Memories of Christmas when you were growing up ?

I loved the Enid Blyton books as well. The usual Famous Five, Secret Seven but most of all I liked the mystery ones. Rockingdown., Rilloby Fair etc. It's a shame she was so pilloried in later life so many of us grew up enjoying her books.

So many happy memories, pillowcase at the end of the bed filled with presents and one main present under the Christmas tree being the 7th of 8 children we didn't have a lot but loved and appreciated what we did have, dad cooking breakfast then the older sisters helping mum get the veg's ready while the turkey was cooking just remembering the smells makes me smile plus all the fresh fruit and nuts, and always watching Leslie Crowther giving out presents to children in hospital always made me grateful being at home and always me feel sad for the children, the days when you didn't ask for anything just grateful for what you received.

We had neighbours who were Catholic and they always put their nativity scene in the window on Dec 1st. We started asking for Dad to put our decorations up from this point but we might buy Xmas tree on Dec 20th or so but he always insisted on putting it up and decorating the Xmas tree on Xmas Eve. We had idylic Xmas as children. We were allowed to go into the front room which was used for best and in reality hardly ever used. The fire was lit in there, and there was a box of Satsumas, some of which were wrapped in silver foil and others not and Mum put bowls of nuts on the coffee table. We were allowed to help ourselves. We always had toast and pate for Xmas breakfast. Then my Dad would take my sisters and I up to see his Mother. Gran always had a stocking for us. We always wanted Mum to come too but she always stayed to keep an eye on and baste the turkey. The turkey was always 19-20 lbs and Mum used to struggle to lift it in and out of the oven with the fat so Dad used to do that. At my grans my two beloved aunties who never had children of their own would come to see their Mother and all adults used to toast 'absent friends at 12 O'clock' something I still do today. Then Aunt Bet would announce Father Xmas had left us some gifts at her house and take me and my sister off with her. She lived a couple of doors from my parents. My Dad would stay a little longer with his Mother and then bring her back to our house for Xmas dinner. At my aunties we always got a new story book and an annual in our stockings, some sweet cigarettes, soap on a rope and a new jumper she had knitted for us. I can remember we got lemonade which was a rare treat. Then we gave my auntie and uncle their present. I only got sixpence a week for pocket money but i always saved it up over about two months to buy my own gifts for my family. Uncle Bill smoked a pipe and usually got pipe cleaners, my auntie a Walnut Whip. When I was eight I saved up for two weeks and bought my Mum some snowdrop bulbs from Woolworth's and she had them growing in the garden right up until she died. She always said they were her favourite present because they come up every Xmas. When I look back I can see just how hard my Mum worked at Xmas, so we all had a happy day. All mince pies, sausage rolls and short bread biscuits were cooked by hand, and my Mum would cook a load of mince pies for after church too. One year when I was six my auntie bought me a post office set. I loved it as it had a stamper. First I stamped the little envelopes, then the paper, then I took it up to my bedroom and stamped all over the wallpaper. I can remember my Dad telling my auntie off for giving it to me. I got a watch one year, another year a typewriter and another year a scooter. One year I broke my little sisters new doll on Xmas morning by accident and she cried all day. Xmas dinners were always perfectly cooked and we got sausage meat from inside the bird. In later years we got crackers to pull and we had Xmas lights on the tree that played Oh Come all Ye Faithful. My older sisters played games with me and my younger sisiter all day. One year we got Monopoly and we seemed to play it all of the time. My other auntie would arrive with more gifts for us and Mum would declare we would become spoiled. She said this every single year. My Dad was always looking for extra chairs for everyone to sit down to Xmas dinner. Mum and my aunties had a drink of sherry, Harvey's Bristol Cream. We got lemonade which we had to make last until Boxing Day as only 2 bottles between us all. After dinner we were allowed to eat sweets. Mum always brought out a large tin of Quality Streets. We only got these at Xmas and we all had our favourites. I used to like the Orange Creams the best, my younger sister always got the Strawberry ones, my Dad ate the nuts, my older sisters had coconut and caramels, Mum liked toffees. When I open Quality Streets today I would never take one that in my head belongs to one of my family members. We too had the oranges and lemons in a round with loads of sugar over them and the dates, which only my older sister liked. In the afternoons we used to find a film on TV that Mum said was suitable for us all. For tea we ate buffet food home made by my Mum and the obligatory turkey sandwiches. After tea my Mum used to play a game with us. That was really special because she was usually to busy working in the home to stop to play with us. My Dad smoked a cigar. This was the only time of the year he smoked and only ever one cigar. I still like the smell of a cigar as it reminds me of my Dad. We went to bed happy and full. I hope those who did not have such happy child hoods have made their adult lives happier, especially at Xmas.

