St Patrick’s Day

Today millions of people across the globe are celebrating Saint Patricks Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick or Paddy’s Day. This celebration is held on the 17th of March as it is the date that the foremost patron Saint of Ireland passed away.

People celebrate Irish heritage and culture around the world by drinking Irish beer, whiskey and cider, and wearing green. 

Fun Fact: Legend states that Saint Patrick used the 3 leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish.

Famous landmarks all over the world have been lit up over the years in the colour green on Saint Patricks Day. The first landmarks to light up were the Sky Tower in Auckland and our very own Sydney Opera House.  Over 300 landmarks have gone green over the years for the celebration.

 Fun Fact: In Waterford 1903 saw the first Saint Patricks Day in Ireland and that year also saw the week of Saint Patricks Day become known as Irish Language Week.

In New York City over 255 years ago the very first recorded Saint Patricks Day Parade was held on March 17th 1762.  It started with Irish soldiers and some of the English Military marching through New York City celebrating their beloved homeland and their patron Saint. The annual parade travels up 5th Avenue from 44th to 79th Streets and there are over 150,000 participants that join the parade every year. During the parade people sing, play instruments, march and do a Celtic dance or jig while wearing traditional Irish clothes and green decorations to entertain the crowds. The streets are lined with grand stands which are full of spectators and roughly 2 million people watch on their T.V’s. 

Fun Fact: Saint Patrick was actually born in Roman Britain and was kidnapped and taken to Ireland.

Happy Saint Patricks Day everyone!

Valentine’s Day

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we take a brief look at the history of the day, and give you some love inspiration.

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14 and honors romance, love, and matters of the heart.

There is a bit of controversy about how Valentine’s Day first came about but the theory that we like the most comes from Ancient Roman times.  It is thought to be linked to a Roman Festival in which young boys and girls would pulled names out of a bowl to see who they would spend the rest of the festival with. Some pairings even got married.

Fun Fact: The red rose was the favourite flower of Venus, Cupids Mother and the Goddess of Love.

There was once a boy named Cupid, he was the son of Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love. Cupid is usually associated with Valentine’s Day as the mischievous boy who went around sending arrows through the air, making people fall in love.

Fun Fact: King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of Saint Valentine in 1537.

The most popular gifts around the world that are given to celebrate the ‘modern day’ Valentine’s Day are chocolates and flowers. As the years have passed however people are getting more creative and branching out from the expected chocolates and flowers.

If you’re looking for a unique gift, something that is a little different or something that will last long after the flowers have wilted and the chocolates have melted, come down to The Vintage Toy Box where we have loads of unique and quirky gifts for your loved one.

Sometimes the sweetest gift to give is one that brings back memories and gifts that you can have fun with.

Have a romantic night in doing a vintage style puzzle together or playing classic games. We’ve got lots of games designed for two. 

Have a little fun and friendly competition with our Spud and Bubble Guns.

Bake some cupcakes and decorate them in our ‘love’ themed cupcake sets. 

Whatever you may be after for your special someone – come down and see us as we’re more than happy to help you pick out a perfect gift.