The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Photography: Emma Croman

Photography: Emma Croman

Nostalgia | Christmas Biscuit Tins

Iona Bower December 28, 2023

Look back with us on biscuits of yesteryear and win some pretty, festive tins, too!

The arrival of the Christmas Biscuit Tin (initial caps our own) heralded the start of the festive season for us. (That and the moment you noticed that your mum was stockpiling large boxes of Amaretti biscuits, or the massive tin of Quality Street got opened).

In The Simple Things’ office, each of us clearly recalled at least one Christmas Biscuits Tin of our childhood fondly: a tall, round affair that was decorated to look like a festive fairground carousel and was so heavily coveted by all the children of the family it had to be thrown away to avoid a mutiny over who could keep the empty tin; one with a Victorian Christmas family carolling in the snow that was an annual feature of a trip to a maiden aunt’s; another a tasteful National Trust shortbread tin that became the home for the family’s more delicate Christmas tree decorations. 

Each wove their way into a family tradition or memory. Some are still being pressed into service today. 

It didn’t much matter what was in your biscuits tin back then. It was the fact that they were ‘special’ that mattered. A cranberry shortbread or foil-wrapped mint chocolate cream was always welcome, don’t get us wrong, but even a workaday fig roll seemed a bit magic when it came out of the Christmas Biscuits Tin. Heck, you could pass off a pink wafer as exciting in December, and as we all know, they are nine parts air to one part biscuit. 

Now we’re (a bit more) grown-up, the biscuits themselves take on a much more significant role in the choosing of a Christmas Biscuits Tin. But if you’ve got a lovely tin lurking in the cupboard already there’s nothing nicer than making some yourself. 

Back in our December 2019 issue, in our feature Tins of Comfort and Joy, Louise Gorrod invited us to her annual festive biscuit exchange, with a few friends and a Christmas tipple. You can buy a back issue from our online store.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

 

More from our December issue…

Featured
Swing Dance.jpg
Dec 19, 2023
Kitchen disco | Songs to Swing Dance To
Dec 19, 2023
Dec 19, 2023
Cocktail Gathering .jpg
Dec 16, 2023
Tipple | Pomander Cocktail
Dec 16, 2023
Dec 16, 2023
135_PaperStars.jpg
Dec 12, 2023
Make | Painted Paper Stars
Dec 12, 2023
Dec 12, 2023

More festive things that make us smile…

Featured
Xmas Quiz.jpg
Dec 27, 2020
Quiz | Your Fictional Christmas Persona
Dec 27, 2020
Dec 27, 2020
BoxofDelights.jpg
Dec 24, 2019
Go | Lands of make believe
Dec 24, 2019
Dec 24, 2019
donkey pic.jpg
Dec 15, 2018
Meet the donkeys of the New Forest
Dec 15, 2018
Dec 15, 2018



InChristmas Tagschristmas, christmas nostalgia, christmas biscuits, December issue 90
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Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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