Happy Valentine’s Day from Hattingdon & Co. As you can see, Hattingdon is wearing her Aimee hat in pure red with white x’s and o’s representing hugs and kisses.
“It’s pretty common knowledge that XOXO means ‘hugs and kisses.’ As Dictionary.com defines it, the phrase is generally thought of as a “lighthearted way of expressing affection, sincerity, or deep friendship.”
The X represents a kiss, while the O represents a hug. This is most likely because the X is a stylized way of showing two mouths kissing, and the O looks like two pairs of arms connecting for a hug.
While XOXO is a symbol of love, it’s not always meant to be taken as a symbol of undying passion. XOXO is just as appropriate to use as an email sign-off to a friend as it is to use to sign an anniversary card to a significant other.
How about a bit of verse? Most of us are familiar with the following. Short and sweet and you know from whence it came, right?
Roses are red Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet And so are you.
A rhyme similar to the modern standard version can be found in Gammer Gurton’s Garland, a 1784 collection of English nursery rhymes published in London by Joseph Johnson:
The rose is red, the violet’s blue, The honey’s sweet, and so are you. Thou art my love and I am thine; I drew thee to my Valentine: The lot was cast and then I knew, That Fortune said it shou’d be you.
We thought it might be fun to revisit the 7 hats of Christmas that Vivian put together last year. She was inspired by everything from jingle bells to plum pudding to the “jolly old elf”.
1. Carol Classic
Carol Hattingdon.
2. Rudy
Rudy Hattingdon.
3. Chrissie
Chrissie Hattingdon.
4. Peppermint Classic
Peppermint Hattingdon.
5. Plum Pudding
Plum Pudding.
More about the famous dessert at end of post.
6. Kris
Kris Hattingdon.
As much as we love all the others, this has to be the pièce de ré·sis·tance.
7. Noelle
Noelle Hattingdon.
About ‘Plum Pudding’
There is a popular myth that plum pudding’s association with Christmas goes back to a custom in medieval England that the “pudding should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, that it be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to west to honour the Magi and their journey in that direction”.
Recipes for plum puddings appear mainly, if not entirely, in the 17th century and later. One of the earliest plum pudding recipes is given by Mary Kettilby in her 1714 book, “A Collection of above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick and Surgery.” Learn more » »
P.S. In my part of England recipes are called receipts. Vivian.
Vivian writes: “I got a big kick out of doing this. I am happy with the result too. What sort of reception it might get, I have no idea.”
“What am I going on about? A ‘grey’ version of Hattingdon’s most beloved hat of all time — Belle. Yes. You read that right. Take a look. Grey always looks so lovely with brown. Isn’t she cute?”
Belle Hattingdon Grey
Most of us here at Hattingdon pretty much love it. Why would anyone be upset or unhappy about it? People get attached to certain looks. They do not want anything changed. We are guessing here.
HATTINGDON HORSES 