An old fashioned Christmas. 🌲🎄

I used to volunteer at a high street charity shop and Christmas cards would arrive in July/August, as would new goods - Christmas ornaments etc. Is all about big business and I understand that this is one of the most lucrative times for shops, but it feels like it is just one big con. Another good reason for us to scale back, and for families without much money it must be the worst time of year.

A brilliant idea and one that I will adopt for next year. Being ultra organised, I have bought most of my gifts. I have mentioned this to one of my DD's and she wholeheartedly agrees. Saves money and reduces the mountain of plastic and paper.

I tried watching Box of Delights but didn’t get in with it. I have very mixed memories of Christmas as a child, there was a lot of tension. Now I love my relaxed Christmases with my DD and family.

In Scotland in the sixties, Christmas wasn't the big celebration, New Year was. At Christmas we had a chicken, not a turkey. Mum made lots of vegetables and their was one pudding, usually trifle. My paternal grandparents came for dinner and invariably fell out. My presents were second hand -not that I knew that at the time - and much appreciated. Mum spent hours knitting clothes for new dolls at night when I was in bed. It was a simpler time but I look back with gratitude

Babs03

Back then Christmas wasn’t commercialised with adverts starting in October and people putting up their trees in November. I really don’t like what it has become. My parents would put up the tree just before Christmas, and presents were never more than a book or doll, perhaps a game, and some chocolate. My parents never gave each other anything because they spent their money on us.
It was magical because we gained so much joy from the simplicity of Christmas, the tree, the candles/lights, and just being with our loved ones. Or at least that is how I remember it.

I agree, Christmas wasn’t the long, drawn out affair it is now.

I remember the postman bringing a parcel from an auntie who lived ‘away’, it arrived Christmas Eve, which was perfect.

Heard on the regional news the other night that a garden centre started putting the Christmas stuff out straight after August Bank Holiday.

And we wonder why we are fed up with it, the whole shebang!

I watched it - and then read the book it is based on and absolutely loathed it.

I think this posh not posh nonsense is silly we should all be capable of reading books about all kinds of people in all kinds of places doing all kinds of things, or, in future will all books have to have a social grading warning on the cover?

SueDonim

We watched that last year and were enchanted by it. Although my boys saw it when it originally came out, I didn’t recall much of it. The production values were so high. Although the special effects are nothing like as sophisticated as today, the first class script and the actors were top notch. No dumbing down because it was pitched at children!

A lot of the snow was real. And they were in a real canal at the end. They actually got into trouble for damaging a real building with their pyrotechnics. I’m going away for three weeks and was going to start watching it when I got back but think I’ll take it with me in case I want to start early

I watched The Box of Delights and The Children of Green Knowe last Christmas and possibly the year before, too. It has an internet fan base. Also listened to The Dark is Rising on BBC Sounds; I only discovered that recently. They all made me feel like a child again but also took me back to being a mother with young children. I’ve got just a few of the baubles from my mums tree but there’s a shop I’m going to next week that is selling retro ornaments. I still like to buy a few new ones each year. Such memories of going to Woolworths to buy presents for people and a local shop where me and my dad bought mum’s Californian Poppy perfume.

Back then Christmas wasn’t commercialised with adverts starting in October and people putting up their trees in November. I really don’t like what it has become. My parents would put up the tree just before Christmas, and presents were never more than a book or doll, perhaps a game, and some chocolate. My parents never gave each other anything because they spent their money on us.
It was magical because we gained so much joy from the simplicity of Christmas, the tree, the candles/lights, and just being with our loved ones. Or at least that is how I remember it.

My memories of Christmas in the 50s are mainly the Christmas tree covered in real candles, and the smell of my grandfather's cigars. He once brought home some fantastically expensive crackers which were so beautifully decorated that we saved the decorations and used them on the tree for years. Real treats were frozen peas with the dinner. Not having a freezer this was the only time we had them, and I would be given a maraschino cherry on a cocktail stick in my squash, which was very grown up! I still have the beautiful embroidered Christmas table cloth which must be over 100 years old and still comes out every year.

I remember watching it but soon went off it as I thought it was a bit posh for posh people.

I agree about the magic of Chrsitmas though- for me it still lies in the music which can transport me back to childhood in just a few notes...

We watched that last year and were enchanted by it. Although my boys saw it when it originally came out, I didn’t recall much of it. The production values were so high. Although the special effects are nothing like as sophisticated as today, the first class script and the actors were top notch. No dumbing down because it was pitched at children!