Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 15th November, 2023)

Have seen these when walking down Higher Lane to Haigh Hall.

The skyline of Wigan is set to change dramatically from this great vantage point on Sunday 3rd December as the iconic  Fiddler's Ferry Power Station cooling towers  come crashing down. The demolition of the towers will take place on between 8am and noon.

I quite like seeing the trees growing outside with lights on. You can’t beat the scent of pine trees if brought inside though. It’s a long time since I bought a real one. It’s easier taking the artificial ones down as opposed to dragging a real one through the house and leaving needles all over the place …seem to be hoovering them up for weeks after. Bah! humbug. :o)) No doubt I’ll be accused of being a miserable so and so!

The lighting on the photo makes some trees to the left look as if they have snow on them. I have never had a real Christmas Tree, though my son always has one, (actually from somewhere in Aspull). Mine is a very "old faithful" imitation one with all original 1950s/1960s decorations. Someone across the road from me put theirs up, complete with flashing lights, on November 4th.....I would be fed up of it by December!

Like every thing in life real christmas trees are being priced out for a lot of people. I looked at the prices last year and an average sized tree started at about £30+.This is a hefty price for something that may last only a few weeks then ends up being thrown out.

The time has come, I love Christmas but don't like the commercial side of it.

Christmas is looming, lets not been Bah Humbug about it, because is not just about presents and gifts, the real point should be about Church and Jesus Christ.
With what's going on in the World, lets enjoy the festive season.

Time to get the festive lights out the loft.

Christmas is a time for families and friends, and of course the Church. Irene I agree about 50s and 60s Christmas decorations, a great reminder of childhood memories of the festive season. And all made in England and not this Chinese rubbish on sale today.

Advent begins on December the 1st not November the 4th or even previous. It’s certainly not the season of blow up FrChristmas’s either - they usually end up deflated in some gardens until Easter….too lazy to take the things in some folk. I agree the real message is being forgotten because of the commercial side of Christmas brought in far too early.

Malc, Christmas in England would be a very dim if it wasn't for the Chinese rubbish that's on sale in our shops today.

Mary I'm comparing quality and reliability....like Irene eluded to, she has decorations from the 50s and 60s, great, they'll almost certainly be British.

Irene's living proof that xmas decorations were better made back in the day. Plus beautiful memories of her children's Xmas especially.

The real reason is not much is British made these days and most products are from China, not just Christmas decorations but most things.
But I must applaud Irene's love for the 1950s and 1960s vintage decorations and so forth. They are indeed fantastic memories.

I'd love to hear Reverend David Long take on Christmas.
Forgive me, but do we still have Midnight mass in Church?

Of course Midnight Mass is still celebrated.

I can’t say my tree decorations are Chinese either most of mine are hand knitted figures from 20 years ago when I became a Grandma.
As I am a vociferous knitter I make my own things for Christmas. Even the stockings are what I have made. I wouldn’t part with them for the world. I don’t know about the baubles though …'

I'm so glad that people share my enthusiasm for 1950s/1960s baubles. but I am lucky enough to have some still in their boxes and they are foreign! They were bought in Woolworths in Wigan but were obviously imported. I even have some original paper ceiling decorations than unfold from their cardboard end-pieces but they are too fragile now to stand being opened and closed but I display them in an old toffee-tin in their unopened state. I also have original paper bells, very faded, and Woolworth's cardboard Father Christmas wall decorations with fold-out tissue-.paper bells. I'm forever spotting "my" decorations on "Goodnight Sweetheart" and "Heartbeat" and have even spotted some of my oldest ones on "Foyle's War"!

Ps I should have said ‘prolific knitter’ not vociferous!

Post war you had be well off to afford a real Christmas Tree, we had one for many years that had branches that looked more like green bristled drain cleaners than pine but we loved it and to decorate it was really exciting along with making paper chains to hang from the ceiling.
Fast forward to the mid 1970's when first married I acquired the much coveted real tree on Wigan market, what a commotion getting on the bus to Shevington, we were finding pine needles everywhere until well after Easter!!!
Love the smell of natural pine but hate the mono culture of these farms, they are mothing more than weeds, are an eye sore and do nothing for wild life. Give me a nice artificial tree any day.
Ours pops up out of a box in minutes complete with LED lights and decorations and has lasted us at least ten years and will last another twenty.
Sandra, I am sure midnight Mass is still going, although Anglican, St Wilfred Standish still has a midnight service.
Happy Christmas to you all.

I had an old set of Christmas light made at Ward and Goldstones and a suitcase full of old 50/60 decorations and always regret throwing them away.

There's a massive build up to Christmas, starting early November, on Boxing day its over.

Midnight mass starts late on Christmas eve and ends just after midnight, so your the first to celebrate Christmas day.
Since it was put on hold because of the pandemic, I'm not too sure if the Churches still hold the occasion with falling attendance numbers down each year.

