Christmas crackers find

No Christmas celebrations would be complete without them but, with rationing in post-war Britain, Christmas crackers were an expensive luxury few could readily afford.

Now, after spending 60 years hidden in the dusty attic of a family-run newsagents, two rare and untouched boxes dating back to the 1940s have been unveiled for the first time.

Most Americans have no idea of how rough things were in postwar Britain, and for how long. In contrast, US manufacturers had to work nonstop to keep up with postwar consumer demand, and it is still striking how much stuff from the later '40s and '50s survives in near-new condition -- unlike in the UK, where similar articles were used until they were worn out.

The two boxes were found in the attic of a York newsagents in September this year. The owner of the family-run business had decided to sell up and was clearing away old stock when he came across them.

Experts from the York Archaeological Trust were called in to examine the find before sending the crackers to a local laboratory where they were analysed.

Full article here.

Posted by David on December 19, 2006 9:23 PM