Christmas Nostalgia Then Vs Now

[VeronicaFranklin]

Christmas time always makes me feel nostalgic.

What is something you had or did at Christmas as a kid that you don't now and miss?

For me it's:

Family (Grandparents specifically)

Foil Christmas decorations that were hung with blue tack from the ceiling in every room...

We always left Sherry out for Santa...

Angel hair tree tinsel that you wistfully sprinkled all over the tree...cat...dog...carpet...

The selection boxes shaped as a Stocking with netting on...

Multi- coloured Christmas tree lights (the old style glass ones that used to get hot to touch and probably presented a massive fire hazard! not the LED coloured ones of today)

Toys R Us advert

Annual trip to see Santa at the Arndale which was usually some bloke who had a really cheap looking wig and beard and was probably not DBS checked!

Only having 5 TV channels so you had to sit and watch Christmas movies when they were scheduled to be on, which some how made it more exciting to watch Christmas films when they weren't available to watch all year round.

Christmas shopping with my grandma looking in the bustling high street department stores, no online shopping.

Searching the sky for Santa on Christmas Eve not tracking him on an app.

Going through the Argos catalogue and circling things I wanted! It would be things like a candy floss maker or an inflatable groovy chick armchair. Do the youth of today still do that??

Oh yes the Argos catalogue! I think this year is the first year they haven't produced it :(

I've still got plenty of the foil decs that hang from the ceiling, it makes the room look much more festive

Making sweets with my. Mum (RIP). We used to do fudge, Turkish delight and crème de menthe. We also used to marzipan stuffed dates, marzipan fruits, peppermint creams and glance cherries wrapped in marzipan. There's a theme here.

Going through the argos catalogue for me... it hit me how innocent and much cooler it was last year when both dc were sending links to the stuff they wanted. I wish they could have experienced that.

I think I miss the week running up to Christmas...
when we broke up from school we used to spend the days running up to xmas at my nan and grandads because my parents worked. So we’d go Christmas food shopping with my Nan and uncle, we would go go loads of different places.
I was in the scouts years later and we would do bag packing at the local Tesco which was pretty cool.
this year I remember the past vividly for some reason.

That’s one thing IMO that should stay in the past... them foil decs give me the ick ... my DP buys my mum new ones every year because they know I hate them. I got accused of sabotaging them earlier... I told them if I had my way they’d all be in the bin...

Waiting for the Christmas edition of the radio and tv times to see what was on at Christmas

Superman being on almost every Christmas

Watching Top of the Pops every Christmas Day

Foil decorations and bright lights. Also spending ages twisting each one to see which was the loose one. Stepping on drawing pins for weeks because my DF would always drop them.

The old Roses and Quality Street tubs and definitely the old school selection boxes

My DFs Bing Crosby & Elvis Christmas LPs

Wrapping an old bottle crate with wrapping paper then filling it with bricks trying to prop up the Christmas tree

YY to old school roses - remember the strawberry dreams? They were outstanding

Foil decs on the ceiling, our house used to look like a grotto and I loved it

Pouring over the Argos catalogue to make my list for Santa

The chocolate fondant Christmas tree decorations - they were the best. My mum used to hide a chocolate on the tree every day and I’d have to find it, I had the most fun doing this and now I do it with my DC.

Noooooo!

I'm all for saving paper but that's really sad news.

I used to give Father Christmas the Argos code and page number so he knew EXACTLY what I wanted. I never did get an Etch-a-Sketch or a Mr Frosty though.

I'm not sure my 7yo is physically putting pen to paper to write a list for Santa. Apparently the Elves just know what he wants. When I suggested that Santa had a lot of lists to remember, he asked if he could send an email or a text instead. Changed days. 🙁

@JamMakingWannaBe I also used to put the code and page number, and the price! 😂

I remember the chocolate tree decorations, they rarely got eaten though. @ChicagoBears I kinda want to steal the idea of hiding one on the tree for my kids, I think they'd love that.

