What do you miss about Christmas Past

I miss having a stocking! Pushing my feet down to the end of the bed in the dark early morning to see if he'd been and filled it; opening it up and finding little gifts and a tangerine, a nut and a sixpence in the foot of the stocking.

The drop-leaf table was put up in the living room for dinner, then put away and space made for someone to play the piano so we children could dance around.
Mum would have a sherry (Emva Cream), Dad a beer. We would have fizzy pop.

Then tea, little rolls with ham, pickles, trifle and Christmas cake.

Oh , and Mum liked a Snowball (advocate and lemonade) with a cherry!

Advocaat.

Autocorrect really disapproves of advocaat

The first alcohol I ever had was a snowball at Christmas that my Dad made me. I must have been about 13!

I miss queuing up with my siblings outside the room with our sacks in on Christmas morning (me first as I was the youngest!) until we were allowed in.

The excitement going to bed on Christmas Eve.

I miss DH our family and DH‘s two brothers plus family all getting together at MiL‘s. It was a lot more lively and cheerful than Christmas at my own parents‘ house ever was. Unfortunately MiL died some years ago.

The excitement on Christmas morning ! The comfort and security of having loving parents - that's it really. How lucky was I!?

One of the things I miss is the smell of my grandfather's cigar. A really good cigar was his one luxury so one always came out at Christmas,

All of it really. The any it all came miraculously together with no expense spared (it seemed) on food drink decorations table settings, games, books new clothes and slippers maybe some perfumes or “smellies” the lot.

The house at Christmas, had a distinct aroma especially with the real tree, oranges, Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies

Then everyone gathered in the front room lights dimmed, kids on the floor at the adults knees with a pile of cushions for a really good long film. That’s how I think of Christmas Day😊

Dad had a smallholding, with pigs and chickens to see to, even on Christmas Day.

My sister and I opened our pillowcases first thing, but no more presents were opened until after tea, when we were all in the front room (only had a fire there high days and holidays).

We didn’t have loads to open, just small things from aunties and others, but it was so special. Different things to nibble, tangerines, eat-me dates (ugh), the warm fire, but best of all, Dad sitting with us, relaxing after another busy day outside, opening his Wills Whiff cigars and just being together.

No loads of booze, no piles of expensive gifts, just simple, family gathering.

No wonder Christmas isn’t the same.

[sigh]

It was the only time we ever used the table in the front room, which made Christmas lunch feel more special. The rest of the time we ate in the kitchen. Turkeys came fully feathered in those days and had to be plucked and drawn by my mother who used the giblets to make gravy. They seemed enormous - almost too big to fit into the oven! We would to be eating it in various incarnations for days. We never had much fruit during the year but at Christmas my father would go and buy nuts, oranges and bananas from the greengrocer - and Cox’s apples. It was his small ritual to shake each one to see if the pips rattled! Good job the greengrocer knew him! It was the only time we ever had alcohol in the house - advocaat, Hoopers port and Sandeman sherry. I too remember the orange, nuts, a threepenny bit and some chocolate coins in the toe of a stocking, and presents in a pillow case downstairs. I miss the simplicity of it now.

The people missing.

The house being full of family, kids sleeping on the floor and then the melee of opening presents on the floor and trying to cook and eat breakfast for everyone with smell of the turkey that’s been in the oven cooking slowly.
I will be with family for lunch but waking on Christmas morning alone is hard.

My parents used to have a Christmas related business.
I miss parts, but not all, of that.

Seeing the little pile of presents on the floor at the end of my bed. Reaching up to the bedpost to feel the bulky full stocking!

Babs03 I too miss all the family coming round. When my mum was 50, I took over ‘doing Christmas’. So it was Mum and Dad, my brother, his wife and three children.The in-laws, DH ‘s four siblings and their families and a spinster aunt. Quite a squash, but loads of laughs. Just DH and me this year with DD and her DH. Although my DS and family are coming for New Year.

The excitement of knowing Father Christmas was coming - waking while it was still dark and crawling to the end of the bed to feel the bulging stocking….🎅🏻🎄

Allsorts

The people missing.

This 😥

I used to love it at Christmas, when the children were young. We had six children (seven years between oldest and youngest), so much excitement.
Decorating the tree on the day they broke up from school, hiding presents all over the place. Money was not plentiful, and I planning it all from August onwards.
Lots of food preparation, everything made by me. Christmas eve in particular was a long day - up early to do last shop at supermarket and then all day cooking. Hubbie would save entire years Luncheon Vouchers so that we could have the only takeaway of the year - chinese that evening.
Once children all in bed, getting pillowcases prepared and eventually put on or next to each bed.
Rarely got to bed myself until about 2 am and then was up early as older children woke younger ones to see 'what Santa had brought them'.
Turkey, in oven on timer, meant a wonderful smell all over the house. Once up properly, hubbie would go off to collect my parents who celebrated their wedding anniversary on 25th December. No pressies from tree allowed to be opened until Nanna and Grandpa were with us.
Other family members would come over after our 1 pm dinner - and I would make a big buffet tea around 6 ish.

These days, not even any very young g.children - and I am only too happy to get christmas behind me each year and look forward to Spring.

As an infant school teacher Christmas always involved a lot of glue and glitter, altering costumes to fit differently sized shepherds, renovating the kings’ crowns and a lot of general hustle and bustle.
I miss the busy-ness of all that, but not the exhaustion that accompanied it!

Calendargirl

Dad had a smallholding, with pigs and chickens to see to, even on Christmas Day.

My sister and I opened our pillowcases first thing, but no more presents were opened until after tea, when we were all in the front room (only had a fire there high days and holidays).

We didn’t have loads to open, just small things from aunties and others, but it was so special. Different things to nibble, tangerines, eat-me dates (ugh), the warm fire, but best of all, Dad sitting with us, relaxing after another busy day outside, opening his Wills Whiff cigars and just being together.

No loads of booze, no piles of expensive gifts, just simple, family gathering.

No wonder Christmas isn’t the same.

[sigh]

That sounds delightful and you paint the picture so well.😃
Happy family special gatherings are just the best thing.

Everything, in some ways, but especially my dearest parents.

I always had a stocking, and we always had an open fire in our living room, a big real tree, lots of friends and family came round and it was just jolly and lovely, with a traditional turkey feast and a pudding set on fire with a sprig of holly in the centre and brandy poured over it.

Many things, like others my parents, sitting around the coal fire, opening our gifts, remember a walkie talkie doll that mum had made clothes for. Then eating biscuits with a drink, our family tradition, my siblings, don't see them at Christmas anymore, . The peaceful times then in our little village. My mum.

The smell of the capon and later, the turkey that had been cooking on low overnight. The busyness of Christmas Day and the people visiting, who made it so special. We didn’t get loads of presents, but the excitement of a tub of new hair ribbons, a tin of Sharps toffees, another tub with rose shaped soaps and a new book for my favourite series is what I remember.