Christmas Puddings

lim118 and rggoodie, Please send pudding and don't forget the silver!!! We don't have any traditions over here that would equal that amazing story! You won't get much Xmas out of me as I tend to believe it is meant for the kids (the commercial part) as most adults already have more than their homes can hold. Xmas advertising started over two months ago and usually by mid-November I am fed up with the constant barrage of propaganda. Actually I have always felt I should give gifts to those I love when ever I so choose other than having the government or religion dictate what day I should do it? I find countless thousands every year, posing for photos and acting like they care about humanity for a few days each year repulsive. See what they will all be doing two weeks later? I know I won't gain much favor from many of you but Xmas in our throw away society really rubs me the wrong way. Traditions such as this "pudding" seems very attractive to me as I, through the years, have tried to start our own little traditions but to no avail! Commercialism has won!
Now, what gifts are greatest, if I must receive one? High on my list would be love and peace, at least in my own family and hopefully branching out from there. The next would be those unexpected surprises such as a card from a collector in the Netherlands (yesterday) which included two shiny uncirculated euros of one cent and Two Cent. Not much value but sent with meaning and friendship over thousands of miles to reside with me the rest of my life from a very good friend whom I have never met nor probably will. Those my friends are REAL gifts and those are the kind I like to give. Many of you, in your own right, are gifts and that is why so many of us return here day in and day out! I will take and hold those gifts forever and hopefully I too can return a little happiness, a little cheer, perhaps a touch of understanding from time to time and the right to call you friend! That my friends is an XMAS gift!

Great story! Anyone actually ever swallow a coin by accident?LOL Mike

I spend a lot of time travelling
I think the Austrians have some pudding like that

But a lot of UK food never made it to the mainland
Steak and Yorkshere pudding is not known here
Neither is Shepards pie
Nor is Jelly dessert
And one of the things I like very much is forbidden by our
food safety rules because of the phospor contengt
That is good old Rosy's lime juice which you take in gin and lime
I also like shandy but our lemonade does not seem right
( one third or half lemonade and beer forgot whether it was lager or bitter )

Old Dan alluded to it, but in many families, mine included, fruitcake is a traditional holiday food. From what I gathered of the ingredients of pudding, it sounds very close to fruitcake although I never paid attention to my mother's recipe and how it was made. Coins were not part of the recipe. I always thought it was German in origin since my mother was Deutsch, but I never inquired. None of us particularly liked fruitcake, but we always ate at least a slice of it to make Mom happy and to continue the tradition. As others said, it lasts at least a year unrefrigerated.

More recently in my family, we have the annual Fruitcake Award, presented to the person who is the last to come up with a usable Wish List or otherwise is selected because he or she really messed up just before the holiday. My sister received the first award a number of years ago when she came up with her Wish List, then presented herself with half the items on the list thus duplicating the gift efforts of the rest of the family. The origin of the Fruitcake Award was from my mother who, with her Alzheimer's decided everyone had asked for a fruitcake, so went out and bought one for each of us. (Hey, it was better than the dried frog she got my nephew one year.) We expanded on the idea and now make up, print out, and frame a certificate and present the awardee with a token fruitcake. Moi, as judge, jury, and executioner is exempt from being the awardee, but I would never qualify for it since I am always timely with my very complete and usable lists.

Fred

So now we find out when Kyra is not dealing in coins at the bank she is moonlighting as a USED COFFIN sales lady? Anything to save a buck or make a buck! I'll bet she looks under the sheets when they come back in, you know, for loose change? I am sure most of her offerings are low mileage!!!

Coffins? It was not that long ago that you cover the eyes of the dead with two coins....fare for the boatman. Perhaps pretending to be this boatman will give you easy pickings to some rare issues....[:p]

Fruit Cake. I love it. Never fails though. I just start losing weight, and the holidays approach. Unfortunately, when it comes to fruit cake, I can't stop with just one slice.

Gary, A.O.D.
Knight of the Coin Table