Christmas

[cornish girl, falmouth]

I was watching the television last night and saw the ad for DFS promising the new suite would be delivered by Christmas and groaned

When we were kids my mother would put the tree up the Sunday before Christmas, ordered the chicken from the butcher a month before( chicken was a treat then, we used to have beef quite regularly) the corona ordered from the delivery van and cream and eggs ordered from the milkman. My Gran made the Christmas pudding and small Christmas cake

MY mother would go shopping on Christmas Eve for all the fruit, veg and other groceries I can still see her now with those brown paper carrier bags coming home off the bus,(no money for taxis in those days).

I can smell the ham cooking even now everything was a wonder to us kids in the late 40's early fifties we didn't know what a banana was until after the war

Christmas day we had simple toys such as little cardboard post offices, jig saws, ludo and snakes and ladders, we had large oranges in our stockings and some sweets and we thought it was wonderful.

We listened to the King and later the Queen on the wireless and sang carols all in front of a lovely blazing fire, granny would tell us stories and we would crack nuts and eat meddlers and it was all so simple and innocent.

Previous to Christmas day we would have gone to Sunday school and
had a Christmas party and carol service and a Christmas party at school which we all thought was wonderful all dressed up in our party frocks

When did it all start being so commercial and so much money being lavished on toys and rubbish and Christmas advertised from October on, and what happened to the religious side of Christmas?.

What are your fond memories of Christmas before commercialism and Television CG

[Cazza W, W Yorks]

Mu mum always used to make me a dress for Boxing day at my nan's house...my little sister always had one to match too. They were always so nice and nobody else ever had the same. She couldn't afford to buy us dresses!

[MAGGIEMOU, CYPRUS]

I remember my dad creeping around my bedroom filling the stockings for me and my sisters with pressies, and falling over and dropping them because he'd had a drink and he swore out loud. I thought the next day it was Father Christmas that had been swearing.

[Seacoasters, Hampshire]

Memories, the Sitting Room fire was lit on Christmas Day a special treat!, where we all gathered to open our present (one each! and very small) but then yoiu didn't expect anything else so no great expectations. Father had decorated the room late Christmas Eve so that was a surpise too. The Turkey was put in the oven hours before by Mother and I always marvelled at the size of it (best meal of the year!!)and how the turkey was all hand sewn up to hold the stuffing and sausage meat in!

We always listened to the Queens speech, even though as tinies we were bored, but you didn't show it! or else! Then the charades started followed by Monopoly, a good time was had by all. No television, so the art of converastion was widely used!!!!

Christmas for me now is so commercialised it does not hold the same appeal, the true meaning has been lost? Came back off holiday in early September to find that the Christmas Puddings were in the shops, when I mentioned this to an assistant, " she said "we have chocloate yule logs in now too!!!!!!!!!"

Oh dear I sound really Bah humbug now!!!! For all of you out there with small Children and Grandchildren, no doubt the time will be magical.

[stanandmaydupp, doncaster]

Hi Marie...seems to me that the most fervent "celebrations" at Christmas are performed by Non Christians!That's why we tend to go cruising over Christmas/N.Year,to avoid all the obscene,insincere bonhomie...that masquerades as peace and love.:mad::D Merry Christmas Everybody....there I've said itStan Scrooge

[mollymop, royston]

In Tesco's last night they were advertising over the loud speaker system, Buy1 get1 free packets of HotX buns.................only 5months to go

[Hirst, Salisbury]

Light up the whole house

Remember those little crocodile-clip candle holders with which you could put real lit candles on the tree? Today's 'Elf & Safety Gestapo' would have had apoplexy at the very idea of such a fire hazard, but somehow we survived.:p

Jenny

[cornish girl, falmouth]

Yes I remember the clip on candles also all the old fashioned paper decorations, proper christmas cards.CG

[Fred Bloggs, Tyne and Wear]

[bobbybuoy, peterborough]

[cornish girl, falmouth]

Hi Marie...seems to me that the most fervent "celebrations" at Christmas are performed by Non Christians!That's why we tend to go cruising over Christmas/N.Year,to avoid all the obscene,insincere bonhomie...that masquerades as peace and love.:mad::D Merry Christmas Everybody....there I've said itStan Scrooge

Hi Stan it seemed such an innocent time back then. no money for much, but we were loved and cherished lived in a caring commnity, knew our neighbours and made do with what we were given, if we didn't like it we were told to lump it(mother's favourite saying)
Christmas was a Festival, the birth of Jesus and most of us kids took part in the pagents and celebrations.CG

[cornish girl, falmouth]

In Tesco's last night they were advertising over the loud speaker system, Buy1 get1 free packets of HotX buns.................only 5months to go

Hi Mollymop Hotx buns are now sold throughout the year in most supermarkets, never mind the season.CG

[hat776, malta]

Bob - Christmas in the sixties and you're also feeling the difference with today's Christmas - you're just a kid and really there is no comparison with Christmas in the early fifties.

I remember going to Santa's Grotto in Selfridges in Oxford Street. I used to get a number of annuals and the latest Enid Blyton. We used to play Totopoly after lunch.
We sometimes had 'fancy dress' entertainment.
The high light of my child hood performances were performances by some very serous and staid relations. I imagine none of them were used to wine which we had at Christmas.
Two aunts put on tea towels hanging from their skirts and danced 'The dance of the seven veils'. A cousin wrapped a sheet like a nappy (over his clothes I hasten to add) and sang
'When I was just a little boy I used to wee-wee thrice a day
.......... I forgot the middle bit and it ended
Now I'm getting old and grey I seem to wee-wee all the day'
We were so happy with so little weren't we ?

[Mrs M]

School and Sunday School christmas parties, the pantomine, visits to Santa [actually near the 25th of Dec, not Nov.!] presents under the tree in a huge pillowcase and a stocking with the latest Bunty and Judy annuals to keep us quite until 7am.

Cooked breakfast, pressie opening then church, relations came round and after more presents...lunch.

The Queen and then board games [whilst the men fell asleep] before a sumptious tea of ham, pork and turkey sandwiches and my mother's trifle and my Grandmother's Christmas cake. Disney Time and Morecambe and Wise on the television were a given.

The only thing that's significantly changed is that I now organise the parties, our food consumption has halved and the Christmas television offering is paltry apart from the revived Dr Who.

We have the parties planned and I have already got the tree boxes down from the loft.

I love Christmas.:D:D

[bobbybuoy, peterborough]

Bob - Christmas in the sixties and you're also feeling the difference with today's Christmas - you're just a kid and really there is no comparison with Christmas in the early fifties.

Bonjo....... Hello hat

Blimey I feel so young now...... just a kid

I did actually experience a few Christmases in the fifties but maybe only one that I could remember.

Those were the days.

Bob the youngster