them some Oreo cookies (biscuits to you Brits), they sang some more right in our sitting room.

I gave them each two pounds, their eyes lit up, and off they went.

The next evening I think every kid in Newbury was singing at our door!

I tipped the newsboy a tenner and fifty for the milkman for Christmas. They were overwhelmed.

It wasn't until I asked my friend Derek, what I should have tipped that I found out that Christmas tips like that were huge and the norm was quite a bit less.

That was okay, though, because my milk was never late and my newspaper was never wet.

And we made some people very happy.

I think the streets of this town were better decorated when I was an kid then they are now, now they are all white litghts on everything. Back then they were huge swags with colored lights across the street in different themes. like poinsetta flowers, Santa claus, Bells, snowmen etc, and colored lights wrapped around the poles. But there were actually people in town back then...you could "window shop". Things were open and busy...now the old district, its banks closed, and nothing much going on, back then we had two things that drew people into town, one was several grocery stores and the other was an "five an dime" variety store. Most ot things now is kid clothing shops, the odd Fellow lodge, with closed windows on the building, and one restruant...an spa...not much. The city tree is an "laugh" most people  have bigger trees in their houses now. City park looks dark and deserted also. That's the old section, the new section is closer to where I live... and its completely different. More or less cosndered by many these days to be "town" more then the other side...it's got the grocery stores, the fast food places, restruants, and the small malls...the activity. You people need to come over an show them what an "historic" Christmas is all about...carolers on the street, carriage rides, roller skating in city park, huge fire pit and hot chocolate, .BIG decorated tree, small "let's get warm"..covered open market ideas for not to much money. Raffle tickets to different things in town they could win. 15 minute concerts...at least on two Saturday's before Chrismtas.  Light decorated vehicle parade. I tcould be done if everyone would get together and just "do it". I feel sorry for anyone these days in business in the old section of town. Bah humbug!.. heh?

Sadly Shirley it is happening here too. Our High Streets are being killed off by the "malls" - we have followed suit. I live opposite one of the biggest out of town shopping centres in the UK. They put up the decorations there in October! The car parks are packed there this time of year. Our local towns are being slowly destroyed - they closed the local High Street library this year so less people visit the town and they are fast becoming areas for night time trouble as more and more food takeaways open up to attract night time business.

Yes there still is the historic celebrations in the tourist visited towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon - but business is even significantly down there (we have friends who own two shops there).

I agree with you Shirley - Christmas spirit is definitely suffering!

1.  The Christmas after I got my first Barbie doll for my birthday, my mom made me an entire wardrobe of clothes for her from fabric scraps she had collected.

2.  As a child, I loved going "downtown" to see the animated window decorations in the department stores.  Magical stuff, that!

Awh shucks Diana, I'm going red all over!!! Lol

But thank you dear friend.