The simple things you remember most about Christmas

[crochetmonkey74]

I'm not one to judge - each to their own - but the juggernaut of Christmas 'extras' now seems mad and got me to thinking about my memories of Christmas- none of which were present based.
Things I remember most are : starting to see tangerines in the grocer, all stacked up next to the shelled nuts and with those boxes of dates. The grocers looked all lit up on the walk home from school- and it would make me feel really Christmassy.
My other big one is the feeling of a heavy stocking on the bottom of the bed- it was always filled with tiny things that I can't remember- but always a chocolate Father Christmas sticking out of the top!
We had a set of Christmas tapes from Readers Digest (just found a set on Amazon for way too much but bought it anyway)
also, we used to listen to the St Winifreds School Choir 'Christmas For Everyone' record and light our very cheap cinnamon smelling candle - even now any cheap christmas candle (the ones that smell of burnt plastic cinnamon) makes me feel all Christmassy

What are your simple festive memories?

crochetmonkey74
It's a must, it's only £4 on Amazon at the mo

whatkatydidnext1
They'll love it, my son can't wait for next week! Yes Rentaghost, another classic

My sister and I used to wake up at silly o'clock. She'd come in my room and we'd sing carols in bed until it was 7am (the time we were allowed to go downstairs).

Every year we'd put on a Christmas show for the adults with our cousins. I would write it in December and we'd rehearse every weekend. They had costume changes, lighting changes, rapping, the works.

Who can not read this thread and not shed a tear??

Excitement of the presents under the tree and actually being able to open them, not tasteful presents but bright gaudy paper that was cheap and wonderful

Christmas music

Little donkey sang by children in the church....away in the manager ditto in candle light

Royal blue sky with stars and wondering which one was the christmas star

Beautifully lit houses, especially memorable if it is also snowing

playing with my brother with all of our new toys

Wishing it could be christmas every day

Christmas adverts, satsumas, happiness in the house. Only time of year I felt full too. Presents.

The HUGE Christmas tree where the fountain usually was in Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Local schools singing carols by said tree in the run-up (including my school! :-) )

Christmas Day Top of the Pops

Yes to the Christmas TV/Radio Times, it was the only time my mum bought it.

Buying decorations in Woolworths :-)

Yy rentaghost loved that program. Yy ti Christmas siege... I think that's what helped to make it special... Getting supplies in, there is no need now

As a kid I loved it when the dining table would be fully extended and the Christmas table cloth laid out. Mum would do this a few days before Christmas and put the poinsettia in the middle and the tin of quality street out on it.

After Christmas Day it would have all the cracker novelties left on it as well as the opened box of after eights.

I still get a fuzzy feeling now when our table is the same. The naff table cloth with a few gravy stains on it, the cracker jokes and toys, and all the tubs of sweets half eaten plonked on it. I hate clearing it away so it stays like that well in to January.

@Dancergirl
I remember the huge tree in Brent Cross !!!

I’m loving the memories of the house getting rearranged to fit the tree and/or dining table. Has any one ever viewed a house since thinking where will I put my tree at Christmas ? Or seen a beautiful bay window in a house and thought what a perfect place for a christmas tree

Yes the christmas siege added to the excitement I thought, bet the adults didn’t think the same.

Love this thread. I hope my kids have really happy memories of christmas like my parents gave to me.
Box of satsumas in garage
An annual every year
Spoty in between xmas and new year
That excitement xmas morning when feeling stocking on end of bed

@whatkatydidnext1

Haha thanks but I doubt anyone has the diplomatic skills available to make my family Xmas non-dreadable.

I'll stick to my skinny old tinsel and keep chopping the veg with a BIG knife

@JeNeSuisPasVotreMiel
Oh god I could tell you some stories. Ok well at least this thread has cheered you up a tiny bit.

My parents used to arrange our presents around the Xmas tree in the lounge. I was always the first to wake (3 sisters) around 5am, and we'd ask mum& dad if we could go down.....
I remember opening the lounge door and peeking round it, breathless with excitement and fear in case Father Christmas was still there.......

The Christmas post box at school, all our family going to my grandparent's house on boxing day and putting out carrots for the reindeer.

Going downstairs on mornings when the tree was up to see the lights twinkling in the dark. It was so exciting. Out tree only went up a short time before Christmas so the excitement was magnified because it was so near to Christmas day. For this reason I feel sorry for children whose parents have the tree up for weeks. They must get used to it and it won’t hold the same magic as it did for us.

I absolutely love this thread. Christmas was always weird and stressful when I was a kid. My parents were divorced and whichever family I went to, I was the afterthought stepchild. Once when the house I was going to was full of extended family, I was put up in a hotel. Mum had mental health issues too. I am determined to make this Christmas lovely for my kids!

I remember advert very fondly - I think it epitomises 80s Christmas adverts!

Buying decorations in Woolworths :-)

Ahhhhh, Woolies at Christmas - was there ever a better place?

Lovely thread. Also many happy 80's memories
I now decorate to a theme but thinking back to all the jewel colours on my mother's tree makes me feel warm inside!
My grandmother always cooked Christmas dinner and we all squeezed around the table, I was always so excited when my aunt's and uncles arrived as we didn't get together much throughout the rest of the year.
Not sure if anyone has seen the Boots advert on T. V with the two sisters growing up? It just reminds me of my own childhood (the best bits anyway! ) I know they are selling a dream but it still gives me an almost sad feeling to think about times gone by....
leaves thread to weep happy (ish) tears privately

I remember like yesterday the Christmas my 'exotic' aunt gave me Rive Gauche perfume in its blue/silver/black packaging.
How grown up I felt.

Smelt like that's pee tho

Bat's pee

I remember how bare the house would look when we took the decorations down, in the cold grey light of January. We seemed to get lots of cards, especially when my sister and I were both at school and it was a 'thing' to give out as many cards as you could - nowadays people don't seem to bother with cards very much.

The smell of the inside of a box of after eights with perhaps a whiff of cigar smoke takes me right back. I'm going to buy after eights this Christmas just to smell the box...

Yes the Woolies ad screaming

Went on for ages!