Christmas When You Were Growing Up

[George 1978]

Most of the shops have put decorations or a tree up - Heart Xmas started around a month ago, and some of the movie channels on Sky around the 312-319 mark have had Christmas films on since September. And now it has been snowing outside!

It made me think: "should I, or shouldn't I get the Christmas tree out just yet, or shall I wait another week?"

[beccabear67]

Some people seem more Christmas mad than I ever remember, going overboard and early with decorations. Halloween seems to have become such a major event for some as well.

I think this year I could get into the spirit more than usual, but feeling a bit more worn out than other times my parents are the opposite and say they just want to go to a casino on the day (which they've never done before). Don't know what you've got until it's gone... I suspect we've had our last traditional turkey and spouts dins. Last year nobody even bothered with pressies.

[andrec]

We seem to be putting our tree and what passes for decorations up later each year. This year it will probably be around the 20th Dec when I bite the bullet, trudge into the loft and get them down. We have a big Santa that sings but haven't put it up for years as our dog eyes it with suspicion.

As for Christmas Dinner, we will go the traditional route, but only turkey breast as we can't justify a whole bird. In contrast with many, I do enjoy Christmas Pudding, and usually have to also eat half of my wife's portion. My mother would make our pudding every year, but now that she is no longer with us, we just get one from the shop. Actually, we get two, one for Christmas Day and one for Easter Sunday.

I also like mince pies. My grandmother would make literally scores of them each year. They were so good that her neighbours would bring the ingredients to her and ask her to make some for them. My mother also made them, but now that gran and mom are gone we just buy from the shop. My dad buys some and gives them to the people at our local surgery as a thank you every year.

[andrec]

From 1976 to, I think, 1982 my uncle and his two children would spend Christmas at our house with us. He had gone through a divorce earlier in 1976 and had custody of his kids. They would arrive Christmas Eve afternoon and leave around the 29th of December. As we only had a three-bedroomed house, my uncle and his son would occupy my bedroom, my uncle's daughter would occupy the third bedroom and I would stay at my gran's house. It was only a two-minute walk to my gran's house so not a problem. I was heavily into cine photography back then, starting off with a silent Super 8 camera and then on to a sound Super 8 after a couple of years. I took at least one reel every Christmas - 3 mins 20 secs per reel for 50 feet. Sadly, those reels are long gone, as is my old cine projector, though I still have the Sankyo sound camera. I wish so much that I still had those films of Christmases back when my aunties and uncles were still with us. I don't actually recall what became of those films. I am hoping they may still be in our loft somewhere, but several searches have turned up nothing, though as our loft is chock-a-block it's possible they are up there hidden among all the boxes.

[andrec]

Just watching random videos about Christmas on YT brought back memories of when my late mom would make a Christmas cake every year. We rarely had a shop-bought one, don't think I tasted one of those until I was well into my twenties. For me, they don't taste so good as a home-made one. I am not really a fan of the icing that shop-bought ones seem to use, where it seems to be cut out of a sheet, though I'm no chef, so just how it seems. Mom would put lemon juice in the icing mix to give it a bit of a tang, and put the icing on so that it wasn't too smooth and actually rather spiky, which was how we liked it. I miss the Christmases of the 70s and 80s so much, just little things like home-made cake and mince pies that made it that bit more special.

my gran had a miniature Christmas tree that was no more than 6 inches in height, complete with tiny baubles and tinsel. When she got too old to bother with a traditional tree it was ideal as she kept it in a cupboard and took it out at Christmas, so it took her only a few seconds to put on top of her telly.

[andrec]

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I have just been up our loft to get the Christmas tree. We've had decorations up for a few days, but my wife decided we needed the tree as well, as originally we were not going to bother with it this year, so she's busy working out where we have space for it. With that, I shall wish everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas.

[Richard1978]

Me & my wife were late getting a new artificial tree as the one we already had looks a little spartan, and we were having a new cabinet delivered & didn't want to clutter up the lounge before it arrived.

[andrec]

Ours has seen better days, it's around 15 years old, and the star on top leans over a bit as if it's been at the mulled wine.

[andrec]

The 27th was traditionally when we would go to either Walsall or more often Wolverhampton for the day, and I would usually spend some of the money I got for Christmas and/or get a book with the book token I seemed to get every year. A visit to W.H. Smith and Midland Educational were compulsory for me, plus a look inside Dixon's as there were no large electronics shops near us. I'm struggling to remember the name of the place where we had lunch, but it was a department store and we had to go upstairs. This was a big event for me as trips to Wolverhampton or Walsall were made only a few times per year. Later when I was much older we would go a couple of weeks before Christmas as well, and I remember one year trudging from shop to shop looking for Ninja Turtles figures that year when they were the no. 1 toy.

[Richard1978]

On the 27th my Dad & friends would walk a few miles to a pub in the countryside, at first my Mum would drive the me & the rest of the family there & we would have a meal there. In later years she & occasionally my brother & sister would walk & I would drive to meet them & take everyone back.

[andrec]

Richard has reminded me that after passing my driving test it would be my job to collect my dad from the club after the pre-Christmas party his boss held, usually in the afternoon of the final work day before Christmas. He would tell me what time to pick him up and I would wait in the car for him. It was probably the only time each year he went into a pub or club - it was actually the club bar of a local football team that was used.

[andrec]

Well, it's new year's eve, and the festive season is drawing to a close. Can't say I am a big fan of this particular day, never have been. Nevertheless, I have usually followed tradition and stayed up to welcome in the new year. When my gran was still alive she would spend the evening with us, then after midnight we would walk to her house - just a few minutes - and I would be the first to enter her house as I have dark hair - well I did back then - as it is supposed to bring good luck. In the 80s and 90s our next-door neighbours would come round for the evening. We would save a couple of rockets from Guy Fawkes Night and loose them off at midnight. Back then, there was only us in our area that did that, plus another house maybe 1/2 a mile away. Now, it is very common, of course.

I wish all forum members a happy new year, and hope it will bring health and happiness.