Then and now - Christmas things you don't see any more

[housemum]

I was buying some Christmas cards in Sainsbury's and for some reason remembered how we bought cards in my childhood (1970s). I remember going into Woolworths, where you bought a selection box of 20/40 different cards. Mum would spend ages looking through the boxes, but whichever you chose there would always be a couple of really naff kitten-looking-at-a-bauble cards and that dismal brown-tinted sheep-in-the-snow painting. Everywhere now sells a couple of designs only in a pack. Also whatever happened to:

Paper chain garlands, like a honeycomb that stretched out and you pinned to the ceiling

foil garlands - the expensive version of the paper ones

matt wrapping paper by the sheet, usually with the print a little off-centre on each colour. Up until a few years ago I bought this from the local cheap market, and used it to differentiate Father Christmas presents.

Peanuts and cashews in ring pull cans (usually given as gifts - whoopee! )

Christmas tree lights shaped like Victorian lanterns

Christmas may have been tacky back then but it seemed cosier when everything was less "tasteful" :)

Did anyone used to get out, year after year, the Blue Peter advent crown made from tinsel and wire coat hangers.

It was hideous.

We still but our only copy of the Radio Times at Christmas. But I remember when it was the Radio Times and the TV Times!

They were whimsies, I used to collect them, worth something now ESP in their boxes

look at the after eight carriage

We had spray snow but did black tape ribbon on the windows to make fake panes Victorian style and then sprayed a whoosh on them.

My mum was an Avon lady so I had most of the 1970s special bottles of perfume like a cinderella coach and Ice cream lip balm.

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Joins campaign for netted Selection Stockings

Oh I collected whimsies too!!!

I still have the exact same string of flowery lights that we used back in the 70s. yes they are pretty but they are an absolute farking bastard if one of the bulbs go. Cue 40 mins of pulling each bulb out and testing it in turn.

Didn't christmas lights always used to be an example of some sort of circuit in 2nd year Seniors science lessons?

Terry's Chocolate orange in the stocking. anyone else eat a whole one by the end of Christmas day?

Wish id kept them. My Nan had hundreds of them (whimsies) in her display cabinet!

What about Terry's Neopolitains? Please someone tell me that Aldi / Lidl still stock them.

I remember the neopolitans too. And 'weekdnd' chocolates! The terrys choc orange had a stalky long bit of choc in the middle, you don't get that these days! It was 'tap it and unwrap it' back then. No need now. It all just falls into segments!

The after 8 mints carriage..... My mum always wanted one if those! The woman she 'cleaned' for had one..

Frog I wish somewhere did Neopolitans. I adored them!

Weekend sweets - loved them! And New Berry Fruits (or was it Newbury fruits?) - sugary coating, hard-ish jelly, liquid centre.

We had Whimsies :)

A Blue Peter Book for Christmas, and a new jigsaw puzzle.

Loved Neapolitans, and the Cadburys chocolate machine (which I think you can still buy, but can you still get the chocs to go in it when it runs out?)

Avon "Moonwind" perfume for my mum, she let me have the old bottles (shaped like parrots, unicorns, frilly umbrella) when they were empty and I'd make coloured water to fill them with the inside of a felt tip pen

We had those Avon 'pomanders' lots of them hung in wardrobes!

OP, I'm another one who was given the same advent calendar each year - well actually, I had two, so there was a slight element of surprise. Mum used to re-fasten the little doors with tiny strips of sellotape and hide it in the loft each year.

Having said that, they were rather fabulous; 3-D fold-out ones, with little tabs that you pulled to make the characters rock back and forth. Happy days.....

What a lovely discussion

You have all thought of so many things that I had forgotten, like red tinned salmon and twisty crepe paper garlands. And how could I have forgotten the trifle on Christmas Day? Ours was Sherry flavour but made from a packet and was rather stingy on the sponge side.

We had a side table with drinks on for guests and it featured exotic things like Cinzanno and Martini Bianco. I quite liked the Jack Daniels and would sneak down to swig some while the adults were busy elsewhere. No wonder I slept well on Christmas Eve.

Thanks housemum I was trying to remember the name of those Fruits perhaps it was an early bogoff ,as my step mum always had the two Weekend and Newbury.

Suzikettles rolfl at ranking friends and cards... I did that too! Fab memories here...

My mum used to ahve a cnzano and lemonade every Christmas Eve night, and one with her Christmas Dinner - I can't ever remember there being wine, my dad and grandad used to drink beer. Cans of McEwan's Export!it was a red tinw ith a man in a black hat on the front!
and those big bags of nuts - my grandad used to come in quite drunk at 5pm on Christmas eve after beign at his works "do" and sit and crack big brazil nuts and other kinds with his teethMy great aunt used to give my brother and I snowballs to drink wehn we were young - she claimed she didn't know they had alcohol in them

i remember those lovely sheets of xmas wrap my mum used to buy, in packs.

i saw the foil garlands last weekend, at a local shopping place.

One thing i do remember and miss, and you can't get them, it those white mesh stockings with red papery stripe down the side. They were fairly stretchy, and we used to get one of those filled with sweeties and small gifts. I would think that they were from Woolies.

i miss xmas woolies.

Slubber, more like a whole chocolate orange for breakfast!!

cherry B anyone?

I used to long for chocolate footballs and then I got some one year.

You can still get them around though.

My mum bought DD an advent calendar that has a cute nativity scene on it that we close up and re use every year. I also make her one too with a cloth one i bought years ago with a litle star that you move across the days. love re using stuff.Am going to put a tiny Xmas tree dec in each pocket plus a jelly bean or similar.

My mum used to have a long roll of cotton wool that she would lay across the mantlepiece for snow and she would put little squirrels and deer etc on it - that came out year after year. Also the twisted crepe paper chains. I pinched the 3D glittery hang up decs for my home as i love them but they are tacky. i also remember an angel candle holder thingy, and when the candles were lit the angels would turn round and jingle - loved that but can't think what it is called.You had to assemble it.

We made shiny paperchains a few years back and they come out every year too.

DD always gets a satsuma in her stocking plus a packet of nuts and raisons packets, DH too.

We had one bottle of Blue Nun with our Dinner.

We only ever had grapefruit on Christmas day for breakfast, although only my mum likes it.

I was distraught last year that Roses and Quality Street have done away away with coffee creams my totalist favourites.

On Christmas night we would wait and wait for Morecombe and Wise and my dad would literally roll up.

I would give anything at all to flash back for just 5 minutes.

Concertina paper snowflake room garlands... check

Non LED static multi coloured lights, flower stylee- check

Glittery non choc advent calender- check

Red/ green/ white/ silver scheme... check

Sherry trifle planned, ah.... I have never progressed beyond my childhood 70S xmas! It all makes sense now! Maybe one day I'll be sophisticated and have pink/purple/black...

ok so read through now. omg I remember the prefilled girls/boys stocking in the catalogue, always at the back!! (in the meshy stocking)

Our fairy lights had a flowery outer bit with tinsel on them too, for a lovely glinting effect. They fell off alot too!!

I have an ornament choirboy/angel, bought for me and my sis in 1978, that you wind up and it rotates and plays Silent night!
Gosh it was all so exciting, i wish i was a kid again.

Has anyone seen the drama/play version of Dylan Thomas's 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' ?, it totally epitomises my Christmases which were in Wales too!

Chocolate tool kit anybody !?