Memories of Christmas when you were growing up ?

Our tree went up on Christmas Eve. Mum liked to have daffodils at Christmas and I always have them too. We had big Jaffa oranges only at Christmas time. There were tangerines, nuts in their shells and dried fruits like figs, dates and Muscat raisins.

Stockings were hung on hooks on the back of our bedroom door. When I was seven I got a two-wheeled bike and rode about a mile to grandma's house with Dad running behind holding onto the seat; my younger sister had a twin dolls' pram. We always had a book each, like Rupert annuals, but my favourite was Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome. I've never forgotten Baga Yaga.

Christmas lunch was traditional with turkey and New Years' Day there was a goose. I remember the kitchen dripping with condensation as the pudding steamed for hours. Most things were home-made including the pudding, stuffing, mincemeat for the pies etc. Tea was cold turkey sandwiches with Mum's chutneys or pickled onions, followed by trifle, but the cake and mince pies were usually for Boxing Day, which was their wedding anniversary and we had visitors.

We played outside or with board games, did colouring and read or listened to the radio.

All your lovely stories of Christmas past are making me teary eyed!

They all sound like some fairy tale read out from the best Christmas Story Book In The World.

Stress, pretending all was Ok, tension, fear, arguments, trying hard to please.
Just some of the feelings thinking about childhood Christmas, plus a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Reflections on glass ornaments, some being upsidedown, looking like another world- My Italian grandmother's little, silver, aluminium tree, miniature nativity and her plastic, dime store decor .. all being back fond memories-

Namsnanny, you're not alone ..

Most of my memories were of disappointment. I used to get really excited but rarely got what I had asked for. We were threatened with ashes in our stockings if we were the slightest bit naughty. My brother always got told off for waking up too early and starting to open his stocking. My mother also used to shout at us just as much as any other day.

On the other hand I also remember my dad shouting down the chimney on Christmas Eve (I think from the upstairs fireplace,) and we really believed it was Santa. In our stockings (Dad's socks), we got our one orange of the year, new knickers vests and socks, a colouring or drawing book with crayons, chocolate coins, and a plastic toy or (deep joy) a kaleidoscope. Sometimes we got a chocolate Santa and again my brother always got told off for eating them before breakfast.

The other bonus was that we were never hungry that day. A roast chicken dinner with Christmas pudding (and a hidden sixpence though we couldn't ever keep it! Also mince pies and Christmas cake that I helped my mother to make.

Looking back it must have been a struggle to find the extra money.

rosecarmel …

Grandma2213 … Yes I'm sure you're right, money was always tight in our house too!

Grandma2213 … Your poor brother [smile.] Mine always gorged on the chocolate first as well.

I saved mine but they always came begging later on and I could never refuse them!!

Chocolate and liquorice smokers sets in our pillow cases, would be frowned on nowadays. We always had a brace of ducks for Christmas dinner, given to Mum by her brother, a farmer. She always half cooked them the night before as she felt they wouldn’t be ‘done’ otherwise!
We opened our presents, apart from Santa’s pillowcases, in the evening when Dad was in from looking after the stock on our smallholding. One at a time to spin it out. The wrapping paper carefully removed , folded, kept for another year. No ripping it off in a frenzy!
Sitting in the front room, a place only used at Christmas, with a log fire, Eat Me dates, dear old dad smoking his Wills Whiff cigars.
We didn’t have a Christmas tree, we must have been the only people to have, and I kid you not, a hula hoop covered in crepe paper, with baubles hanging from it, and somehow suspended from the ceiling light! Dad’s idea of economy.

When I was 4 I really wanted a straw handbag that had a flat leather lid and rope handles (they were all the rage in the 60s!) I just couldn't believe it when I opened my presents (only got about 4, Mum was a single parent and money was extremely tight) and there it was! I just kept asking my Mum, over and over again "but how did Father Christmas KNOW that was what I wanted?!" Although we had very little money, Mum always managed to provide all the usual treats, the best of which was a large tin of Quality Street. Also loved the tangerines, the smell of which still reminds me of Christmas time.

Yes I remember having to take the wrapping paper off carefully so it could be reused Calendargirl wartime economy. I hated those Newberry Fruits and slices. I always got clothing,fruit, book and a game or toy, no mountains of presents in those days much less commercialisation of Christmas. I loved going to chapel and singing all the favourite carols and hearing the familiar bible passages, all very comforting,

It was a time the family cam e together and my mam was always busy. Not a very happy childhood but always remember nice Christmas,s dad being at home usually he was at work all the time. And laughter yes happy memories. Ne371eg

Sorry about he end bit didn’t mean to do that!

To those of us who had less than perfect parents, at least we had a model of the kind of marriage we were never going to have. And now I’ve been reminded, I’m going to buy some orange and lemon slices.

We also had the orange and lemon slices, the dates, Turkish delight in powder which got everywhere. (Now I’m older I can’t understand why mum bought that as she hated mess) and cheese footballs. I loved those even though the cheese had an odd taste.

