The Eltham, Welling and Bexleyheath District Xmas Annual, 1934

‍ At a loss what to buy for your loved one this Christmas, or where to get it from? Well here it is, ‘Being a guide to Christmas Gifts and fare offered to you by the tradesmen of your district with suggestions which will help you’. About A4ish in size, with a colour cover, this was an attempt in 1934 to stem the rush into London to do the shopping for presents.

 The text is (mostly) on the right-hand (recto) page, with the ads on the left (verso). Cunningly, the text avoided any reference to place or product, so, I guess, could be used as the template for an Xmas Annual for any other district (and probably was). Even the cover was generic. Printed by E.T. Heron, I suspect they provided the text and framework and the local shops only needed to pay for space.

 This dates back to age when people actually read text. But did they? Whoever wrote this booklet must have paid by the word – it’s verbose and awful. An example from the Introduction: ‘This hurried scramble is the type of Christmas shopping which makes farcical the whole beautiful symbolism which underlies and inspires the giving of presents at Christmas time, for anyone who makes a penance of a rite which should owe its existence to a spontaneous desire to give tangible proof of affection loses both the true joy of giving and the pleasure of knowing that a gift, chosen with loving care, will be of real value to the recipient.’ Phew – and that was all one sentence. So let me paraphrase the entire intro: Shop early and shop local.

 There are similar sections on ‘The “Wireless” at Christmas’, and ‘Christmas gifts “to those about to marry”’ before we get to ‘Why not give beauty this Christmas?’, and I’ll pause on this last one because it offers much advice. For example: ‘At Christmas time especially every woman wishes to shine (save as to the nose)’; and ‘What could be a better gift than a permanent wave?’ Later on, under ‘Adam’s gifts to Eve’, we learn that some gifts ‘are only to be chosen by Eve herself’, and these include hats, underwear and frocks. The man should be all right buying handkerchiefs, stockings and handbags though. On it goes, with ‘Christmas and the Pipe of Peace’; ‘Your Gramophone at Christmas’; ‘Christmas cheer’; ‘Carefree Christmas cookery’ and ‘The Children’s Christmas’. I read them all so you don’t have to!

 The best ad is for the South Metropolitan Gas Company on Eltham high street, who feature a delighted housewife, cheered by a gas cooker which has made the dinner a complete success. But not only that: it’s easy to clean, and with the unlimited hot water the washing up and tidying can be done in ‘next to no time’ leaving her ‘fresh enough to join with zest in the Christmas fun’. Pooles of Welling will sell you a Marconi radiogram for 22 guineas (or on tick, 5s a week). Maison Etheridge of Welling will do ‘Permanent Waving’ for a guinea, whereas O.C. Groom of Bexleyheath manage the same for 17s 6d.

 Probably free from the local shops, this booklet showed that this was a district in which the shopping middle classes could find plenty of bargains.