The Christmas season is a time for traditions, and for many of us in the UK, those traditions include the unforgettable holiday treats that filled our stockings and our hearts in the 70s and 80s. These sweets weren’t just for snacking; they were part of the magic that made Christmas feel like the most wonderful time of the year.

Want to hear the extended blog?  Then, you can listen to it on my podcast.  Or just scroll to the end of this blog to go to the recording.

A Rainbow of Festive Treats
What’s Christmas without a splash of colour? Fruit Pastilles, Black Jacks, and Fruit Salads added vibrance and flavour to our holiday bowls. Each candy brought a burst of fruity sweetness, filling the house with a rainbow of festive cheer. Who could resist the thrill of unwrapping a Black Jack or the tang of a Fruit Salad on a winter’s day?

The Chocolate Tin Tradition
Every family had its tin of Quality Street, Roses, or Heroes. The unwrapping, the careful selection, and sometimes a little family “negotiation” over the last caramel or strawberry cream – these tins were a treasure trove of flavours that we’d wait all year to enjoy.

Find out more about the history of Quality Street and why they are individually wrapped on Wikipedia.
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Today, 6th December, is the feast day of St Nicolas of Myra. 

​Amongst other things, he was known for his habit of secretly giving gifts and over the years following his death in 343CE, his name gave rise to varients of Santa Claus from such things as the Dutch; Sinterklass from Saint Nicolas.

We would always go to Shinners, the big department store, where my Grandmother worked.  It would either be for the staff children's party or to visit Santa's Grotto.  Either way, we didn't pay to visit Father Christmas as it was part of my Grandma's staff Christmas present.  Other people attending would pay.

I would sit on Santa's lap, tell him what I wanted for Christmas, promise to be good, have our photo taken and be given a gift.

This year's present for my Brother (and Sister In Law) and Sister (and Brother in Law) was a book pillow.

Book pillows are very on trend this year, but I first saw them late last year.  The concept is easy; a pillow with a pocket at the front which is designed to hold the book you are reading.  They also often have a loop at the top to act as a handle, so that you can carry them from one cosy place to another.  

I had been wandering over on Spoonflower.  It's a fantastic site where people can upload their drawings and illustrations to create print on demand fabric, wallpaper, bedding and other fabric-based items.  You can order fabric on different materials and anything from a 20x20cm swatch, a fat quarter or by the metre.

We have an in-family joke regarding Jane Austen.  We are distantly related to her on our paternal side. She is our 2nd cousin 6x removed.  So, when I have the opportunity, I include something Janite related.

I found two fabrics that I particularly liked.  One was covered in quotes and the other was filled with drawings of book covers.  At the time of writing, a metre of cotton poplin is just under £20.  I decided to order a metre of each. The fabric takes around 8 - 10 days to be printed and is 106cm wide.  I ordered on 2nd October and it was delivered just 11 days later on 13th.  Shipping for the two metres was just over £5.  

I was happy to pay for the print on demand fabric as I would make the cushions unique.  Add to this that I got the back panels as ready made (with the zips already inserted) in the closing down sale at Colemans, earlier in the year, I felt it was worth being a little indulgent for the main fabric.

I used a good quality quilting calico as the lining for the pocket to give some weight to the pocket and hopefully stop it from sagging over time.

In all, it took longer to iron the fabric pieces, once cut out, than it did to sew them all up.

I found a great tutorial on the 'Hello Sewing' blog with a guide to fabric sizes.  I made the pocket a little shorter than recommended, but that was just a personal preference.  There is also a video tutorial by the same blogger.

I only have a small number of people that I give presents to. 

​So, as each of them are craft worthy, I plan through the year to make something special.

A few years back, I made myself a crochet scarf and loved it so much, I decided to make one each for my sister and sister-in-law.  Colours are easy.  Sue, my SIL loves shades of blue.  Kris, my sister, loves reds and purples.

The yarn is Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball.  Mindful Mauve for my sister in shades of cream, warm brown and purples.  Healing Teal for my SIL in shades of grey, teal and blue.

The pattern is Diagonal Eyelets by Lion Brand and whilst shawl in a ball behaves like an Aran weight yarn, it's actually more like a 4ply so you get this light open texture that is soft from the cotton / acrylic mix.  As a project, it crochets up in a few evenings, so definitely something you can whip up as a fast present for someone who is crochet-worthy.

For my brother and brother-in-law, that year, I decided that this would be the year that I taught myself to not just knit, but knit in the round with colour work. 

​Working with chunky wool, which is more forgiving and works up quickly, I knitted Christmas Tree Hats.  I made two with the brown earth rib and loved them so much that I then made one with the red rib for myself.

The pattern is X-mas Trees beanie from Patternery.

So, not a bad start. 

Then the following year, around August, I saw a kit to make a blanket.  To buy enough yarn and make a blanket is a big investment.  But, at the time, the yarn was half price so I couldn't resist.  

The pattern was a 'tartan' throw by Deramores, in their chunky yarn.  Much later, I found out that this yarn borders on super chunky and that is how I ended knitting from September to December, and creating two single bed sized blankets that then had to be 'embroidered' with the vertical stripes of the pattern. 

This was the first Christmas of lockdown and in early January, my brother had to go to the hospital for a check up.  My SIL went with him, but had to stay in the car.  She took the blanket, that I made, with her to snuggle up in whilst she waited.  I think that is the best recommendation for someone being knitworthy.

I added a leather tag that said 'handmade by Liz' and pasted the washing instructions for the yarn onto the rear of a gift tag as a way to pass them on.

Then onto last Christmas.  I have no idea why, but I had the urge to make tea cosies.  Hubby thought I had gone completely mad.  He kept asking me if my siblings drank tea.  But by the end of the knitting and sewing, he was just the slightest bit jealous and asking about having one made for him.  Fox on a flower mound for my sister.  Cat on a green hill.