Checking the tv guide for Christmas films
Watching the hour long soaps
My mum making jelly in a casserole dish
Shopping in Woolworths and trying to sneak a look in the bags on the way home
Foil decorations and the decades old tree decorations
My dad having to wait until later in the day after presents and dinner before he was allowed to have a few cans, then drunkenly singing Christmas songs

Den giving Angie divorce papers . Those sort Christmases were great .
P.S I haven't watched Eastenders since about '87 .

Grandparents. My mother is Swedish so we would fly out from Heathrow on Christmas Eve to a winter wonderland in Sweden. We would have the most amazing time with my Nan and grandad, aunts and cousins. Makes me cry to think about it.

I was desperate for one of those handheld candy floss machines one year, it was crap, smelled of burning plastic and electrics

I had one if these, can't believe argos still sells them!

The TV and radio Times. Dad bought both and we circled what we wanted to watch each day, often dB and my choices would clash. Once it got to christmas day we were that busy playing, seeing family, going out that we didn't watch or care about half the programmes but the thrill of looking through the new guide and choosing was the best part.
And dad, he really made christmas, mum would've had no tree up if she had a choice, she's not a fan.

I miss the cute presents: the Cadbury's mini chocolate bar vending machines, Mr Frosty, Playdoh barber set.

Christmas Day TOTP and me playing my 'Now 897 cassette.'

Putting the Christmas decorations up Dec 1 and the (real) tree 2 weeks later, not 2 months before Christmas. Foil decorations, tinsel, proper fairy lights.

Advent calendars with just a picture, no gift.

Genuinely cold/snowy weather!

Advocaat, newberry jelly fruits, orange and lemon jelly slices, balloons, the NME Christmas edition, Brookside Christmas episode with all the cast and crew waving at the end...

The tangerine - AFAIK no satsumas or clementines then - in the bottom of the stocking. I’m fairly ancient so we only ever had them at Christmas - a big treat.

My DM making the Christmas pudding, and everyone having a stir and making a wish. (I still make one and anyone in the house must have a stir, but it’s usually just dh now.)

We never had any sort of Advent calendar (only little-pictures ones then, usually with glitter.). I longed for one, and always buy myself a corny one now - no glitter though.

Here’s this year’s. 🎄🐶

Ooh I had one of those and had completely forgotten about it!

I also miss foil decs and coloured lights. And going Christmas shopping with my dad about 2 days before Christmas. After we'd bought my mum pyjamas and perfume, he'd give me some cash to buy myself something while he went to the pub, I loved it!

I still always insist on watching TOTP every Christmas even if I no longer know most of the bands.

Always the Argos catalogue

The chocolates on my Nana's little tree, I buy them now for my DS

Also the lamenta on her tree (the fine tinsel) it would get everywhere.

Foil decorations, my DH gets really nostalgic about them so we have bought our own.

Always going to the same Father Christmas at the same garden centre. I started taking my DS to the same garden centre (not the same Father Christmas 😂) but covid put a stop to that so now we've had to find a new one.

Opening the 1 present my dad got to pick on his own on Christmas Eve. As we got older it was a gadget of some sort.

Picture advent calendars. Until my DS was born my mum would still buy me one each year, now she buys it for DS instead. Though I hated when I was little sharing the 1 calendar with my sister having to alternate opening the doors.

This thread is making me really nostalgic!

Always remember the foil decs on the ceiling, there were four of them, one each coming from the corners of the room and meeting in the centre of the ceiling.

The Cadbury stocking shaped selection boxes with the netting on the front and full size chocolate bars inside (unlike today's boxes!).

The multicoloured Xmas lights in the shape of carriages.

The family meet-up on boxing day.

Yes to the Argos catalogue! I found out on here several years ago that the old Argos catalogues are online - I spent ages browsing the ones from the late 80s and remembering the toys I got from 'Santa'.

Whole nuts in their shells sold in nets, and put in a bowl with a pair of nutcrackers.

Boxes of dates with a picture of a camel on the lid.

The big film on TV on Christmas afternoon. It was revolutionary the first year we had a video recorder, and could tape it to watch later!

Strings of coloured lights. If one bulb broke the whole lot would stop working, and Dad had to spend ages working along the string to find the culprit.I

The Blue Peter Christmas special - always ending with a procession of Carol singers singing O come all ye faithful.