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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Retro Christmases

159 replies

Grinchycrinchy · 24/12/2020 17:03

I was born late 70’s, so an 80’s kid, 90’s teen.

The things I remember from childhood Christmases were..selection boxes, Jackie annual, Wizard, huge gatherings with relatives drinking and smoking in the houses, a Father Christmas float that came down the street, a feeling of complete excitement and magic

Anyone else?

OP posts:
Ameanstreakamilewide · 27/12/2020 23:43

I loved my Fashion Wheel and Lights Alive.

Whateverimgettingcheesefries · 28/12/2020 00:21

I have fond memories of Xmas in early 90’s.

Multi-coloured petal lights on the Christmas tree.

Coca-cola in glass bottles (we only ever had these at xmas)

Getting out the posh plates/cutlery/glasses at my Nan’s house.

Always getting a new outfit to wear on Xmas day.

Writing our letters to Father Christmas and then putting them on the open fire so he would get them.

Putting out our sacks on Xmas eve with such excitement and then not sleeping properly and waking early to see if he had been!

Huge selection boxes and always having some form of chocolate for breakfast.

I really love Christmas now as an adult and I have so much nostalgia for Christmases past. I often wish I could go back to that time.

TheBigMelt · 28/12/2020 10:14

At this stage in one of my childhood Christmases, I’d be itching to get out and spend the £5 (FIVE whole pounds!) my Aunty had given me on some 7 inch singles from Woolies or Our Price 😆

NewyearNewme2021 · 28/12/2020 14:43

born in '82

Memories include:

Lots of those foil decorations hanging from ceiling

Paper chains

Making snowmen out of loo rolls and cotton wool at nursery school

Cadburys milk choc dispensers ( wish I still had mine)

Parents had the Band Aid single

Quality Street was by Mckintosh with a man and lady in Edwardian clothes on the tin and tasted good. Plenty of green triangles

Lantern style fairy lights (indoor and outdoor) in primary colours

Christmas trees very gaudy and with loads of tinsel, bauble and decorations such as little felt mice sitting on little cloth presents, little wooden angels with Dutch doll painted cheeks and tiny gold wings. Huge baubles in all colours. Pipe cleaner candy canes

Advent calendar s with pictures in them, often nativity pics but sometimes secular Christmas pics

Pigs in blankets were DIY. You got chipolatas and wrapped the bacon round them

Chocolate coins in little string bags in your stocking (which was really a pillowcase)

Stocking Fillas catalogue. Lots of tiny little present ideas for children. My sister and I would get very excited when it arrived and would love poring over it

Choosing gifts from the Argos catalogue and making lists for parents

Christmas post box at school where we sent cards

Christmas carol concerts in local church. learning descents and getting time off lessons to rehearse if you were in the choir. best of all, on the concert day itself you had the morning to rehearse if you were choir or reading one of the 9 lessons, but the whole school had afternoon off for Christmas shopping before the concert in the evening. Good times!

Primary and Sunday school it was nativity plays. I have worked out that over the years I have been the donkey, Gabriel, random angel, Star of Bethlehem, and a shepherd. I was never Mary. My sister was, many times!

foil wrapped chocolates on the Tree (still exist but I remember a much wider range and Cadburys used to taste nicer!

As an older teen in the late 90s I remember Cadburys Snowballs (do they still make those?) and in about 2000 when Terry's started a White Choc Orange. As a child in the 80s I remember Terry's Pyramint. And how each Christmas I would get either a milk or dark chocolate orange and they were bigger and nicer then.

Tinsel blu tacked everywhere

Eating two thirds of my nestle selection box by boxing day!

Longing for snow and rarely getting it

My best Christmas memory ever was about 12 days before Christmas in 1990. We collected our first pair of guinea pigs, a male and a female, from some kids at school whose piggies had babies. This started a lifelong passion for guinea pigs and I been keeping them in and off ever since.

NewyearNewme2021 · 28/12/2020 14:49

Oh and those packets of dates saying "eat me" on them, but hardly anyone ever did

Those nuts in their shells in orange or red string bags- do people still buy them?.

Trying not to breathe too hard at Christingle service on Christmas eve so my candle didn't go out!I

Scratchy flammable party dresses worn over Christmas

Always getting socks, scarves or smellies from grandma and other relatives. One year she got us lovely woollen berets from M and S

myusernamewastakenbyme · 28/12/2020 15:08

I was born in 74...i loved Jason and the Argonauts on tv.. mum bought the yellow and orange fruit slices that no one ate....us kids had babycham....i always wanted a big trak toy but never got one....mum always bought a Tunis cake.
So glad i grew up back then and not in todays world of instagram perfect trees and matching pyjamas.

NewyearNewme2021 · 28/12/2020 15:14

@myusernamewastakenbyme

I was born in 74...i loved Jason and the Argonauts on tv.. mum bought the yellow and orange fruit slices that no one ate....us kids had babycham....i always wanted a big trak toy but never got one....mum always bought a Tunis cake. So glad i grew up back then and not in todays world of instagram perfect trees and matching pyjamas.
Oh I remember the orange and lemon fruit slices and is kids being allowed to drink babycham and maybe half a glass of Blue Nun with our turkey or goose
gingganggooleywotsit · 28/12/2020 22:49

Born 78 and this thread has bought back so many memories!! Christmas seemed absolutely magic and incredible then..maybe because life was more simple/drab with not as many treats the rest of the year? Always got my smash hits year book, a new set of pens and a pad. best presents ever were ‘my little pony’ stable set, the big yellow tea pot.. and also does anyone remember this amazing mini sweet shop set? It was like a supermarket with real jars of tiny sweets you could eat!! Loved it. Mum and dad getting hammered with the neighbours on Xmas eve, the excitement of dipping your hand in your stocking. I always got silly putty, a whoopie cushion and one of those polystyrene glider planes. Having tinned Ham and volauvants in our Xmas night buffet followed by vienetta. Bought some this year out of nostalgia my 4 year old loved it!

Chottie · 29/12/2020 07:26

I can remember Christmases from late 1950s.

Grandparents having a large real Christmas tree with real lighted candles on it.
Lots of concertina style paper Christmas decorations hanging from the corners of the room to the centre.
My mother making new dresses every Christmas for my sister and I.
Roasting chestnuts on an open fire
My dad collecting the turkey on Christmas Eve and it used to be in a handmade rush bag (no vacuum packing) and we didn’t have a fridge.

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