December 25: Humbugs

Humbugs. If you're one of those people who hates Christmas, and are currently sulking in a corner mumbling "Bah, humbug", here are some facts about humbugs so you know exactly what it is you are talking about.

1. What is a humbug? It's a name for a hard boiled, peppermint flavoured sweet available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They are characteristically striped in two different colours.
2. The first written reference to such sweets was in the 1820s, when they were said to be popular in Gloucestershire.
3. Elizabeth Gaskell's 1863 book, Sylvia's Lovers mentions them as a North country delicacy: 'He had provided himself with a paper of humbugs for the child — "humbugs" being the North-country term for certain lumps of toffy, well-flavoured with peppermint.'
4. How are humbugs made? They're made from sugar, glycerine, colouring and flavouring heated to 145 degrees centigrade and then stretched and folded many times with a smaller piece of the mixture in a contrasting colour. Finally, it's rolled into a long cylinder and chopped into segments.
5. If you want to have a go at making your own, there's a recipe here: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/yorkshire-mint-humbugs-425578#activity-feed.
6. A single mint humbug contains about 40 calories.
7. They're not as popular as they used to be. Sales of humbugs and similar boiled mints have been declining since the 2000s. They tend to be more popular with older people. The younger generation avoid sugar and tend to use mints more as breath fresheners, so strong mints and mint flavoured gum are more their thing.
8. The phase "Bah, humbug" related to a dislike of Christmas has little to do with the sweets. Humbug is an old slang word meaning someone or something which is dishonest and prone to deception. A person who is an imposter or a fraud may be called a humbug, as could nonsense or gibberish. A word popular in the 18th century, its origin is unclear. Suggestions include derivations from Norse and Icelandic words meaning "night" or shadow" and supernatural beings. The latter word is also a precursor of bogey, as in "bogey-man". The "hum" part could also have come from an old English word meaning to deceive. Another suggestion is that it originated during the Napoleonic wars when counterfeit coins were minted in Hamburg. However, this one is unlikely since the word appeared in print 50 years before the war started.
9. The name as applied to the sweets could be thanks to a sweet sold in Taunton, Somerset, in the 1870s which was a piece of Toffee with an Almond in the middle. A Victorian edition of Notes and Queries suggested that this was a deception as you thought you were getting toffee but it was hiding a nut.
10. The most famous use of the word "humbug" is of course by Ebenezer in Charles Dickens' famous tale, A Christmas Carol, but it is also used in The Wizard of Oz - the Scarecrow uses the word to describe the Wizard. Nowadays it often appears in comedy as ironic, such as when Blackadder offered humbugs around in a Christmas episode.

My Christmas Novella!

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

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New!

Secrets and Skies

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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