I'm dreaming of a 1970s Xmas

[brizzledrizzle]

A single hazelnut in the bottom of my stocking, chocolate coins,
lovely paisley/flowery ankle length dress to wear on the day,
putting up the tree with glass (!) decorations.

No Whamageddon!

How did you have xmas in the 1970s?

I was born in '69, so I had 70s Christmases!

Oh, the festooning that went on then! Those metallic concertina-ed garlands that came from each corner of the room and were pinned up in the middle; then the middle would have some sort of metallic concertina-ed "chandelier" hanging from it.
There'd be festooning around the edges of the room, too, and the fireplace... and anything else it was possible to festoon.
And yes the telly, the fruit jellies, kids tipsy on snowballs, fag smoke, prawn cocktail as a Christmas starter, advent calendars with pictures, not chocolates... bliss.

Factors, I had forgotten about plasticraft. I made loads of stuff with mine. My gran had a paperweight I made her with seahorses in until she died.

My best memories are being allowed a snowball and scoffing the quality street whilst the grown ups were at church

I spilled plasticraft on the carpet, got a right hiding for that..

But loved puting the random stuff inside the moulds, but could never get the holes right to make a keyring, but yellow was my fav colour to paint the backs..

Not metal decorations - paper - in pastel shades- hanging from the ceiling n swags. And balloons. We used to try to netball the balloons over the swags for a 10p reward.

Radio and TV times - the excitement of picking the TV viewing and marking it up in red pen.

Never getting a Mr Frosty, but the wonder of getting a cardboard sweetshop, with loose sweets to weigh up in 2oz bags.

10p and a satsuma in the bottom of one of my dads socks - (plus some other squishy presents) left on the end of the bed.

My sister had a girl's world one year - a-maz-ing.

Eating too much, the only time in the whole year we sat at the table.

I really miss it all.

I remember being taken to so-called family friendly Christmas do’s at the community centre where a bad band would play Yellow River. I can still feel the sensation of my tired eyes burning with cigarette smoke and the swishing noise of those metal brush drumsticks. We usually had to pick our way past a fight on the way out.

Other toys of the era: Shaker Maker which didn’t work, Pippa the ‘pocket sized fashion doll at pocket money price’, Spirograph, Buckaroo. One year my mum got me an Avon version of a Mr Potato Head with bubble bath in it. Not that we knew who Mr Potato Head was.

I remember the first time I chose presents for my family with my pocket money.
Dad got soap on a rope (probably old spice), mum got bath cubes (probably Tweed) and sister got a selection box that was actually a sock shaped net with a cardboard backing. It probably contained caramac and spangles.

Famous Names liqueurs and Terry's Neapolitans. We would be invited round to "aunty Betty's" next door and my Mum would be given a slice of Dundee cake and I would get a Callard and Bowser butterscotch.
Cracker Barrel cheese for me and Gorgonzola for the Uncles who came to stay.
Christmas day at Gran's and burning your shins on her coal fire.
Playing cards for pennies and ha'pennies.
I had a projector thing that did a slideshow of the Jungle Book. A Spirograph and a Shaker Maker (total disaster) Unbranded dolls with clothes knitted by another neighbour.
My Mum always bought my Grandad a tin of chatka (??) Crab.
My other Gran had those amazing carriage Christmas lights on the tiniest tree.
All Christmas cards bought from Woolworths.

We were always given the 'new' top of the pops lp (crappy cover versions of hits featuring scantily clad young ladies on the cover)

Carriage Christmas lights! My Grandma had those too!

Tunis cake, a Madeira cake covered in thick chocolate with three marzipan fruits. We would argue ( 5 of us kids ) who would get a fruit - I joined in the arguments even though I hated marzipan!
I saw one in Tesco yesterday morning at 7am and immediately WhatsApp siblings with a picture.
Sadly the cake was the only good thing about our childhood. Mostly remember waiting for it all to kick off at home 😔

Avon was amazing. Random shaped bottles. Here's your EDt in a bathtub, or a hat, or a toaster shape etc.
Pretty Peach cream perfume and soap on a rope. My Mum cut the rope off because she thought I'd strangle. (Wtf??)
Boots own brand gift sets. Lemon grass, Blue Fern, Sweet Almond. Bath cubes or crystals. (To be superceded by the Body Shop's plastic ball things)
Always bought my Mum Morny Sandalwood soap.

In recent years I have bought from eBay in a fit of nostalgia:
Boots gift sets, Morny soap, random Avon shaped bottles, almost transparent gift wrap (bells and Holly etc) Max Factor black velvet cats in a dome holding bottles of perfume, Kiku, Elle, Babe, Charlie, Smitty etc.

I remember getting a slinky one year and my brother accidentally broke it. I was SOOO cross with him!