I don’t have many memories of Christmas the one that sticks out is going to the off licence with my Dad, he was never a drinker. We bought Bristol sherry for Mum Advocaat, lemonade, tizer and cream soda we hardly ever had fizzy so it was very exciting for me and my little brother.

My sister and I had lovely Christmases. We were loved and knew it. Our little family of four, always together no one else. Mum had a terrible childhood. She was born in 1931. One of 5 children and her mother died when she was 9y old. She used to recall really hard times with her wicked stepmother. Much neglect and outright cruelty.

As someone said upthread, it made her all the more determined to have her own ‘happy family’ and my sister and I were the beneficiaries. Not in material things as such as money was tight but in closeness with one another, definitely.

I was born before WW11 so have early memories of many shortages.
My mother made everything edible including Christmas pudding with lots of grated carrot in it, dried fruit was saved up for months.
Not many toys then but things which stand out were a John Bull printing set and a toy sewing machine.
Always a couple of books.
Like most people then we didn’t keep alcohol in the house but at Christmas would make our annual visit to a “shop” where we bought a bottle of sherry, a bottle of ruby port and for some unfathomable reason a bottle of Sanatogen tonic wine!!
We always visited my mother’s family on Christmas night, we had to walk, and as the only child in the family I hated it.

Also turkey was unheard of then, we usually had a piece of pork.
Once again I am reminded of the age range of GNers, I am only 6 years younger than Urmstangran’s mum and one GNer I met once was less than a year older than my D.
We certainly get a lot of varied memories because of this, so enlightening.

I was born into poverty too but Mum and Dad tried their best-it must have been SO hard for them. I can remember one Christmas getting Blow Football game and asking my Dad if Santa made a mistake and thought I was a boy!

My lasting memory is getting up to a freezing cold room as coal fires did not stay on overnight in the 40s.
My mother did everything and Dad was always miserable, I was an adult before we were told that his 21 year old brother had died on Christmas day which explained his unhappiness.
My mother invited all the relatives and cooked a feast in a kitchen no bigger than the porch on my present home. The days before Christmas were spent cooking ham and tongue and checking the weights were doing the job of pressing the tongue.
Gifts were nothing like the gifts modern kids get but we always got one thing we had been hoping for.

I remember the year I found out Santa didn't exist. I think I was about 6-7 mum had asked dad to put my stocking in my room and she would do my brothers.
I woke Christmas day and was devastated and ran sobbing to mum and dads room "Santa didn't come !"
dad had forgotten to do my stocking.
Mum was not pleased as she produced my stocking from inside her wardrobe.
Decorations covered the ceiling and the tree was a tatty tinsel thing that stood on the front window still.
My widowed maternal GM always came for lunch which was turkey and all the trimmings and of course Christmas pud with cream. My brother and I would play with our presents after lunch in "the front room" which was normally only used when we had visitors, while adults chatted and sometimes played board games with us.
Tea would be turkey or boiled ham sandwiches, pickled onions and salad. Always a birds trifle made from a packet and mum's hone made cake.
Evening was spent watching TV.

"We Three Kings of Orient Are" in the IVth Form's dark basement room with its hot and smelly coke stove.

Tangerines! A very rare treat then. Ditto the bowl of nuts that had to be cracked.

The excitement of waking when it was still dark and finding the bulging stocking - just little things from FC - my folks were always pretty skint, but still magical. Had to wait until at least 7 am to open anything though.

We used to open presents carefully and save wrapping paper in a box for the following year. There was a certain Christmassy smell to it and I found even opening that box exciting. I don't find that modern paper smells of anything, but I dare say that's the ageing sense of smell.

Singing carols in school assembly. The first day after Advent Sunday we always sang O come O come Emmanuel - I still love that carol because it meant the run up to Christmas.

Buying presents for the family with my strictly limited pocket money, and wrapping them. It was usually a case of God Bless Woolworths then.

When we asked my father what he'd like, he'd nearly always say 'a bottle of brandy' so I was very happy when I was old enough and had the cash to buy him a bottle of Remy Martin.

I still remember being with my father when he was buying a new handbag for my mother for Christmas. Can't have been more than 9. It was in the days when you were shown things by a dept store assistant.

One of the bags he was shown looked very old-lady-ish to me even then, so I was very relieved when he said it looked too Granny-ish, and chose a more expensive one I knew she'd like, in smooth black leather. It was three guineas - funny what you remember - and given their finances at the time I dare say it was very extravagant, but she loved 'good' things and had that bag for years.

Everything about it was exciting from our invariably very small tree to crackers - I hope it was the same for dds. They'd always bring their stockings to,open on our bed - very often the dog and cat would be there looking on, too.

Nanny coming to stay for two weeks, TIL after New Year. Hanging up my dads wellie boot sock as a stocking. He always wrapped my mums Christmas presents up on Christmas Eve. He also used to hang the strawberry net on the wall in the living room, which he and mum would then attach fir and holly branches to.Playing the card game switch, can’t remember the rules now, but my nanny would end up with skirt full of cards, as she always seemed to be the one who got the extra cards!