Magical Christmas Memories

My father was an excise officer working at an oil refinery owned by Shell who used to treat all the children associated with the plant to a trip to an ice show in London at Christmas. My abiding memory is of the woman who chaperoned us alighting from the coach and her knickers fell down as she took us across the road - she calmly stepped out of them and put them in her pocket! I can't remember a thing about the ice show!

Midnight, Christmas 1962, we came out of the church on the hill above the town to find big, fluffy snowflakes falling on the nearby ancient palace and the loch behind it. A most romantic scene. If we'd known that it presaged a very long cold spell that lasted until spring and froze the loch all the way across, we might not have been so enamoured of this picture!

Magical Christmas memories December 1957, mum was pregnant with her 3rd baby, who arrived early in January 1958. Mum must have been tired and dad took over the bed time routine, so she could rest. We little girls would sit on his knee, by a roaring fire, and he'd read to us from A Christmas Carol. It was wonderful, to sit on the knee of this big man, who worked long hours, with the result mum did most of the hands on care of we children. He'd snuggle us close and read to us from what we now know, was his favourite book.

I have the book, with his name and address written in it, along with the year i was given to him by his parents for Christmas. Such happy memories, of feeling safe and loved with the excitement of a new baby due to arrive any time. Thanks to my parents for everything x

My dad once bought a little house shaped box that was filled with indoor fireworks. So exciting - but lethal probably!

That moment when you stretch out your legs and hear a "rustling" sound that means that the empty pillowcase that you left on the end of the bed has been filled!

Moving from magic to mortifying, DF was in the army so Christmas was a round of Christmas parties organised on the base. DS and I loathed them. Generally we didn't know any of the other children, we seemed always to be the only children of our age anywhere on base. My DS was very shy and a picky eater and would spend the evening clinging to me as if her life depended on it. Among her food dislikes were; ice cream, jelly, blancmange, fizzy drinks, Iced diamonds (nasty tiny biscuits with tooth-breaking icing on them) and Play Box biscuits, which rather limited her food intake at parties. I liked fizzy drinks and would eat jelly and ice cream but shared her dislike of the biscuits and blancmange.

Then for entertainment we got slapstick comedy films, as described by granjura, neither of us found them funny so we would sit at the back in a corner so we could talk to each other. Finally there was Santa Claus and the gift, which we did enjoy but we would both have forfeited the gifts to be able not to attend the parties in the first place.

Dad belonged to a man's choir, and they had a party for the kids and families every Christmas. First we were shown black and white movies, Oliver and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, etc. None of us had telly at home. I used to get very upset about the chaps falling over and having all these terrible incidents and accidents. Then we had to queue up for Father Christmas, and stand in turn on a soap box and say our party piece to the audience. A song, or a poem or story, and then Father Christmas would talk to each of us in turn, ask if we'd been good, etc, and then give us our decorated paper bag with goodies, a ginger bread man, tangerine, peanuts, a few chocolates and a small present. One year, I was about 5- Father Christmas asked me if I had been good. Yes FC, I have. Are you sure, he asked. He hadn't asked ANY of the other children this, of course, just me. So I repeated that yes, I had been good. Are you sure, he said again- because a little bird told me you did 'xyz' the other day (can't remember what it was)- I nearly wet my pants there and then. And then he said, and also that you did 'abc' the week before. I ran away and the next year absolutely refused to go to the party, come what may. FC was of course, my dad- he didn't realise how he upset and worried me, and apologised profusely when I was a bit older!!!

My Mum and Dad used to take us to Goldbergs in Glasgow,remember the excitement and anticipation going through the store and up in the lift and eventually arriving at Santas Grotto,truly magical.My Dad was a steelworker in Ravenscraig and Christmas trips were arranged every year.Remember piling into a double decker bus,being given a Christmas box full of goodies,and taken to see a pantomime in Glasgow,also remember going to see Francie and Josie,special,special memories which I wish I had thought to share with my parents before they died.

My dad worked in a factory and every year there was a Christmas party for the workers' kids. As a shy child, I used to dread going, but the lure of a party tea and a present to take home overcame my fear. Just before going home, we used to queue up and receive an age/gender appropriate gift, which we would always open on the bus home. I think the year I was 9, I was bitterly disappointed to receive a sewing kit, but managed to swop it for a pair of roller skates given to a girl who already had some. From disappointment to elation in all of 5 minutes!

