An Edinburgh family were amazed after finding a lost letter written by their granny that gives a snapshot of Christmas in Lawnmarket more than one hundred years ago.
Local resident Davie and his sister were looking through boxes of memories passed down through generations when they discovered the letter in their granny's handwriting talking about Christmas Day.
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In the incredible letter, Jenny Reilly describes December 25, 1904, -the first time she realised it was Christmas at her family home on the Royal Mile when she was just three years old.
The youngster reflects on a number of festive times spent with her brother and sisters and remembers their dad coming back from the Navy with an array of fantastic presents from all over the world.
In the sweet letters, she wrote: "Another Christmas dad came home from the sea, he was in the Merchant Navy and we got steel banks with numbers on and a knob on the front just like the safes in the banks, beautiful fans, glass lanterns, and mother of pearl watches.
"My brother got a medalist just like dads large one. It’s a good job we were on the top flat and got the joyous noise it must have reached heaven.
"For the wonderful feeling of happiness inside you, I could never really dislike it. I went on to show the old lady next door my doll. It was filled with straw and a glued-on face and the hat and dress were also glued on.
"But I didn’t see that I saw a beautiful doll with a lovely face and to me, it was something so sweet and lovely. I’d never seen anything like it."
She continued: "I had a very good granny who was very good to us children but I don’t remember getting Christmas presents from anybody else at that time, and for that, I am glad as it would’ve taken Christ out of Christmas, and my belief in Santa Claus."
Another memory reflects on another Christmas. She wrote: "I remember when I was four and mother helped dads mother in her small shop and we had a woman looking after us in the morning giving us breakfast.
"As I was the oldest and the noisiest mother said I was a Tom boy well that Christmas poor Barbara who I loved very much brought me a large white box and when I opened my, it was one of the kilty dolls.
"I can remember nearly screaming the place down - I thought they all thought I was a boy and I’m screaming “I’m not a laddie”
Jenny was born on November 22, 1901, and passed away on October, 27 in 1998.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live her great-grandson Davie said: "She was brought up in the Lawnmarket and my grandad Charlie Reilly was from the Cowgate. They married in July 1933. They stayed in Craigmillar until 1960 then moved to the Pleasance.
"She loved singing and went to Kirk O’Field parish church. Despite walking with sticks and a zimmer she loved going out.
"She went to the Salvation Army at the Pleasance to meet people her own age. She also got picked up by a minibus for the elderly to go on various outings."
The well-loved family member did many jobs across the city that Davie remembers. He said: "I remember her telling me she sold chocolate to the soldiers at the train station aged 14 who were going to the First World War.
"She worked in the rubber factory at Fountainbridge, and she was a cleaner at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as well as cleaning professional people's homes.
"I remember her cleaning a doctor's home in Ramsay Gardens and he invited her, my mum, my sister, and I to watch the tattoo from their window in the mid-1960s.
"She also worked in a chip shop during WWII in Craigmillar. She was a lovely granny and told us so many stories when we were young. She loved to sing to us."
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The letter was found while sorting out boxes of old letters from after their dad died in 2020, Davie explained: "My mum passed away in 2001 and my dad must have kept all the old photos.
"Both my sister and I cared for my dad as he got MDS a form of blood cancer and vascular dementia.
"He subsequently passed away in September 2020 during Covid and we could only have 20 at his funeral. His flat was sold in June this year but he had so much stuff that it took ages to go through what to keep for sentimental reasons and what to give to charity/ throw out.
"Both myself and sister are still looking through stuff that we just boxed and held day both our homes."
"When we were going through the stuff I took photos of some of the items including these letters and some photos in case they got lost or damaged.
"I recognised my granny’s writing and read her memories and with it coming up to Christmas thought I would share her thoughts on Lost Edinburgh Group to show what Christmas was like in the early 1900s."
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