I also remember getting a Strawberry Shortcake doll (her hair was meant to smell of strawberries), which I adored until I saw that my best friend had a Barbie house (which I knew cost loads and my parents couldn't afford).
Christmas Day was the only time of the year that my father would wash up and that was only to get away from overexcited kids

Do you rememeber those thin bright red or green coloured shreds of tinsel type shiney paper that came from Woolworths. Used to hang them on Christmas trees but they got everywhere!

And mending Christmas lights by finding the one bulb that was dead as one blown, stopped the whole lot from working.

BookMe your post inspired me to have a look at vintage Avon things on eBay. I found the soap my mum got! If I wasn’t going away over Christmas I’d be tempted to place bid.

I still have all my Rupert annuals!

Oh gosh!
Driving over to my Granny's and we would count the number of Christmas trees we could see in people's front windows on the way (the days before competitive outdoor light displays!), getting there to a cold house with no central heating. Freezing when you went to the loo, freezing in the bedroom too! Having to soften the butter for the toast in the morning in front of the gas fire in the kitchen....all of us crowded around the telly and reading granny's old copies of Woman's weekly, and playing with the saved up toys that came in the cereal boxes back then.
I had a papermate pen in a green springy alien holder and a slinky. Some years we would go to Dad's brother where the bathroom had a fluffy toilet lid cover to match the pedestal mat, avocado fittings, of course. Strong smell of Brut. DDad had Hai Karate at home, but barely used it. Ads for Buttoneer (plastic staples to attach buttons) and Cinzano (Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter) on the telly, Pork pie on the laden table. Going out for a drive on boxing day - DUncle, DDad, DSis and DCousin all squashed in DUncle's Reliant Robin. Writing thank you letters on Christmas day.
Happy Days.

I loved the gift sets with talc those cubes of bath salts. I also loved getting anything Pretty Peach by Avon. Painting by numbers sets from Aunts.

I noticed the old style lantern lights are coming back into fashion . I seem to remember my dad taking whole days to find the one blown bulb that stopped the whole set working. We couldn't touch any Christmas food until the big day and my dad would spend hours cracking nuts for us all!
I always had a Jackie annual or Bunty and my brothers got a Dandy and Beano.
And yes selection boxes were huge.
Oh and spirograph was another firm favourite.
My dad died this year and I could howl thinking about my childhood Christmases. What great days !

It's Christmas Eve 1978. I'm allowed to wear my floor length party dress. Boney M are on the radio with 'Mary's Boy Child'.

I've helped my dad put the new satin baubles on the tree - mixed in with the old 1950s ones from his childhood. Mum has ordered some fizzy drinks from the milkman - what a treat! We'll be watching The Two Ronnies' Christmas Special tonight - I love the singing bits!

I'm really hoping Father Christmas will bring me a train set. My grandpa will make his annual speech to my sister and me, telling us we're spoiled and that, when he was young, he got an apple, an orange and a bag of nuts for Christmas. I'm overawed at such frugality!

I've opened the last window on my advent calendar - a double one with a picture of the nativity behind the doors.

It's time for bed and I've hung up one of my dad's socks and put out a mince pie and glass of sherry for Father Christmas. I was a bit worried when I heard he'd have to come down the chimney, as our gas fire with its glowing ceramic plates is bolted to the wall - but my mum says it will be fine, as he'll come through the kitchen window instead. [santa]

Long party dresses with frills
Using an old long sock as a stocking
Always finding a tangerine and nuts in the stocking
All the alcohol being displayed on the sideboard
The smell of mince pies
Hundreds of Christmas cards
Visiting older relatives and actually enjoying it
Cardboard advent calendars
Shops being decorated in tinsel the week or so before Christmas
Popping to the community centre for a party to see Santa
Looking into windows at all the Christmas trees
Taking board games into school on the last day
School Christmas disco
Selection boxes on a bit of cardboard with netting
After Eight mints
Black Magic chocolate
Tiny Tears
Ballerina Sindy doll
Only having one big present

Bluth! Bid on it anyway. You won't regret it! I snagged a massive box of vintage Avon soaps (37 in total) and I just get them out and look and sniff and it's 1974 again.
This is a lovely thread, thank you OP. I often think I should find time to sit and write all these childhood memories down for DD.
Except of course, they're MY memories, not hers. So it would just be abstractly and vaguely amusing for her, whereas I could sob with joy!
I recall also loving helping my Mum wrap presents. She was a meticulous wrapper, posh paper and ribbons and would rewrap if she didn't like the finished product. Only the other day as I did a mammoth wrapping session I thought "mum would tear the paper off and start again if she saw the state of this!"

Yes!! And I want Cindy and coloured carriage lights from woollies on the the tree.

Coloured lights!