A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Milly and Dottie!

Happy Memories

We recently posted this video clip on our Facebook page and were very surprised at the number of happy memories it brought back for us both and for our customers.



The annual trip up to London to see the lights, a visit to Hamleys and one or two of the other Department stores, Liberty's or Selfridges perhaps. No trip would be complete without a visit to Santa, a photo taken and a nosey round the toy department.
We may be looking through rose tinted glasses but it all seemed a tad happier then. Yes, there may have been the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers but there certainly wasn't the mass buying that we see today.



Christmas presents were real treats to be savoured. If you saw a doll you liked, and were lucky enough to receive it on the big day, you knew that that was your main present and that you were very lucky indeed... Do you remember the feel of Christmas cards too? The paper and wrapping paper had such a distinctive feel to it... and do you remember making stained glass Christmas cards at school, rainbow coloured tissue paper, black card and glue everywhere!!



Invariably there was a chill in the December air as you stepped onto the pavements after the cosy warmth of the Department store, but you were wrapped up warm in your hat and scarves and best coat. Perhaps a trip to buy some hot roasted chestnuts would do the trick? Milly remembers there always being a chestnut stall just up from Liberty's by the London Palladium - is it still there?



Back in our own grotto, we would like to thank all of you who have paid us a visit. Santa's shelves are very much lighter than when we opened! We are still adding stock so please pop back again for a visit, you never know what you might find. Many of the items that we have sold recently have sent us on many a trip down a festive memory lane!



If like us, the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping leaves you feeling a little less jolly than you should, how about a wander through the Emporium. Many a vintage Christmas gift is waiting on the shelves to be shared.



From colourful, floral prints in our Attic and vintage calendars to take you way back in time,



a touch of pampering in the Boudoir, childhood delights in the Nursery, books for young and old,




fiction and fact in the Library,



rations, recipes and receptacles in the Scullery and



sewing bits and bobs in the Sewing Room.
Have fun! Keep warm and please let us know of any Christmas childhood shopping experiences you can remember.