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RUTH WINSTON COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWSLETTER NO.28. Winter/Christmas Edition 2020. This will be the last newsletter before Christmas and I sincerely hope 2021 will see the finish of this terrible pandemic. I am sure you will agree, it has altered our lives so much especially not being able to meet our friends at the Centre. Writing this letter to you over the last 9 months or so has been a life saver to me, as it has given me something to do and contributed to reducing the boredom at this terrible time. So, thanks to everyone, who has sent me news throughout the year and I would also like to add my heartfelt thanks to Chris Rash, who works wonders with the design of this letter. Also, to Liz and Debbie, who send it out as an email and by post. So have the happiest Christmas that you can and keep well. So, I look forward to hearing from many of you again next year. So some seasonal information! The History of the Christmas pudding.….………….……… Christmas pudding originated in England. A traditional pudding is dark in colour and usually soaked with brandy or other alcohol. The origin of the Christmas or plum pudding goes back centuries and is steeped in tradition. The very first version of the pudding originated in the 14th century. The British made porridge called “frumenty” made of beef and mutton with raisins, wines, currants, and spices – quite a collection of tastes! At that time pudding tended to be more like soup and was eaten in the time of Christmas preparation. By the end of the 14th century, frumenty had gone through several names including plum pudding, Christmas pudding, or just Pud! After the 16th century, dried fruit became more available, and the pudding slowly shifted from savoury to sweet. Plum pudding became the customary Christmas dessert around 1650, but in 1664 the Puritans in England attempted to ban it. It’s said that the Puritans thought Christmas pudding to be ‘sinfully rich’ and ‘unfit for God-fearing people’. In 1714, King George 1 re-established it as part of the Christmas meal, having tasted and enjoyed plum pudding. Christmas pudding once again became the customary dessert of a Christmas meal by the middle of the 17th century. The interesting thing is, plum pudding does not contain any plums! This goes back to the Victorian practice of substituting dried plums with other dried fruits, such as raisins. Dried plums or prunes were so popular that any goods which contained dried fruits were referred to as ‘plum cakes’ or ‘plum pudding’. Traditionally Christmas pudding is made five weeks before Christmas, on or after the last Sunday before the first Advent (the last Sunday in the Church Year). Each family member in a household would stir the pudding and make a wish. Everyone in the house would take turns, stirring the pudding by three times to make a wish, it was believed that if an unmarried person forgets to join in, they will not find a partner in the upcoming year. There are many traditions and customs which we still observe ie. adding a silver coin etc. It is said that Christmas pudding needs to be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the twelve disciples, TRUE OR FALSE? Many people from Scandinavia believe that, if you spread birdseed outside your door step or garden on Christmas morning, thus including the birds in the feasting that takes place inside your home, your household will enjoy good fortune during the coming year. Did you know that,,,,,,,,,,, Interesting December Facts: 1. Christies the famous auction house was founded by James Christie in December 1766. 2. In December 1897, the Royal Automobile Club was launched. 3. In December 1932 the BBC began its Empire Service which since 1965 is known as The World Service. It is the world’s largest international broadcaster. 4. The Raleigh Cycle Company was founded in December 1887 in Nottingham. 5. In December 1950 the Peak District became the first United Kingdom National Park. 6. In December 1766 Charles Mackintosh invented the waterproof coat which subsequently took his name. QUICK TIP: Keep your cling film in the fridge. A lot of people find it much more cooperative and easier to use when it is cold. Why do we eat turkey on Christmas day?....………………. Turkeys were first brought into Britain in 1526, before this time, for Christmas meals people used to eat geese, boars’ head and even peacocks. Turkeys were eaten instead of cows and chickens because the farmers needed their cows more for their milk, and needed their chickens for the eggs, which back then were more expensive than they are today. So instead of killing off one of their livestock for Christmas, they’d have a turkey as it was something different and they could save their livestock to produce more milk and eggs. King Henry Vlll was the first person to eat a turkey on Christmas day, however it wasn’t until the 1950’s that the turkey was a more popular Christmas meal choice than the goose. Today in the UK, we eat around 10 million turkeys every year for Christmas time. 25% of British people buy their turkeys months in advance. A survey shows that the top three most popular ways to serve leftover Christmas turkey are sandwiches, soups, stews or salads. Joyce Newman told me a funny story: Many years ago she hung a hot cross bun on a piece of string under her stairs as it was supposed to bring her luck! She said she wished she could write a poem about it – so I said I would do just that – so here it is. ……………… Many years ago, just for fun, For this hot cross bun Under my stairs I hung a hot cross bun. Is now very solid It’s supposed to be lucky for you to keep. And I’m sure by now There’s still lots of fruit left It will taste rather horrid That one must not eat. I’ll still leave it hanging On the string under there, And still remain hopeful If I die in despair! FACT OR FICTION? The evergreen mistletoe has long been prized during the Winter with the Druids in particular considering it to be a sacred plant with medical qualities and supernatural powers of fertility. The plant is a parasite, which passes between trees through the digestive action of birds. The use of Mistletoe in Druidic ritual was detailed by the Roman natural historian, Pliny the elder and led to the custom that if, while out in the woods, two foes encountered each other whilst standing under the plant, both had to lay down their weapons until the following day. Christmas QUIZ 1. To which country does Christmas Island belong? 2. What is made on “Stir-Up Sunday”? 3. Which English Statesman banned Christmas 4. What was stolen from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1950? 5. In which city was Handel’s Messiah first performed? 6. In Dickens “A Christmas Carol” what is the full name of Scooge’s put upon clerk? 7. Which Christmas Carol was broadcast from space in 1965? 8. The Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square is given by which country as thank- you for Britain’s help in WWII? 9. What is the best-selling Christmas single ever? Title and singer please. 10. Complete the following line: “On the 6th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me” Message from the Staff and Trustees 2020 has definitely been a very difficult and strange year for us all and we can only hope that 2021 holds something better for us. We have missed you all and the Centre is not the same without the sounds of our members chatting and laughter, which echoes around the building. We are sure you are equally sad not to be here with your Friends. Rest assured, we are doing everything that we can to make sure that we can open safely as soon as we are given permission by the Government, so please keep yourselves safe and well so that we can all be back together again as soon as possible. We greatly appreciate all of the support that our amazing Members have shown us with their very generous donations as well as supporting the raffle, which was very close to our target. (The draw will be live on Zoom), Without this generous support, we would not be able to continue, which would be incredibly sad considering that we are due to celebrate our 60th Anniversary in March 2021. So please everybody, remain optimistic and we will meet again. We would like to wish all of our members a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. The celebration of Christmas started in Rome about 336 (but it did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century). Many Christmas traditions, such as decorating trees, started in Germany and later spread to other parts of the world, notably England and the United States. Christmas was traditionally a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Je- sus, but in the early 20th century, it also became a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike. The secular holiday is often devoid of Christian elements, with the mythical figure Santa Claus playing the pivotal role. A WALK IN THE PARK It has been suggested by a number of Members that it would be great to meet up in the local park for a walk and of course observing social distancing.

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