Christmas When You Were Growing Up

[Mulletino]

Re: Christmas When You Were Growing Up

Christmas us kids would pick a corner of the lounge where we'd stack our opened presents, my fave was the year I got the Palitoy Cardboard Death Star, it was huge!

This is a pic from an early 70s xmas where myself and my Bro got some pretty cool Lone Ranger toys!

[Richard1978]

Re: Christmas When You Were Growing Up

I normally get some Sodexho vouchers (usable at a number of high street shops) & a bottle of wine or bucks fizz.

[HG]

Re: Christmas When You Were Growing Up

I've never had a Christmas bonus, monetary or otherwise, in any of the jobs I've had. Are they a thing of the past?

The only christmas bonus I've had was from the papershop owner when I used to deliver newspapers, I used to always get christmas boxes from some houses I delivered to which was nice.

Having worked in the public sector since leaving school there's never been a chance to get a bonus of any kind.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Christmas When You Were Growing Up

I remember my dad coming home with a bonus box of goodies from work one year. It was pretty decent stuff - I distinctly remember a jar of what I now know to be very nice whole grain French mustard, but in those days that sort of thing was a bit too high brow for the likes of us and we didn't know what to do with half the stuff.

I've never had a Christmas bonus, monetary or otherwise, in any of the jobs I've had. Are they a thing of the past?

[Richard1978]

Re: Christmas When You Were Growing Up

I remember by Dad used to get some gift vouchers as part of his Xmas bonus, which my parents used to get us presents with. They would even label them from the company for some reason.

At least one year we got a basket of goodies from my Dad's company.

[HG]

Re: Christmas When You Were Growing Up

Removed a lot of off topic stuff please keep to discussing Christmas not working in shops, if not the thread will be closed.

[Trickyvee]

Your Christmas Eve Routine

Did anybody have a routine in Christmas Eve? I didn't really except that I was always taken for a walk around the estate just as it was getting dark to see people's trees and lights. It was probably to tire me out but it never worked! I enjoyed it though.

I missed out on the great 'new pyjamas' tradition. Scabby old ones for me, even on Christmas Eve!

[HG]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

Can we keep on topic please? That is Christmas When You Were Growing Up? If you want to debate the joys of working in shops please start a thread in the members lounge, thank you gents

[vanhelsing]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

I personally think that since shops opened 24 hours right through christmas and new year a lot of the christmas feel has been lost. Families having to work right up to the day or through the day, sales being arranged for boxing day so early starts there too.

Good point, RetroAEROSMITH. What these big supermarket chains and other shops forget is that Christmas is a time for families, not some executive's bonus and company profits and it wouldn't surprise me if the big supermarket chains had their way and opened on Christmas day (with certain or the most vulnerable staff being bullied, bribed or blackmailed into working Christmas day 'just for a few hours {NO CHANCE WITH ME UNLESS I WAS GAURANTEED A FOUR FIGURE BONUS GIVEN TO ME IN MY HAND UPON ARRIVAL}.) If it was up to me the super markets and deparmtent stores would have compulsory closing from 2:00 p.m Christmas eve until 4th January. Pub openings'd be optional (with bonuses gauranteed for staff to come in) and bonuses and volunteer staff for the emergecy services. So, please customers, when you're queing up early in the morning for the shops to open on Boxing/New year's day, please spare a thought and show some consideration for the retail workers and make things pleasent for them, tip them and not patronise them or treat them like your own personal servant.

[vanhelsing]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

I remember the manchester Lewis's. Applied for a job working the lifts there (believe me, it's a lot better and saner than working on a supermarket shopfloor and your not treated like some customer's only personal shopper, servant/packer) during the late '90s and I was STILL Waiting before the announcement that Primark were taking over,

[vanhelsing]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

Anybody from the Old Trafford/Stretford areas of Manchester remember the kids' Christmas parties they used to hold every christmas at The Dog And Partdridge* (You could see Manchester United's football stadium in the near distance)?

*It got burnt down.

[darren]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

I agree about the big bars of chocolate and big tins of sweets. I can't remember having them at any other time of year so they were special and exciting for that reason.

I also remember watching The box of Delights and there was huge hype about the special effects. I remember them explaining all about the blue background thing to make people big and small and disappear through windows etc although I'm sure it couldn't have been that revolutionary at the time. Wasn't it used before this?

here is the box of delights mate.
http://youtu.be/-BxxdE9GvZc
thanks for reminding me of this.
very creepy indeed.

[Richard1978]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

My Dad remembers having big tins of sweets all year round as far back as the 1950's. My Grandad had a bit sweet tooth, especially after giving up smoking in the mid 1950's. (he even gave for a time in the war to get a larger Army sweet ration).

Dr Who was using blue screen effects (Colour Seperation Overlay (CSO) in BBC jargon) as far back as 1970.

By the mid 1980's it became far smoother, probably using more computerisation.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

I agree about the big bars of chocolate and big tins of sweets. I can't remember having them at any other time of year so they were special and exciting for that reason.

I also remember watching The box of Delights and there was huge hype about the special effects. I remember them explaining all about the blue background thing to make people big and small and disappear through windows etc although I'm sure it couldn't have been that revolutionary at the time. Wasn't it used before this?

[Morton]

Re: Xmas When You Were Growing Up

yes i loved christmas eve when i was a kid.
there was no chance i could ever sleep.
and we could not go fown befire eight in the morning.
i tried to go down before that but i was caught and up i was sent.

oh yes i just aDored those jelly oranges which i got loads of in christmas day and terrys chocolate orange not the bar the big round one with segents.

can u explain how u mean to recreate a christmas u had as a kid.

Meaning I haven't had a christmas like I previously mentioned since I was a kid, so this year I want to get out all our very old decorations, and celebrate the day in a manner as we would have done in the past. I'll make a list of what things used to make christmas.

We've hardly celebrated christmas at all in the last 5 years, so it will be nice to really focus on christmas this year, I can't wait