Was an ‘80s Christmas the ultimate Christmas in history?

[CoolShoeshine]

Ive been thinking about my childhood Christmases and I may be biased because of my age but they seemed pretty perfect. I make Christmas the best I can for my dc’s but there is something about modern Christmas that just isn’t as good. It’s like we’ve tried too hard to make it better and better and somehow ruined it a bit.
80s Christmas has the most amazing balance of being fun and decadent but not overdone. We had massive tins of quality street but they wouldn’t be cheap as chips so that everyone is eating them from October onwards- we’d just have them once Christmas had properly arrived. Likewise advent calendars didn’t have chocolates, they had the quaintest pictures each day to set the mood as the month went on. I can remember being so excited to open the double size door on Christmas Eve.
We had amazing Christmas songs in the charts but we still knew all the carols. Carol singers sang outside our house in the cold.
We had thin wrapping paper that wasn’t plastic coated and crepe paper crackers. We did send masses of cards though but cut the pictures with pinking shears to use as tags the following year.it was really exciting if we got over 100 cards in our household to stick in the walls with blue tak.
We had a massive spruce tree which was wonky and shed everywhere so mum would be hoovering on a daily basis, but it was the only tree in the house and touched the ceiling. Lights were always multi coloured but not garish and baubles were too. Tinsel was considered pretty not tacky.
School let us bring in board games to play on the last day of term and the teachers drank wine. We had the most amazing school discos where we did the birdie song and agadoo and we knew all the actions. Boys squirted is with silly string. Christmas didn’t properly start until that day when we finished school on a high and had the anticipation of Christmas within grasp.
We had few tv channels and even less other gadgets so it was a major treat to watch the big movie on Christmas Day afternoon. Likewise top of the pops and only fools and horses. Everyone was watching the same things and talking about them the next day.
I could go on and on. Am I just a nostalgic 40 something or was it really the best Christmas time? Please don’t say no and ruin my memories

Interesting thread. Some of the nostalgia seems to be coming from comparing Christmas in a frugal/poorer childhood with Christmas in a more affluent adulthood. I don't really feel that at all, as we were a reasonably comfortable middle-income household then, and still are now. Nice quality, Christmas food and drink, but pretty modest spending on Christmas presents (much more so than many people with less money than us, I think).

We have a pretty simple, family Christmas very similar to my childhood ones (minus some of the 80s decorations).

I’ll add the anticipation of watching the next weekly episode of the Box of Delights in 1984

I have this on dvd and the dc and I binge watch it every year over 2 days as soon as schools break up. We know the whole thing practically off by heart!

I loved my 80s xmasses.Stop the Cavalry reminds me of it being on the radio when we were going round the corner to bri g my gran for dinner.We passed the drinkers stood outside the social club having a pre lunch pint.I miss those days

I was born in the late 80s. My 90s christmases were amazing.

I remember the year I had a second hand but new to me bike and the year I had roller skates. All my friends would be playing out in the street with new bikes ect whilst parents got lunch ready.

We had a chocolate calendar but also a picture one. My dm lit the advent candle every morning. It was exciting, tacky and brilliant.

The community, family and fun aspect has disappeared. No more playing upstairs with cousins whilst your parents had a house full of guests. We're all so insulated now a days. Thread after thread on MN of posters complaining that they don't want to see family and sit at home in their pyjama instead. The result is more expensive presents and less family and friends around the table.

Mum used to put cotton wool balls all over the ( real) tree and we would spray it with gold spray and pretend snow.
Would wake up to a stocking of pants,gloves,bouncy ball,nuts, satsuma and chocolate then go to church. Presents had been under the tree all week and we were desperate to open. One year I got a teeny tiny tears,who drank from a bottle and also weed. The following year dad had made a wooden cut for ot and mum had made a mini blanket and pillow.
We had real fruit juice and a coin or two in the Christmas pud.
I was born early seventies

Cot !

I’ll add the anticipation of watching the next weekly episode of the Box of Delights in 1984

I have this on dvd and the dc and I binge watch it every year over 2 days as soon as schools break up. We know the whole thing practically off by heart!

Me too me too!!

That, Master Harker, is what we call a co-incidence

I agree OP, loved Christmas in the 80’s, we didn’t get loads of presents, the quality street came out on the 23rd when we put our decorations up. We visited family and exchanged gifts, wrote 100’s of Christmas cards , went to the hutch carol service and visited Santa grotto in the village shop.

And the excitement of getting the Christmas radio times so we could see what film would be on.

My best Christmas ever was 1969,I was a Staff Nurse at Westminster Children’s Hospital.Sister had Christmas off and myself and another Staff Nurse were in charge.

We went to Smithfield’s market in uniform a couple of days before and bought a turkey,half way home in the taxi we realised we would have to pluck and clean it!! Back we went with said turkey and they prepared it for us,they mocked us mercilessly,surely as Nurses we could do that ourselves!! The taxi driver didn’t charge us anything.Great joy.

