Christmas Past

 I knew that going down memory lane would not end with one post!!!

So, first a disclaimer.  These are my memories, I don't know how accurate they are, and I'm guessing that my Dad and brothers will have different memories.

Actually when I think about Christmases from my childhood I have more memories from the lead up to Christmas than the day itself.  

My Mom loved Christmas, she would spend a lot of time and money making it magical for us.  Mom used to have catalogues, she was an agent for two that I can remember, Marshall Wards and Freemans (I think I've got the names right).  I would wait for the autumn/winter catalogues to come because in the back would be pages and pages of toys and games!!   I would spend hours pouring over these pages, writing out lists of the things I wanted.  Mom would get us to write letters to Father Christmas, we would leave them on the mantle place and the next morning a little chocolate would appear.  Mom told us that means that Father Christmas' elves are watching us and we had to behave!!!  Sometimes she would hide the chocolate, so before school we would have to search for it!!

I don't remember decorating the Christmas Tree, it would just appear while we were at school.  No lights back then as they were dangerous, every year there would be house fires caused by faulty lights.  Always an angel on top and chocolates in Christmas shapes!!  When we took the tree down there would be one that had been left and melted into the wrapper.  Sometimes there would be streamers hung across the ceiling. One year Mom blew up balloons and hung those but they would burst in the heat!!  Christmas cards were displayed, the first few on the mantle place, then hung on string across one wall.  

What I do remember about Christmas Eve was being unable to sleep.  I use to stand at the top of the stairs, shouting down "Has Father Christmas been yet".  I always got told that he wouldn't come if I wasn't sleeping!! Also every year Mom would go to the market to get the last few things.  She really liked the atmosphere at the market, sellers calling out and everybody shouting Merry Christmas.

Christmas morning started early, about 6 am.  We always got a lot of presents.  One big present that we chose, one year I got a lovely dolls pram.  A board game and a book.  Then lots of little things.  From relatives there would be lovely hankerchiefs, I think they are nice now but as a child I wasn't impressed.  My brothers and I would exchange gifts.  One year I bought an annual for Steve, something about football,  I wrapped in so many layers of paper and tape that it took him ages to open it.

 I remember the Christmas dinner, always turkey.  I think that was the only time that you could buy turkey, at least I don't remember seeing it in the shops at other times of the year.  The turkey would be so big that my Dad had to lift it out of the oven.  There would be left overs for many days.  Of course lots of cakes and sweets.  Because everything closed for Christmas Day and most places on Boxing Day (26th) Mom would buy enough to feed an army.  Milk use to come in glass bottles, Mom would line them up outside, it was cold enough and there was never any space in the fridge.  

As a child Christmas was very special.  Until I had my kids I never realized how much work my Mom put into making it magical.  I'm grateful for all the years that I believed that eleves were watching us and that Father Christmas would bring us lovely things.

We didn't go to church over Christmas but at primary school (elementary school) we always did the Nativity Play and of course learnt all the carols.  The first carol I remember learning was Away in the Manager.  I had no idea what a manager was and nobody bothered to explain about it!!

I wish I had some photos but I don't!!  

If I had time and am not boring you I'll try to write about my kids Christmases and the stress of trying to do Christmas in a country that doesn't celebrate it!!