Читать книгу Christmas Dodos: Festive Things on the Verge of Extinction - Steve Stack - Страница 5

What is a Christmas Dodo?

A Christmas Dodo is anything related to the festive season that is in danger of extinction. It might be a tradition that is going out of fashion or an item of food we associate with this time of year. It could be a classic toy or game that is becoming hard to find, or a once-shared experience unlikely to be shared again.

Wassailing, coffee creams, snowball fights in the school playground, paper chains and the Blue Peter advent crown – this book is full of such things. Many, sadly, are already effectively extinct, but there are some that are still around. For now.

I previously wrote a book called 21st Century Dodos, which catalogued a veritable plethora of inanimate objects that could be classed as ‘endangered’, if anyone bothered to class such things. It sold some copies, and a number of readers suggested I pull together a festive version. Here it is.

If this book does nothing else, I hope it at least prompts you to pause and appreciate some of the items mentioned. Perhaps you will want to bid them a fond farewell, raise a glass of Harvey’s Bristol Cream in their honour, or maybe, just maybe, make an effort to restore them to their former glory. Whatever your response, I hope you enjoy this nostalgic look at Christmas past.

STEVE STACK