Christmas Traditions – What Were Yours Growing Up?

[Curly]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s. My dad would always go to Bastianelis which I think was at the top of digbeth near St Martins. So we always had grapes, lemons, olives and Panforte Di Sienna. plus bottles of Asti Spumante and a bottle of Chianti in its lovely basket. ...I try to keep this tradition. Unfortunately I have been unable to source Panforte locally since around 2020,

eBay

 

[NoddKD]

It hasn`t worn off here. My wife sprays snow & snowballs on the windows every Christmas.

Tried it on the windows of my flat in Deal.It took until Easter to remove it.
Never again.

NoddKD

 

[Vivienne14]

A glimpse of our late 1950s/early 1960s Christmas :
The front room - rarely used at any other time - was used to display the Chistmas tree, strategically placed near the window so the neighbours could see it. The tree came from the local greengrocers
The tree with a very random arrangement of tree decorations including Woolworth's multi-coloured bulb lights, some glass ornaments, a few clip-on birds and dripping with string tinsel (particulay on the sparse, upper branches !)
A tudor-style dining table set with lace doileys and nuts, graced by our BIG ceramic dog, proudly taking centre stage
A few balloons above the porthole mirror (that mirror seems completely out of reach of the average height adult!)
Concertina paper decorations strung criss-cross on the ceiling (out of view), crossing in the middle around the brass pendant electric candelabra
Freshly laundered antemacassers over the winged fireside chairs
Lighting the fire in the front room, (out of sight but next to the armchair - left) rarely llt, but an exception sometimes at Christmas

I'm holding a couple of gifts so this must be late Christmas Day or Boxing Day: a black fake poodle (there was poodle-mania at the time) and the cuckoo clock shaped box with the clock contained chocolate. The dress I'm wearing would have been a fancy one sent by my aunt in America. She sometimes shipped large boxes to us containing items which weren't easy get in the UK at the time, such as dresses in man-made fibre materials like the one in the photo.

 

[mikejee]

Your description (other than the large dog) sound very familiar, Viv

 

[Astoness]

A glimpse of our late 1950s/early 1960s Christmas :
The front room - rarely used at any other time - was used to display the Chistmas tree, strategically placed near the window so the neighbours could see it. The tree came from the local greengrocers
The tree with a very random arrangement of tree decorations including Woolworth's multi-coloured bulb lights, some glass ornaments, a few clip-on birds and dripping with string tinsel (particulay on the sparse, upper branches !)
A tudor-style dining table set with lace doileys and nuts, graced by our BIG ceramic dog, proudly taking centre stage
A few balloons above the porthole mirror (that mirror seems completely out of reach of the average height adult!)
Concertina paper decorations strung criss-cross on the ceiling (out of view), crossing in the middle around the brass pendant electric candelabra
Freshly laundered antemacassers over the winged fireside chairs
Lighting the fire in the front room, (out of sight but next to the armchair - left) rarely lt, but an exception sometimes at Christmas

I'm holding a couple of gifts so this must be late Christmas Day or Boxing Day: a black fake poodle (there was poodle-mania at the time) and the cuckoo clock shaped box with the clock contained chocolate. The dress I'm wearing would have been a fancy one sent by my aunt in America. She sometimes shipped large boxes to us containing items which weren't easy get in the UK at the time, such as dresses in man-made fibre materials like the one in the photo.

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smashing photo viv...if i remember correctly those long shaped balloons were difficult to blow up lol
lyn

 

[johnny082]

Great Photo Viv. I too remember the front room with uncut Moquette covered three piece suite. Does anyone else re,mermber that
material ? Fireplace, but never lit until Christmas day. Also paper chains and balloons.

Happy Christmas to everyone !!!

 

[Time Traveller 66]

Does anyone remember - back in the 70s and early 80s there was an absolute craze in the UK for putting fake snow spray on windows at Christmas time.? - A few people still do it and I believe its more prevalent in other countries, but here in the UK it seemed that for a decade every other house had it on their windows at Christmas time - But then the novelty wore off and its much rarer to see it now.

They used to do it in Junior and Infant schools i think.