Childhood Christmas Day Memories

[MarmaladeSandwich7]

I just saw a photo on FB of a typical 70s Christmas morning & it made me remember how lovely my Christmases were as a child ( I was born in 1965). DBro & I had pillowcases out on the landing & would take them downstairs to open the presents inside. We had to stay in bed til 7.30 which was pretty hard! Sometimes we’d have pork pie with a glass of milk for breakfast. Christmases at my maternal DGM’s house were the absolute best as there would be at least 10 of us round the table & she was a great cook. I remember my DGD ( sorry not sure of the abbreviations for Grandparents!) always being given loads of boxed chocolates which he shared with us. I acted as waitress, proudly serving drinks on a gold tray including what I viewed as a very sophisticated ginger ale for me! Also remember being allowed snowballs but we were in our early teens by then. Lots of games & my DGM played the piano so we all sang carols. I don’t remember watching tv at all at my Grandparents house & very little at home. Always a walk after lunch - my Grandparents lived in Yorkshire so there were some beautiful places to go right on the doorstep. We didn’t get piles & piles of presents but always had lovely things. I remember getting Galt wooden toys which were played with for years. DM would always buy me books as I was a real bookworm. What are your best memories of Christmas past?

Always had a satsuma in the bottom of my stocking, so the smell takes me back.
There were lots of us so my dad used to get a plank and put it across two chairs so there were more seats.
Then in the evening the extended family came round and we'd play team games.
Other things that bring back memories...nuts that you crack yourself, toffee in a tray that you broke witha hammer. Tunis cake (available in Tesco!)

Awww this thread’s made me feel a bit weepy lol! I was born in 69 and there were 5 of us in a 2 bed house and not much money but Christmas was always magical! Pillowcase of Santa pressies and usually a 5am wake up - arguing with my brother about who had caught a glimpse of Santa in the night! Tree up on last day of term, turkey and all the trimmings with a bottle of Pomagne won at the school Christmas fayre. Rehearsing and performing at the Christmas show and feeling like a Hollywood star for a couple of nights! Playing charades and board games and no opening of the tree pressies til after Christmas lunch. We had no money but Christmas was epic! Such fond memories!

I have four sisters and we always had big plastic sacks by our bed with picture of Santa on. Xmas morning Dad would carry them all down and we'd sit by Xmas tree in front room with open fire to open our gifts. Front room didn't get used very often so very special. We always had scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages for breakfast Xmas morning. Then Dad would take sisters and I go to my 2 Aunties who were his sister's neither of which had DC of their own. 1 Auntie always gave us new PJ's and a book on Xmas Eve. My other Auntie used to make us a stocking. We always got 1 bigger present and about 6 other smaller gifts. 1 of the smaller gifts was always Avon soap on a roap. 1 year I think I was about 5 I got a little post office set with a stamper. I stamped as LL the letters and envelopes it came with then I stamped my bedroom wallpaper then wallpaper in sitting room and Dad was very annoyed at my Auntie for giving it to me. Then Dad, us DC and both Aunties would all go to my Granny who lived at top of our street. She also gave us Xmas gifts. Then we would go back home and Mum had turkey in oven cooking and all vegetables were prepped on Xmas Eve by Dad. We would go into front room with Mum and Dad and they would play with us often one of us had a board game in our stocking. At 3pm my Aunties and Granny would arrive with gift for my Mum and a couple of desserts usually one was ice cream. We'd have our Xmas dinner after the Queen's speach. My Uncle would come later in the evening. He always brought Dad a bottle of Whisky and gifts for us. The adults would play cards. There would be Quality Street in little bowls around the dining and front room we could eat when we wanted. This was a huge treat. There were always loads of Clemantines too and sometimes some of them were wrapped in shiny paper. I recall my younger sister and I never wanting to go to bed but Mum telling us our toys would still be there the following day. We always had a real Xmas tree but Dad would never buy it earlier than 17th of December. He always put it up on December 18th for my parents wedding anniversary. We always had chocolate decorations for the tree including cream ones. We were never allowed to eat these until tree came down in January. We had turkey and chips, turkey sandwiches, turkey and leek pie for almost a week after Xmas. I know my Dad always bought a 20lb plus turkey. One year he won a turkey and it was 27 lbs and Mum struggled to get it into the oven with the oven door shut and one leg had to be cut off of it to get the oven door shut. We never got big expensive Xmas gifts but most years one of us would get a second hand bike and I got a new scooter once. When I was young I got a new doll which I played with a lot. My Aunties used to knit dolls clothes for them.

