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Tempting treats & festive feats: Christmas shopping down the ages

Tempting treats & festive feats: Christmas shopping down the ages

Annie Gray journeys through the history of Christmas shopping in Britain, from department store stunts to the must-have items for the dinner table

Emily Briffett

Published: December 11, 2024 at 7:00 AM

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As we get closer to Christmas, many people will be heading out to the shops to look for the perfect presents. And this mad dash in search of festive gifts is nothing new. In this episode, Annie Gray, author of The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street, takes Emily Briffett on a tour of our historical festive spending habits, from the horrors of visiting a Victorian butcher's shop to enormous seasonal turkey parades and outrageous stunts involving elephants.

Annie Gray is the author of The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street (Profile Books, 2024).

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Annie Gray takes listeners on a shopping trip through the history of Britain's high streets

Authors

Emily BriffettSenior content producer (podcasts)

Emily Briffett is senior content producer (podcasts) at HistoryExtra