Christmas Day we cooked our turkey on the ward,dropped it when we got it out of the oven,then served it to the Nurses and Doctors on duty.We had a cubicle all decorated,it was magical,in the evening we all sat around with the children singing carols.We had a patient Edward with Downs Syndrome,he sang “away in a manger”,we all cried.Poignant for me as all these years later I have a wonderful Grandson with Downs Syndrome.

Also that year we were on Television,Gerry and the Pacemakers came and it went out live.

Best Christmas ever.

That, Master Harker, is what we call a co-incidence

Indeed. Failure to watch Box of Delights at Christmas would be the purple pim!

I remember my mum using a pin to open the advent calendar door as it was so thick with glitter. I also remember sweets made with icing sugar and mint flavouring. They were awful but always got eaten.

I remember the 80s Christmasses fondly, exactly as OP has described.

I'm trying to replicate the same feeling with my boys, they get one gift from Santa and a stocking, we always celebrate the day and events leading up to it with our friends (expat community, we're overseas).

I grew up in a middle class affluent family, but we definitely weren't spoiled materially.

One of my fondest Christmas memories is when parents used to drive up to the Royal Albert Hall to watch the Bach choir sing Christmas carols. It was damn magical, I can only hope I'm creating an experience that my boys will look back on with nostalgia too.

The thing is it's 'us' that sit here and reminisce about how perfect Christmas used to be (and lament that it isn't anymore) who are providing this 'modern' Christmas for our children! If picture advent calendars are better which they are give the kids them instead of chocolate or toy ones, if you miss carol singers go carol singing, nobody is stopping you from filling pillowcases instead of personalised stockings, if you'd rather one real tree than 4 fake that's simple enough to arrange, and if children are grabbier, greedier and less easily impressed than they were in your day, don't spoil yours but show them that they don't always get whatever they want and they'll learn to appreciate what they do have.

Don't get me wrong OP, I am with you, I look back fondly at the 90's, when on Christmas day kids would be testing out their new bikes or skates in the park instead of complex trick scooters and electric cars (or holed up at home with the latest tech!). I do think 90's Christmas was 'better', but we the parents have the power to provide the Christmas for our little ones that we want them to have, instead of simply following whatever the latest 'trend' may be while feeling sad for the past!

Sound like our christmas as children. We were allowed to open our stockings but the main presents had to wait until after we had been to church!

Failure to watch Box of Delights at Christmas would be the purple pim!

I was going to save Box of Delights for next week but I might have to start it early.

the wolves are running, and they're running me very close

I caught my dh watching The Box of Delights on YouTube the other day. I’d forgotten how creepy the title sequence was! I’m surprised the beeb didn’t get complaints from parents of disturbed children!

The community, family and fun aspect has disappeared. No more playing upstairs with cousins whilst your parents had a house full of guests. We're all so insulated now a days. Thread after thread on MN of posters complaining that they don't want to see family and sit at home in their pyjama instead
I agree, and I can't stand it when I read about people on here wanting to spend Xmas day not getting dressed and only seeing "our little family" it sounds so depressing. (Not talking about people who don't want to see family because they are abusive before anyone starts! )
In my extended family it really will be all the cousins together, lots of people, and I always wear something sparkly or glam and so do my sisters. I like Christmas to be sociable ( and we're not even Christian!)

IfNot I spend Christmas Day with just my dc’s, my mum is working this year and I don’t get on with my step dad, my dc’s have ASD and are teenagers, they feel comfortable at home just us. It does make me feel sad as I imagined Christmas to be a house full of people but it’s just how things are. We will visit family Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Things are just so much different now, a lot of families don’t get on and people no longer put themselves through visiting family they don’t really like.

I took my dd to see some carol singers last night and it was lovely, I live in a small village and they do festive things, it’s still very led by the church.

I'm not having a go at people who have no choice about being social obviously. I just get an ick about the peejay loungers who refuse to answer the front door I love local Xmas things like carol singers too. I sometimes go to those on my own..which is a bit sad!

Wizard of oz every Boxing Day 😀

@CoolShoeshine it is very eerie, isn't it? I can't wait to watch it with the dds but dd1 is a bit sensitive and it would still be too frightening for her at 5, and dd2 is a baby so watches but doesn't appreciate the wonder of it all! DH will just have to suffer it with me for another year .

Must go do bedtime. Time and tide and buttered eggs wait for no man!

I can't stand it when I read about people on here wanting to spend Xmas day not getting dressed and only seeing "our little family" it sounds so depressing

As one of those people, I can reassure you it's really not depressing. DH and I are both teachers who spend all day every day with our game faces on talking talking talking to other people and other people's kids. The joy of spending Christmas Day as "our little family" is very welcome and much needed. Lovely for you that you like to be sparkly and glam and sociable but does it really require a massive leap of empathy to understand that not everyone's like you?

Beautiful post. I love this depiction op, and it’s very accurate

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross I can see that other people like different things. I also work in a stressful, put your game face on job and get 'peopled out'. However, you have two weeks off for Christmas and 13 other days to have a pyjama day...

I'm in my late twenties and this still relates to me! So true!