I was born in 1961, we didn't have stockings but large bags the size of pillowcases
They were stored in the loft and smelled a bit musty! When my brother and I woke up we'd run to the sitting room to see if he'd been. Of course he always had! We'd play with our presents all morning and dad put carols on the record player. Later we got together with grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins.
Looking back, we were so lucky.

I remember Pretty Peach! Took me right back reading that.

Born 1960. Stockings (which I suspect might have once contained fruit or similar) on our beds for us to wake up to - small novelties, Avon smellies, 50p, tangerine, pencils with our names on.

Christmas tree - the smallest thing ever invented (Mum maintained we 'didn't have room' for anything bigger, so it was about 12 inches tall, but the excitement when it came out! And we put chocolate decorations on and were allowed to have one a day until all gone (about a week, it was a tiny tree).

Presents opened downstairs at 'coffee time', before which brother and I would watch whatever TV was on, it was a novelty having TV during the day. PlayAway was very popular, and Tom and Jerry cartoons. Mum in the kitchen, very tight lipped about 'all the work that had to be done', Dad trying to help but being sent out. The smell of Play Doh and Matey bubble bath.

Family walk after lunch, the only time Mum ever came out on a walk with us. Home for a slap up tea and one last present (always an ice cream tub filled with sweets). The Morcombe and Wise show (or similar) and then bed.

It was great.

Now got 2 tunes going through my head. The Playaway theme, and the tv advert for Matey 😄

Christmas Eve was always a really relaxed one- chilling at home while mum prepped food in the kitchen. Calling up to see both sets of Grandparents. Watching The Snowman on tv then off to bed. Waking up at 3am to “go to the toilet” and very quietly sneaking down to the tree to see Santa had indeed been, then back to bed until 7.30/8am. Waking parents up and opening presents.

Then a chill few hours until an early dinner playing with toys- mum went to the kitchen to cook and my dad went out on the farm to get his work done. Dinner with all the trimmings then just watching Christmas Films on tv/whatever Soap Christmas Special was the best to watch that year, then more play time before bed.

A very chilled Christmas at home but was so magical. A 90s Christmas is hard to beat.

Watching The Snowman on tv

I’ve just introduced my DN to the Snowman and he was absolutely entranced, which made me so happy as it was such a massive part of Christmas. Even my younger siblings wouldn’t argue about wanting to watch something else (not that there was much choice in those days!)

And did satsumas taste sweeter? I used to love getting them from the greengrocers and having the odd one wrapped up in wax paper. It was so silly the things that used to cause excitement.

1960s Christmas didn't really start until the last week in December when Dad would get the tree. We begged every year to have it earlier - no luck. There were home made paper chains and twists made from crepe paperr -in the lounge/diner and in our bedroom.

Advent calender had the great excitment of little picture of holly or a snowman! dsis and I fought every year about who got to open the double doors on 24th to reveal the nativity scene.

Stockings were always on the landing outside our bedroom (prudish dsis didn't want a strange man coming into her bedroom!!). Satsumas, sugar mice, monkey nuts, bath gels - an oil in a thick skin that dissolved, pretty peach bath cubes - that left a horrible grit in the bottom of the bath.

