Box of Delights & 70s House Manchester Christmas Giveaway

'Happy 'Box of Delights Day'.... "The Wolves are running...."  

Every family who celebrates Christmas no doubt has traditions, whether that is putting the decorations up on a certain date, or always hanging certain decorations that mean something to the family, maybe one that belonged to a cherished grandparent or was made by your child at school.

These traditions are one of the reasons I adore Christmas, there is an almost sacrosanct ceremony in which certain things must be done, an age-old ritual passed down through a family line, an observance of years past, which usually means very little to anyone outside of the immediate family, but nevertheless a quiet comfort and reassurance to be had knowing that the wheel of the seasons has turned once more.

In our home, one day that signifies the start of the Christmas festivities is not putting up the decorations, but the weekly watching of a children’s television series.  The Box of Delights is a fantasy children’s book, written in 1935 by Poet Laureate, John Masefield.  In 1984 the BBC broadcast an adaptation staring Patrick Troughton (who famously played the second incarnation of Dr. Who) starting on 21st of November and culminating on Christmas Eve.  Each week, for half an hour as a child we were transported into the fantasy world of a school boy, Kay, who is entrusted with a magical box which allows him to time travel, he must protect the box at all costs from the evil Abner Brown.

70s house manchester box of delights john masefield estelle bilson the bidding room

We usually start watching the series, week by week, episode by episode, starting on the nearest Sunday to the 21st November when the whole family can sit down to enjoy.  We always finish the last episode on the evening of Christmas Eve, with much excitement.

estelle bilson 70s house manchester the box of delights the bidding room john masefield christmas

The DVD is still available to buy of the series (click here to buy), and was once shown on streaming services such as Brit Box and You Tube.  The 1984 series has probably not aged very well with special effects; however, I always think this adds to its charm.  There are fan clubs for the book (and this television series) on facebook, along with a more social group called 'The Drop of Dew' (those that know, know) and fans are colloquially known as 'boxers', quotes from the book are oft used not only in the groups, but also in our home, especially at this time of year...

I have added a link here to a clip from the series (click on picture to play)

box of delights 70s house manchester christmas estelle bilson

and also the festive, yet creepy theme tune which is an orchestral arrangement of ‘The First Nowell’ (Noel) from the third movement of the Carol Symphony by Victor Hely-Hutchinson.  The recording used for the 1984 is based on a 1966 recording featuring the Pro Arte Orchestra which has been reworked by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (also famous for the Dr. Who Theme) which you can listen to here.

Listen to Box of Delights Theme HERE

To celebrate Box of Delights Day, I am giving away my own Box of 70s Christmas Delights.  A Gift box of festive treats from our own collection to one lucky winner, check out our instagram to see what you could win!

All you have to do is to sign up to our mailing list (bonus you get 10% off your first order with us as a thank you) and follow @70shousemanchestershop and @70shousemanchester on Instagram, tagging as many friends as you wish to share the retro Christmas love.  I will draw the winner on Monday 5th December 2022 from our mailing list emails. 

Wishing you a splendiferous start to the festivities, and remember, "Time and tide and buttered eggs wait for no man......"

Estelle x

Global entries are accepted and shipped as a ‘gift’, but 70s House Manchester cannot be held responsible for any customs charges in the country of receipt nor guarantee that the parcel will arrive before Christmas.

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