Watching Leslie Crowther,giving children in hospital presents. And always having a new dress to wear for Christmas day.

The funniest Christmas I remember is, as a teenager in the 60's, returning home from the pub on Christmas night with my best friend, to my mum and dad's party. We put the Beatles 'We can work it out' on the record player and started to dance when my Uncle Fred joined us. He had already had a fair amount to drink and, after a few choruses, he staggered back right into the Christmas tree, falling over and bringing the tree down on him! That's a Christmas I will never forget!

Dad used to trim up on Christmas Eve when we were in bed , we were more excited to see the tree than our presents. Yes newberry fruits ,dates and our Mum loved figs . Lovely memories!

Dates for Dad, ginger jelly cube thingies for Mum and sugared almonds for me.

Christmas preparations started just after my birthday in the end of November with house-cleaning, turning out the store cupboard so my mother could make a shopping list for the Christmas baking and cooking.

Cleaning done, we started the baking, seven different kinds of Danish Christmas biscuits, mince pies and cakes. In the lulls between batches of baking, after school and at weekends, we wrote wishing lists and went Christmas shopping for presents, or made them.

On the 22nd the tree went up and my grandmother and aunt arrived, or grannie and grandpa (Daddy's parents).

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with a Danish Christmas dinner, presents and hung Daddy's kilt stockings up for Santa to fill when we went to bed. On Christmas Day we opened our stockings, had British Christmas dinner after church and heard the Queen's speech. Definitely no television on Christmas Day. It was allowed on Boxing Day.

We had Christmas parties for my parents' friends on the days between Christmas and New Year and on New Year's Day we all went out to friends for dinner.

Christmas changed when I was thirteen - my grandparents died in the course of the three following years. Christmas was still good, but not as good as before.

The smell of the Christmas tree ? and being mesmerised by all the baubles and tinsel. Remembering the angel hair draped over the tree one year - it looked magical. The sheer excitement of waiting for Santa and of being too excited to sleep. Rushing downstairs in the early hours of the morning and seeing all the piles of presents. Making a beeline for the selection box and eating most of the contents before breakfast. The warmth of the house. The smells of cooking and helping with preparation of the veggies. Christmas dinner that your mum cooked. Trifle for afters. All the nuts - finding out which ones you could break with your teeth and using the silver nutcracker for those that were too hard. The tangerines. Watching Rudolph on TV.

I was born in 1941 and unfortunately Christmas was not really celebrated in our house. My dad worked on Christmas day and mum didnt think it was important to celebrate it. We had mince for dinner, and I have scraped wallpaper off on Christmas Day. I was determined that my children would have some Christmases to remember. We made up our own traditions and celebrations.

I remember the year I was nine. My parents were not well off (whose were?). I had 2 brothers and a baby sister. I woke up very very early, about 6 a .m. Joy of joys, there was a pillow
case on the end of my bed. Inside was a book about Greek mythology and another Enid Blyton one, a garment, a microscope (my dad always put in a scientific instrument of some sort), a box of Black Magic, and an orange wrapped in silver paper. And I believe there may have been a sixpence at the very bottom of the pillow case.
I ate the chocs over a day or two and kept the box for months so that I could open it every day and smell the lingering smell of chocs! Happy days.

