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This newspaper page contains 11 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Queanbeyan Observer
Location
Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Date
Dec 24, 1901
Page
7
Christmas supplement presents playful verse about holiday joys and excess. Poems titled The Lover and Paterfamilias humorously weigh festive cheer against pies puddings and big family food bills.
In a vivid reminiscence set near Plaintown, a Pascoe’s Christmas revelry unfolds with Ned Long Ned and a keg of blasting powder aiding in fending off bushrangers. The tale follows a midnight raid, ink-bottle bombs, and the aftermath at Reefer’s Arms, revealing intertwined plots, romance, and a curious twist involving Julie and a Sydney visitor.
A reader offers a method for decorating a six foot Christmas tree. Emphasizes securing each article firmly before attaching candle clips, as candles must stand upright and steady. Mentions bending branches slightly lowers candle position and notes lovely ornaments including imitation butterflies.
The article notes Christmas is celebrated worldwide including the Arctic and Australian outback, while polar expeditions keep tins and pudding intact for a festive feast. It describes arctic dishes, bear roast, salmon, and ale, then contrasts India where Xmas dawns on a hot blue sky prompting a gruff reaction from Private Asking as Christmas is celebrated despite heat.
The piece describes festive table decor and customs for Christmas. It cites how households in Germany and other places create decorative frames, moss arrangements, and a wreath frame around central elements. It notes egg coloring and hiding, with family scenes of sharing eggs and preparing for seasonal celebrations.
The article describes placing two lamp chimneys over holes in a shallow pasteboard box and using a candle in one, with a burning touch paper in the other. Smoke travels downward then upward due to air draughts, and blocking with a hand shows the downward current can extinguish the candle if air entry is limited.
A fragment from a Christmas era piece notes that in certain cities the holiday has never felt joyous yet remains a pleasant time despite the mood. The text hints at urban sentiment during Christmas with a cautious, reflective tone.
In hillside sheiling, Angus and Donald labor to distill hot whisky on Christmas Eve while evading Inland Revenue Officers. Donald tends the still and watches for officers as peat is piled high. A line from Sir Walter Scott is quoted about keeping a merry Christmas still.
An old laird hosting Christmas parties scolds a piper for not playing well due to a dry pipes issue. The piper claims a bad bag causes the sound and quips that whisky will soften it. The butler fetches a tumbler, and the piper secretly uses the bag to drink, prompting the laird to accuse the rascal while the piper insists the bag will not be forty peculiar pipes and that the banshee—er bag—prefers being blown.
The piece recalls wassail bowl traditions once common in northern communities and among monasteries, detailing how the bowl was shared at Christmas feasts and door to door for charity. It notes the grace cup and loving cup terms used in other contexts and mentions festive giving related to Christmas and family birthdays.
A long how to guide offers novel low effort holiday presents for women, from a patient’s album for recipes and family notes to handmade desk and ornament items. It suggests an album with perfume sachet lining, painted details, and lilting ribbon labels, plus small crafts like a dial clock, pocket pincushion, jewelry boxes, and card suit decorations for an aggenilanan’s desk.
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