Happy Christmas 2025

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas for 2025. Have a great New Year too. Christmas storms and Christmas shop windows seem to be a tradition going back some time, as this account from Kingsbridge 1884 describes.

Totnes Weekly Times - Saturday 27 December 1884

KINGSBRIDGE

The storm last week wrecked the roofs and chimney tops of many of the houses, and in the orchard lands and woods and lawns of the district, many trees were uprooted. The gale was from the west and south-west, and the wind blew with great violence, towards the morning of Saturday last.

A very narrow escape occurred in Mill street. One of the porters in the employ of Mrs Hannaford, grocer, only left the front of the shop for about 30 seconds, when a large portion of the roof slipped off in a solid mass, and if anyone had been in front of the shop at the time, there is no doubt but that they would have been seriously injured, if not

actually killed. Luckily no one was hurt.

The Shops of Fore street, are now gaily dressed with articles of great usefulness, suitable in most instances for Christmas and New Year's presents ; they present a very pretty appearance, which speaks well for the talent of the shop assistants, in knowing how to cater for the wants of the people, and to induce the public to make purchases, thus gaining the confidence of their employers.

As for the Grocers and Provision Shops. The Butchering establishments have a finer show than has been seen for many years. The Grocers Shops are elaborately dressed with all kinds of new fruits and Christmas dainties ; and although Kingsbridge cannot boast, as the great city of London does, at having sugar labelled up for sale at a 1d. and 2d. per lb.; yet the grocers and the fancy shop window tickets of prices, show that no one need go short, if they have only a trifle in their pockets.

This is the ancient church of St. Martin of Tours, in Sherford, South Devon.