Last Christmas there was a film shown on TV, a version of "A Christmas Tale." One of the scenes was the ghost of Christmas Past showing a wonderful Christmas party, in the 1700s.
Things were always better in the past,

When I was probably 6, and went to school in a town a fair bus ride plus quite long walk away, and my mother had a young baby and a toddler at home, and we had no car, I was give a letter of request to take to the headmistress.

Could I please be allowed out at lunchtime to go to my aunt's flat quite close by - I knew the way - where my father would pick me up and take me to see Father Christmas at a big store locally - otherwise it was going to be hard to manage it this year.

The head was a grey-haired Miss Bolwell, who'd look at you over the top of her glasses, and bless her, she said, 'I wish someone was taking me to see Father Christmas!'

So off I trotted to my aunt's flat, all alone - it'd never be allowed nowadays! And duly went to see FC.

I don't remember him at all, but I certainly remember lovely Miss Bolwell!

There were nearly always eleven of at Christmas with our family of five my Mum's parents and my Mum's sister, her husband and my two cousins. We were all very close. In later years everyone stayed at our house but in earlier times we had Christmas day at our house and Boxing day at my grandparents' house for a re-run minus presents. Stockings first thing (my Dad's old socks) and main presents later. Church, followed by a huge Christmas dinner. After the Queen's speech there were party games with an interlude for tea with crackers. The one TV programme was the Morecambe and Wise Christmas special. Very happy times. I like to think we knew even then how lucky we were.

All lovely memories, Lins! Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved
..

Making garlands from coloured paper strips at school to decorate the classroom. At home we had a real Christmas tree, we lived in a small hamlet so Dad got a tree from the local forestry. I still have the little triangular nativity decoration that belonged to my Mamgu (Gran). It has the same old string to hang it on the tree and you can still see 2/6 written in pencil on the back. I love it and it has pride of place on our tree every year.
Woolworths was great at Christmas - wrapping paper, tags, tinsel, chocolates, and tree decs in their Winfield boxes, all came from there.
There was always a Nativity play in our chapel, I was an angel with a 'halo' made from a wire coat hanger covered in tinsel. I always enjoyed the carols, some in English but most in Welsh. I was frightened of the minister and especially his wife, who was a horror. So much for Christian example.
I do remember having a goose on Christmas Day once but usually turkey as my father preferred it. My stocking was an old woolen stocking of my Gf's, there was a tangerine, nuts and a net of chocolate coins, 6 bath salt squares and a half pound box of Milk Tray with a Christmassy sleeve around it usually with puppies or kittens on it. There were always crayons and a colouring book, and a Famous Five. My favourite present was a Post Office set, spent hours playing with that.
In the sitting room there would be a plate of Jaffa oranges wrapped in tissue paper, nuts,dates and After Eights. My mother would have a Babycham with a red cocktail cherry and my dad would have a sherry.
Years later when my parents spent Christmas with us, my father said at the table one year to much amusement - " the Queen won't have better than this in Buckingham Palace"!
My lovely gentle Dad is long gone now, but every year before Christmas dinner, my husband repeats Dad's now infamous declaration and also "To Absent Friends".
We are going through a difficult time and are facing a very sad Christmas this year, so thank you all for sharing your memories.

I remember the stocking at the end of the bed, then my dad going downstairs to light the fire so my mam and I could go down, then there were presents and special bacon pancakes my dad would make. Lunchtime we went up the hill from Ushaw Moor to Bearpark to my Aunty Annie’s house for roast chicken and Christmas pudding and bitter little oranges we would put a sugar cube in and suck out the juice.
We did this every year til I was 11 then we emigrated to Australia.
Christmas was never the same, no family, my mother didn’t cook so dad had to make the roast chicken and then we would just lie around in the 39 degree heat trying to find a breeze.
When I was married I always tried to make sure my kids had the kind of Christmas I remembered from England, and to this day they all end up at our house with their families for Christmas lunch

Growing up in Africa, December was the middle of summer and often very hot (35deg). We would have a cold Christmas lunch or a BBQ (Braai) on the beach. Always lots of friends and family around, it was a hugely festive occasion.
Such a difference from the solitary Christmas I have to look forward to now...!

