“Freeman Hardy & Willis are making a grand display of boots, shoes, slippers, leggings, gaiters suitable for the present season.”

Those are just some of the words to one Christmas advert that was published in the Watford Observer 123 years ago.

Watford Museum volunteer archivist Christine Orchard has been looking back through our files and dug out a festive selection of pages from 1888 to 1909, illustrating the range of products that shops and companies were advertising for Christmas in that period.

Scroll through these pages and take a look at the type of gifts you could have bought from the Watford area and beyond more than a century ago. Plenty of the names will be familiar.

Watford Observer: December 15, 1888December 15, 1888 Watford Observer: December 4, 1897December 4, 1897 Watford Observer: December 16, 1899December 16, 1899 Watford Observer: December 1, 1900December 1, 1900 Watford Observer: December 14, 1901December 14, 1901 Watford Observer: December 16, 1905December 16, 1905 Watford Observer: December 16, 1905December 16, 1905 Watford Observer: December 14, 1901December 14, 1901 Watford Observer: December 21, 1907December 21, 1907 Watford Observer: December 11, 1909December 11, 1909 Watford Observer: December 25, 1909December 25, 1909 Watford Observer: December 25, 1909December 25, 1909