We had no extended family so just us. There was always church mid-morning, which I both loved and hated. Hated because it disrupted the present opening, but loved because of the great Cjhristmas music and feeling.

Oh I love reading these.
Born in 83.
Xmas eve always a trip to shop with mum for the veg, memories of the beautiful smell of mums soup bubbling away as we went to bed on Xmas eve and the excitement at choosing one of my dads long football socks to leave at the end of the bed in the hope id waken to see it filled. Always a satsuma and chocolate coins in there amongst other little bits n bobs.
We then went downstairs to open gifts neatly set out in 3 piles for us 3 kids.
Selection box for breakkie then out into the estate to see what everyone got, bikes, roller skates, prams etc usually!
Relatives popping in to see what santa brought us.
Then a family dinner broth, turkey and trimmings with a triffle. Always had turkey sarnies in the evening watching the Xmas soap specials. I remember not wanting to go to bed, I loved my family being together and didn't want the day to end ever, it really felt magical. I can only hope my kids feel some of the magic I felt.

I was born in the late 70's so remember more the early 80's. It's a bit bittersweet to remember those times, the people who are gone now and my own parents are elderly and I know future Christmas with them are numbered. We used to get those jelly fruits, and chocolate tool kits, those big net covered stocking shaped selection boxes. Pretty sure most of our decorations and tree was 70's era made of tinsel with multi coloured lights and glass and foil decorations. My parents would decorate the tree then put on Christmas music and we'd dance about so excited for Santa coming. We got a stocking just a red fluffy one with things like a bit of chocolate and novelty pencil tops, rubbers and so on in it and always an orange and 20p. I would never sleep on Christmas Eve and we'd be up at 6am to open our presents then would play with them while my parents did the dinner and top of the pops and Noel Edmunds was on TV.

I'd so love to go back and look in on it again, feel that warmth and excitement like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, even thinking about it all brings a tear to my eye.

Love this thread. Born 82. Watching the Snowman Christmas Eve and my mum doing the prep. Stockings hung out, always woke to find satsumas and chocolate coins in them. Carrots and mince pies left out for the reindeer, glass of whisky for ‘santa’! My dad used to take a bite out of the carrots and do a footprint in flour, the mince pies and whisky were demolished (obviously!) which we loved. My brother despite being older would come and get me before going downstairs to see if Santa had came.
Happy days!

Edited to add - myself and my two siblings always instantly knew which couch/seat were for us with our presents.

Also remember Boxing day... we always got a boxing day present left under the tree-from when santa was on his journey home. But most likely because there were too many presents on Christmas.

We always went for a long walk in the hills on Boxing Day, and often had prawn cocktail sandwiches, then turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches. The best christmas re-match ever!

We cut the Christmas cake on Christmas Eve, because we were always too full on Christmas Day.

Later in life, when my Mum ent back to workand there was more money, our Christmas stockings were her treat - expensive things like dymo tape, the first ever post-it notes, fluorescent pens. I went from being the poor nerdy kid to being the cool kid!

I was born in seventy three and DB and i used to wake up to a Mars Christmas stocking The ones with the red netting, hanging on our round bedroom door handles. DM would always buy an M and S Christmas cake The one with the ribbon all around it that was frayed at the edges. Presents were always under the tree downstairs.

Born in 1968.

Our stockings were proper stockings that mum used to wear- American Tan maybe? She would drape them over the foot of the bed and when you woke up you could see fascinating knobbles in the stocking. There was always something to keep you occupied (always books for me -The Thirteen Days of Christmas is one I still reread every year!), something for your hobby (sewing), a Russet apple and a satsuma, and a bag of chocolate coins. And other small gifts.

Then downstairs- we had a big house and a very tall tree (maybe 12 foot), yanking the cord on the musical bell that was hung over the stairwell (Jingle Bells) - to a sack each and other gifts that didn't fit in. As there are 6 of us there were a lot of presents!