Bluebelle . Your Christmas sounds very like mine. Same things to eat etc. We used one of my Mum's laddered stocking for our stocking. It stretched very satisfyingly
I bought some Newberry Fruits last year. Well same box anyway. Just jelly sweets. No crunchy shell in the middle with fruit juice. Very disappointing.

being raised in a scottish family we tended to throw everything at hogmany, xmas was church then open presents, a nice dinner and nice tea then some telly before bed, we had the same xmas tree for over 55 years, mother said nothing was wrong with it, i used to envy friends trees, ours was so old and sparse, then on new years eve wed get dressed up as i had dark hair id be the first footer on the street, everyone went into everyone else homes and wed party all night, sing Scottish songs and watch Scottish sing along on the tv, now they were hogmanys to remember

always remember when my dad worked for british rail.there was a man that made sure all the families got a box of christmas treats.he was a wonderful man....my mum and dad used to hide the box in the coat cupboard. we children were not allowed to look in the christmas box. but i used to hide in the cupboard so i could smell the chocolate.low and betide if i sneaked a chocolate.i am no good at lying..so it wasnt worth sneaking one out. my mum always knew where to find me if i was gone missing..we used to have a small stocking on the bottom of our beds. the ice on the windows made my finger tips stick to it.cold lino on the floor. no slippers in those days.hot water bottles everyone.usually had chicken for christmas dinner.no tv when i was little think i was about 6 before we got a black and white tv(1963) colour not till 1970's. made my mum laugh when i said if you you want colour tv why not just paint it.!!! no you cant do that she said.presents .well one each of course...me and my brother .(my sister came 8 years later)i cant remember having sausage rolls/mince pies etc. we did have cheese pastry shapes.

Feeling the weight of Dad's seaboot stocking at the end of the bed on my feet. It always had an orange in the toe and there was always a box of Turkish Delight in it as well as other little goodies. Mum's ginger wine (non-alcoholic) made every Christmas to an old family recipe. The base mixture was made up at the chemist. Dad and my uncle treating themselves to a tot of rum when uncle visited on Christmas morning bringing gifts.

From when I was about 4 and my maternal Grampy died, until I was about 10,mum's stepmum and half brother used to come for Christmas.
As my uncle couldn't drive, my dad used to fetch them in his motorbike and sidecar on Christmas Eve.
We lived in a 2 bed cottage at the time, so I used to sleep in the double bed with mum and my mum's stepmum and my dad, uncle and brother used to squeeze into the other bedroom, with my brother sleeping on the floor between the 2 single beds.
My dad used to go to the pub at the bottom of the lane with his brother (about the only time he went) . Apparently one year he came home a little tipsy and slept on the sofa downstairs .
We also had the magic pillowcases - I learnt the secret years later that we had two matching pairs of pillowcases that mum used to swap over - found out when mum gave us the wrong ones - she hadn't noticed the difference in colour in the dark!!!
I also remember going looking for presents in my parents wardrobes - I found my toy china tea set one year (I still have it) and gave the game away when I opened the parcel on Christmas Day by saying that it looked different in the cupboard!!!
Oh and yes my dad insisted on having a box of dates each year, your stocking was made of netting with a crepe paper edging - a few cob nuts, a mandarin orange and some sweets was all you got in them but back then you didn't expect as much I think, just happy with what you got!

We were quite hard-up and one year Mum made a little Christmas tree. I don't know where she got the inspiration.
It consisted of dowelling for the main stem with pipe cleaners graduated for the branches, covered with green crepe paper with little slits at the sides for leaves.
She produced a box with tiny multi-coloured baubles (marble sized) and a star for the top. It was put in a square box covered with red crepe paper, it was about a foot tall.
We loved it and put it out for many years on top of the telly even when we were able to get a proper tree. We felt quite sentimentally attached to it and only threw it away when it eventually got too tatty. I can still see it in my mind's eye.

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!