What do you miss about Christmas Past

Thanks Oreo.

Meant to add, the actual waiting to open the main presents, in the evening, was I think, good for us.

We learned that you don’t have to rip everything open first thing in the morning, and the anticipation of doing so at the end of the day made it all the more special.

Two particular memories, in addition to those already mentioned.
A parcel arriving marked “Open immediately. Do not wait until 25 December”. It was bananas, the first I had ever seen! This was either 1948 or 1949, so some years post war.

My daughter, not sure what age, in the middle of the night opened her stocking presents, all individually wrapped, including the satsuma and coin, then rewrapped them all and went back to sleep. The next morning she opened them again on our bed with her brother, pretending it to be for the first time, showing delight and surprise. Then she confessed. She’s a good actor!

I had wonderful Christmasses in my childhood. Parents had little money but there was always a fabulous feast and lots of friends and family gathered. Dad would put a scaffolding plank between two chairs, padded up with towels and cushions, to provide extra seating round the table and we had - the excitement - chicken! Not that boring old roast beef that Mum cooked every Sunday. Games afterwards, and my two grannies drinking milk stout while Dad smoked his one cigar of the year.

I think, though, what I miss most is the un-comercialisation of it all ...

At present we have no small children in the family, everyone very grown up. I also miss the sell of cigar smoke I can see my dad now with cigar puffing away whilst he did the washing up.

Funny how our old dads smoked just the one cigar on xmas day, don't suppose they could afford it any other time, anyway the smell of cigar smoke and tangerines takes me right back.
Don't suppose they will ever produce a candle that smells of this but for me this is the most evocative smell of my childhood Christmases.

My parents and Grandparents 💔

I continue all of their traditions as does my sister, we all get together (19-21 of us) on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Laugher and a few tears of memories past.

I miss the excitement of presents in the 50s and 60s when we didn't have as much stuff so it all seemed so thrilling. A box of embroidered hankies was appreciated but I suspect most 2024 kids would be less than thrilled. Food is the same, I buy fresh cream every week, when I was a child we had it at Christmas and Easter and it tasted sooooooo goooooooood.

Do I want to go back to having less? No not really but most of us have what we want/need now.

Having said all that I have 4 kids, they have 4 partners and between them 8 GC so I actually have more of a big family Christmas than I did growing up. Some come for the week and some for the day but it is a busy week.

We learned that you don’t have to rip everything open first thing in the morning, and the anticipation of doing so at the end of the day made it all the more special.

We do that with our children and now grandchildren, Calendargirl They've been very good about it but it's been a tradition they've had since they were born.

I must admit that as a child I'd have everything opened before breakfast!

As for what I miss about previous Christmases, I miss my childhood friend who died two years ago. Only 62. We were very close and had a super time in December, wrapping all the umpteen gifts together with a bottle of Cava. Or two.

Allsorts

The people missing.

Oh yes , so true.

I miss the simpler Christmas of my childhood when it wasn't all about rampant consumerism, and far more about the religious feast, cribs, carols and Midnight Mass, not that I appreciated that at the time and being thrilled in getting presents of a more insignificant nature, books, board games, selection boxes.

At a later stage when my own children were small and the magic was still there. Spending it at home and starting the day with Champagne Bucks Fizz, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, although often dog tired from them waking us up at stupid o'clock to see "if he'd been"

My Mum picking the sprouts from plants in the garden, often they’d be frozen! I do miss my parents and all the happy times.

My parents, my younger brother died too young and several close friends RIP

Our grandparents, parents, and siblings. My grandparents arriving from the city with treats and different things to our normal.

My Bunty Annual!

I miss the big family gatherings . My family all lived in south london and would take turns to gather at someone’s house . It was lovely with grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins .
When my siblings and I left home we were also local and have big family dos.
My brothers moved away 20 years ago and wouldn’t travel at Christmas, as they like being at home with their families and in-laws . My family and I do get an invite for Boxing Day but it’s always us who have to travel to them .

Sweetpeasue

My Bunty Annual!

Oh yes the Bunty annual. Such a delight every Christmas 😀

I miss family no longer with us. Christmas Day was always a day spent with our grandparents and full of love and happiness.
I miss going Christmas shopping with my mum. She loved all the decorations in the shops the sparklier the better. I often think of her when I’m out and about and spot items she would love.
I miss spending Christmas Eve with my grandma. Everyone else would have been at work and I’d be with grandma helping her doing the baking - jam tarts,mince pies etc. Happy memories indeed.

Sweetpeasue

My Bunty Annual!

It was my main Christmas present for many years.

7/6 in old money (37.5p nowadays)

All my old Bunty annuals are in the loft.

Yellowing pages, broken spines, but oh my goodness, just leafing through the pages takes me back 65 or so years to those long ago Christmas days.

And I remember the stories so well!

Mum didnt work, so a provident cheque was ordered each year and paud for our presents, my brother and I.

Dad always gutted and trussed a large capon each year, we woke up to the smell of it slow cooking.

Dad would go downstairs light the fire, have his cuppa/ visit outside toilet for what seemed ages, whilst my brother(5 years younget) and I sat on the stairs with so much impatience, after opening the present on the end of the bed.

We would rip open our presents after dads loo break and the have bacin sandwiches for breakfast, befire our trip to the local newsagent/ tobaccinist for dads tobacco and a big juicy cigar; some sweets and as sad was a regular customer my brother and I got to choose a free annual.

We would then visit the off licence for pale ale, port , sherry, advocaat, babycham.

We always got a free arrowroot buscuit from the jar on the counter.

Little presents hung from the tree for after a cold tea of sandwiches, pickles and tinned fruit.

😢😢 omg memories flooding in now😢

I miss the magic of my boys being little. The anticipation if the bug night when Santa was coming. Fairytale stuff that I still love to recreate with my little ones in pre school.

Harris27 yes I tried to recreate that magic with my children, it seems to have worked with the memories the hold, it can be such a magical time🎄

I forgot the toffee on a tray, little hammer included . Had better teeth then, 😂.

The entire family piling round on Boxing Day, playing games with my cousins, and having a second tea at midnight!

Babs03

I miss all the family that would come round to ours when I was a child. The borrowing of chairs or stools from neighbours to put round the dining table. My dad smoking a cigar. Party games and board games after dinner. Then when the adults were a bit tipsy they would move the furniture back and put a record on to dance to whilst we drank the dregs from babycham glasses and pretended to be drunk.

Exactly this 😊

Just have to say, reading all these precious Christmas memories of ours - only hope our DGC will have their own too. So much has changed which I guess makes me feel very old indeed.

I miss my children and subsequently our grandchildren on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. The anticipation, the lack of sleep!