PW, what a shame about your Christmas lights and baubles. I have a set of very old Pifco lights; they are bell-shaped with nursery rhyme characters on but unfortunately don't work, but they are in their original box and I just display them on the fireplace. We managed to get hold of some extra nursery rhyme bell-shaped coverings and my husband fitted them over some modern lights and I display them over the mantel-shelf. I have old-fashioned toys under the tree....a spinning top, a 1940s doll, a golliwog, a reproduction Post-Office Set and an original 1950s child's painting-box. It looks like a museum in our house! Lol!

Sounds great Irene.
When we get close to Christmas, sent a pic on photo a day, it will be fitting.

Irene take a photo of your wonderful 50s and 60s vintage classical decos and post a photo-a-day near Christmas time, it'll be wonderful and will bring back so many great memories of our childhood Christmases.

I have a Pifco torch lantern given to me in 1967 after my grandfather past away. It still works.
It has a white lamp and a flashing red top.

That’s a brilliant idea Irene, I look forward to seeing your tree ornaments and toys from the past. The photo would look good on Album… after all they are 60 odd years old.

Irene I would love to see the 1940’s doll it may look like a doll I owned in the early fifties which was left in the rain and it went soft ….I don’t know what it was made of but it certainly wasn’t plastic.

Veronica - the beginning of Advent is not a fixed date - it does not begin on December 1st. It begins with the first of four Sundays of Advent - so moves about according to when Christmas Day falls. This year Advent Sunday is on December 3rd - but last year it was on November 27th - so the season of Advent varies in length. Advent Calendars, on the other hand, always have to have the same number of days in them - so they begin on December 1st every year - regardless of when Advent itself begins. Perhaps that's what you meant?
As for Midnight Mass - I'll be celebrating one this year, but some churches may not have re-started them after Covid. That changed service patterns at many churches. Some churches - such as All Saints in Wigan - had to abandon them years ago because of the number of drunks who suddenly became religious on Christmas Eve.

Thank you Rev David, the trusted voice on Wigan World.

Yes you are right Reverend. It’s the feast of Christ the King this Sunday it’s always the last Sunday of the Liturgical year. Then Advent is the week after. Which as you say is on the 3rd of December.
I don’t know if we will be having Midnight Mass this year as we have a new priest. The last few years have been earlier.
I will never forget when I actually went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem 17 years ago. God help all who live in that stricken land today.

Irene, I agree with Alan and Malc. It would be lovely to see a photo of your living room at Christmas. Maybe on Pad or Album like Veronica suggested.I think you have a request to fulfil please.xx

Oops! NOT this Sunday the following one.
It’s coming too quick as it is!

When you say mantel- shelf Irene , … whereabouts is this mantel-shelf located exactly ?

It wouldn’t by any chance be positioned directly above the fireplace where I recall our cornish being located would it ?
……………..
A metre or so above the grate and the esshole that is ?

Ozy, the fireplace is a 1999 wooden reproduction of an old-fashioned style fireplace with a grate edged in tiles and a shelf over the top on which to put ornaments. We always called in "t'cornish", (the Ince way of saying "cornice") when I was a child, Mantelshelf or Mantelpiece being the same thing. Veronica, the 1940s doll has a solid red body in what looks like an "all-in-one" garment made of a felt-like material which extends into a hood over her head. She has a sweet little pottery face peeping out of that; I will send you a photo.

Thanks Irene, my doll was made out of some sort of mug. I can’t remember what the body was made of though. The head and face looked ‘caved in’ with the rain as if it had melted. Poor thing!
Our fireplace in the kitchen was wood and it was called the ‘Cornish’ the shelf that ran along the top. The front room was a black leaded fireplace made from cast iron. My dad took the wooden one out for a tiled fireplace. He did try in his own way to make things better.

We were only allowed admittance to the front place twice annually .
One occasion being Christmas Day , the other being jelly Sunday , …. and I don’t recall having ever owned a doll with a caved in face , or any other doll minus a caved in face actually , although I’m forced to concede that my ex -wife would’ve had her work cut out attempting to gain a bronze medal in the Miss Wiggin contest ….

Although to be fair … unlike the majority of wimmin that appear to inhabit Wiggin of late , she did weigh substantially less than 20 stone , was completely devoid of tattoos , had no lip , tongue or other facial piercings and didn’t partake of mood enhancing substances …apart from the occasion bottle of sherry that is .

And despite the fact that she never succeeded in gaining employment with the brothers Roux , I don’t recall ever ending up in A&E as a direct result of her less than perfect culinary expertise … But look at me now .

Bloody Hell ! … I’m reduced to beans on toast tomorrow … cheese on toast Friday … chips and beans Saturday …
I’m beginning to wonder if I took a wrong turning at some point .

Nah ! … only kiddin !

I make the best chips in Wiggin …

And if you don’t believe me , then call round at the Anderson French Fries Emporium soon , before trading standards close me down .

I’m not on Facebook so you’ll have to find your own way there .

I’ll even chuck in a free sausage for the first couple of punters .

How’s about that then eh ?

Hang on ! … that phrase sounds weirdly familiar .