Gosh, I loved the early 90s but I don’t recognise some of these Christmases. My parents and nan absolutely DID do Christmas Eve boxes, they just weren’t in a box! We got brand new pyjamas, bubble bath, soap, talc and a colouring book and coloured pencils , sometimes with our name on. We wrote our lists in Christmas Eve. We also got a flavoured hot chocolate to share and a tin of spray cream and marshmallows. Before bed we got one small pre selected present and it was often a little jewellery item that n as n had been paying off all year in the jewellers. Think earrings, claddagh, coffee bean, horn of plenty type stuff.
in our stockings we got some Woolworths nicer than normal knickers and vests ( with characters/embroidery if we were very lucky), coloured socks, a much desired knock off T-shirt from the market, a jigsaw or puzzle, novelty erasers, slap bands, boots and bobs and the obligatory fruit, nuts and chocolate coins. Basically an awful lot of the presents were things we actually needed throughout the year, just sometimes nicer and always useful. I’ve taken a a leaf out of my Nans book and buy my DD the designer clothes owns she likes through the year, but on sale. Yesterday I got her a pair of her favourite trainers reduced to £130 which is still eye watering, but she would need them in feb/march anyway so 🤷🏼♀️. Might as well wrap them up and see her unwrap them.
my parents were self employed running their own small business and my uncle owned land about 50 miles away so for 4-5 years my dad bought Christmas trees off him and we sold them locally. They were stored at home and delivered in our faithful old baker, and our garden and car was the most glorious smelling place, all woody pine smells and warmth. My mum was always handy so when they stripped the spare bottom branches to fit the stand, she kept them to make wreaths and then sent us out to forage Holly and evergreen foliage and we sold those wreaths too. We weren’t posh though, this was all happening in the middle of a council estate, we were just lucky enough to have inventive parents and their side hustles paid for our Christmas. But everything was done on a shoe string with my Nans help.
i do love a cheesy unicorn vomit Christmas tree though. About 12 years ago I inherited my Nan’s glass tree ornaments and I’ve been collecting more. Tkmaxx is fabulous for kitsch orients and apart from children’s gifts and food, is my main Xmas expense. I spend maybe £35-50 a year on the ornaments and my tree is a rotating carousel tree so we play can you find the whatever and everybody loves it.
I don’t think Christmas HAS to be expensive or OTT. I am volunteering at my church this year from 4 days from 22-25th as my sister and I started a free community Christmas lunch in lockdown. First year on Christmas Eve we did it from home and cooked and delivered I think 38 meals? Every year it’s increased and last year was in the 80s. Lots of older singles, young families with no carpets, addicts etc. this year we are doing cooked to reheat Xmas Eve meals, hampers to cook yourself a roast dinner, and a Christmas Day sitting cooked on the day in the church. It is BY FAR the most enjoyable and satisfying thing I’ve ever done at Christmas and it fills up my Joy-ometer and sustains me right through January. We find raise all year via the church who graciously allowed us to use their kitchen facilities . It’s just amazing. And proof you don’t have spend, to enjoy and feel the love.