Announcing my all new Christmas Reference PDF. It’s up to 22 pages now. Improvements include an expanded section on Christmas literature, a whole new listing of Christmas movies, updates to the timeline, a complete listing of the White House décor themes (2021 is Gifts from the Heart), and more.
Did you know that Christmas was once outlawed? Did you know that poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the American Ambassador to Mexico who introduced us to the plant in 1828? How about that the English like to eat their Christmas cake with a slice of cheddar cheese, or that the candy cane was invented as a way to keep children quiet in church? And, I bet you can’t guess when and where the first Ugly Christmas Sweater party was held, can you?
This is my gift in hopes that 2021 ends on a happier note for you than it began. Enjoy.
During these bleak times, it’s hard to get into the spirit of Christmas, I know. Perhaps this will help… It’s an 18-page reference guide to the history of Christmas. I loaded it with fun facts and other trivia. If nothing else, this season, it might give you something to talk about over a video or audio chat. Enjoy.
I gave my folding hand truck a makeover — a little masking tape, a little spray paint, a few dabs of copper paint on the rivet heads, and a leather scrap sewn around the handle, … and wallah! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: dry brush, leather, spray paint
Flash fiction is extremely short fiction. Two common forms are 200-words-or-less and 50-words-exactly. In both cases, the length of the title does not count, but keep it reasonable.
Writing flash fiction can be satisfying in and of itself, but I find it’s particularly useful as an exercise in simplicity with lessons to teach writers of longer forms.
The primary lesson that flash fiction writing teaches is simplicity in word choice. When every word counts, Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: deliberate practice, fiction, flash fiction, writing
So, “Hip, hip, cheerio!” to Doc Phineas Kastle, Alexander de Lion, Taylor Hummon, Wolfe and the rest of the Queen’s Temporal Service for putting on a most unusual convention that was a treat to attend. I am most definitely looking forwards to a number two.
Tags: antiquing, casinos, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Clark County Museum, conventions, Ian Flemming, Jules Vernes, Las Vegas, Rx Boiler Room, Steamathon, Unwoman, Velveteen Band
Should you find yourself in need of an excuse to party, look no further…
19 — Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) — American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement.
27 — Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) — English Mathematician, writer and author of Alice in Wonderland.
7 — Charles Dickens (1812-1870) — Writer and social critic. Dickens more than any other writer captured the Victorian age, especially some of the poverty that was endemic in Victorian inner cities.
8 — Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) — French novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary genre of science fiction.
12 — Charles Darwin (1809-1882) — English naturalist. Developed the theory of evolution, creating one of the greatest changes of thought during the Victorian period. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: birthdays, famous personalities, personages
As I am looking forward to several upcoming Steampunk events, I became curious to know what monetary terminology would be most appropriate when conducting business with the dealers I’ll find there. Here is what my research produced.
Christmas was hardly celebrated in Britain, nor in the States, in the early 19th century. It only became popular mid-century which many attribute to Queen Victoria’s marriage to the German-born Prince Albert.
In 1848 the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree according to the ways of Prince Albert’s childhood in Germany. Because of this, the German tradition of a candle-lit tree adorned with sweets, fruit, homemade decorations and small gifts quickly spread throughout Britain. This supplanted old traditions of gift-giving at New Years. Gift-giving also became more important during the Victorian era, morphing from small, homemade gifts being hung on the tree, to larger, shop-bought gifts being placed under the tree.
At around the same time, the mailing of Christmas cards became a new tradition, one made possible by the industrialization of color printing and by the economies of the postal system such that postage only cost half a penny.
A myriad of new practices and refinements grew from there. For example, the Victorians revived and popularized the singing of carols, putting old words to new tunes and forever associating them with Christmas. Also, in Victorian Britain it was established that Christmas was time for family reunions — and that’s when it was determined that a roasted turkey was the perfect size to serve such a family gathering, rather than roasted goose.
And then there was Charles Dickens. While A Christmas Carol did not invent the Victorian Christmas, it certainly helped to spread the traditions and to focus the celebration of Christmas on the notions of happiness and peace, family togetherness, charity, and goodwill.
325 AD
336 AD
6th c.
8th c.
1087
Tags: Christmas, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, timeline
I can hardly wait for Steamathon, which is coming up in Las Vegas in February 2015. It’ll be held at the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, which is the perfect venue for a steampunk convention. The whole establishment has the ambiance of the finest San Francisco hotel straight out of the gilded age.
I had the occasion to be in Vegas last week. While I was there, I met briefly with Doc Phineas and the rest of his staff, and I was duly impressed with what they have planned and the support they’ve received so far. This being their first time out, things are still rough around the edges, but I have no doubt that it’ll all come together in time. (And, what the heck? It’s Vegas. You’re guaranteed a good time no matter what happens.)
Tags: Las Vegas, Steamathon, steampunk
You’ve found tinker1881.com, the new home for the musings of Craig Jones, a time traveler who also goes by the following names:
Shortly, I’ll be transferring old posts to here from my old site (tankardsaweigh.com), as well as posting new ones.