Lunch was around 1 and, so long as it wasn't actually raining, we went out for a family walk through the woods. Then home for Christmas TV. We actually did used to be a bit like The Waltons- one of my brothers would play the piano and we'd sing carols.

I have very fond memories of most Christmases as a child.

We also had one of Dads clean socks filled with a satsuma nuts and a chocolate orange

Early 90's. Waking up to a heavy pillowcase on the end of the bed and running into my mum and Dad's room. Opening presents on their bed is a fond memory. I had a stocking downstairs which I was allowed to open. There would be a big pile of cards all addressed to me to open on the doormat. Mum would prep dinner while Dad & I went to collect my grandparents. Lovely roast dinner with the best Yorkshire puddings. We always had melon to start. We'd then all open presents and go for a walk. The tree was always plastic but lots of lovely old and handmade decorations some of which I still have. There would always be tinsel strung across the hallway. Nibbles and tinned salmon sandwiches for tea, playing a board game. Then usually some classic TV.

We didn't have loads of money but mum was a real bargain hunter and I always had great gifts. There would always be an extra, small gift hidden in a special tree decoration.

Any other Gen Xers remember their parents playing the Jim Reeves Christmas album Twelve Songs of Christmas. My dad had a vinyl copy and used to play it every year when we were kids. I lost my dad just over a year ago and listened to it in the run up to last Christmas for the first time in decades.

Christmas isn’t Christmas without chocolate coins! On a mission to find the best quality ones!

I still can’t watch The Snowman without crying. Why does he have to melt?!

Roses chocolates are nothing like they were in the Eighties

Dd now takes it a step further and provides him a blanket and book for a rest on his journey

@Readyforslippers Awww, that is adorable!!!

Ahh such lovely memories here. My parents gave us such as lovely Christmas when we were little. Christmas Eve consisted of my nan and grandad coming round with presents and some mince pies and sherry. Then my gran and grandad would come round with presents (we had Santa presents and then these that we knew weee from family?) - my gran was a fab knitter so we had a sackful of hand made presents including knitted outfits for ourselves and our dolls. At night we would go to our local social club and I could be with my friends. At midnight I would open a present at the club. I would get in my dads shoulders for the trip home and we had to rush as they would show me the bright star that was Santas sleigh. I reemerge panicking we wouldn’t get home before him and he wouldn’t come. If I was a pain to get to bed someone would go outside and make a noise and so I would run upstairs quickly.

I shared a room with my older sister so we would wake up to presents at the bottom of our bed. No stocking just wrapped presents. We were allowed to open those together but not wake my parents up till a sensible time. I remember one year me finding some presents later in the day that had fallen down the side of the bed! That was the best day ever. Christmas dinner was always at my nans. She was a great cook. She had this big cardboard Santa that had little gifts in with numbers on. We pulled a number out of a hat and then had the present corresponding. Always had a box of roses from my aunt left at my nans as well. It was great as my cousins came over so there was a houseful.

in terms of Christmas decorating. I remember the wonderful metallic type ornaments for the tree every year, the foil streamers and hanging decorations, the paper chains, the snow stencils in the window and a pash tablecloth! Wonderful memories and many traditions I kept going with my own son and which he is taking in himself now

My Xmas was very different, partly because I was born in a different country.

On Xmas day my mother would spend the day in bed, exhausted from cleaning and cooking on the previous days, and my dad would spend the day watching tv. Us, the kids, were left to our own devices. They was food, we just had to help ourselves. We didn’t eat together as a family.

There were no presents. No money for presents. But every year I hoped there would be presents…On Xmas day I’d walk from the bedroom to the kitchen in the morning, passing the living room where the Xmas tree was. I made sure to walk quickly and not look at the tree, because if I looked and saw no presents under the tree I’d be disappointed. By not looking I kept the hope alive that perhaps there would be presents that year. By lunchtime curiosity would get the best of me. So I’d walk into the living room and look under the tree. There were no presents :(.