Yes, the cottonwool snow on which we used to put glue then sprinkle silver glitter on! Lots of silver tinsel as well.

We were not middle-class, not a lot of money and no car, but DP still managed to take us to the panto or an ice show, the zoo and on holiday every year.
There is nothing twee or middle class about reading by the tree lights.

Yes, what a fire hazard, they were real birthday cake-type candles!

We had clip-on birds as well.

I remember the dome in Lewis's when and how exciting it was, but I'd forgotten about the Hippodrome, and we used to go there a lot.
Sugar mice in my stocking too, and when I was quite small we had an artificial tree which had cotton wool 'snow' on every branch and clip on candles which were lit every night!

Loopylou I remember Rosie at Bristol Zoo. Not sure about Christina though.Found it quite scary being taken around the zoo strapped on her back but loved it anyway. My other favorite there was the Monkey Temple. We took our children there when they were small and the place hadn't changed much. (No Rosie of course). I expect it is very different now though.
Sorry, gone off subject again!

Don't apologise Deedaa for being middle class. I was really annoyed with the BBC representative for saying News24 was for white middle class older people. what is wrong with any of those statements?

There us nothing wrong with being any colour or age, or having programmes that may appeal to some groups more than others.

I remember being taken to see Santa when I was quite small. Not a success as I was terrified by having to speak to a strange man and the present was very disappointing, I think it was a skipping rope which I really didn't want!

I can remember dark evenings sitting under our Christmas tree, reading A Christmas Carol by the lights on the tree. How dreadfully twee and middle class it sounds now!

Living in Plymouth I was taken to the Dingles restaurant every Christmas. They always had a sort of cornucopia of a table at the entrance and I can remember a suckling pig with an apple in its mouth. There was also a model church with carols emanating from it.

I can remember dancing in front of and watching myself in a green Christmas tree bauble.

Ah, the wonder of childhood

As far as I remember I was never taken to see Santa.

We used to go up to Oxford Street to see the lights and walk round Hamleys. It was exciting just to be out after dark. Usually by the time it got dark we were indoors and bedtime wasn't far away.

I can also remember a Christmas gathering at my grandparents, just after the war when my father was still away. At the end of the party two of my uncles accompanied my mother home. I held a hand of each uncle and as they led me along a put my head right back and looked into the dark night sky with all the stars seemingly going on forever. I can still remember how much the view of the stars completely engulfed me. It was magical.

Rosequartz I too rode the elephant at Dudley Zoo. We had a day trip to the Zoo from school. I can only remember the elephant and the
Prefect in charge who I had a slight crush on. To be honest I can visualise the elephant better than the Prefect now !!

My mother managed to produce 3 daughters within 4 days of Christmas (my sisters are twins) so whilst we had many lovely Christmas', presents were often of the 'joint present for birthday and Christmas variety', particularly from family friends.
It wasn't too bad if something like a 'new' bicycle but always felt a bit cheated! Should have adopted an 'unofficial' birthday like the Queen?
And being an expensive time of year it must have been difficult for my dear M & D.
Made every effort to make sure I had my two DCs in the spring and summer (April and June)!
Wasn't helped by DH's family all having birthdays in November......Seem to have ended up with 15 birthdays and wedding anniversaries between November 1 and Christmas Day .....
Roll on the New Year!

Going the opposite way .

I was seriously Ill in Bath Hospital when I was 5 after falling down the stairs, wearing my sisters stiletto heeled shoes. I had concussion and loss of memory for days.

I remember that I had a stick of striped rock, 2 suger mice, 1 small bar of chocolate given to me for Xmas in a Xmas stocking. On Christmas Day the ward sister, a nasty piece of work she was, took all the treats the kids had and cut them all up to share. I cried my eyes out. She probably had a point but boy that hurt.

After I came out of hospital mum and dad arranged a special Xmas party for me, only at home, but Santa gave me an enormous bar of chocolate with a dolly dressed as a nurse, apparently I hid the dolly in the coal house so the ward sister left her mark.

Mine was the visit to Lewis's in Manchester, where the central dome was visible from basement to the top floor and hung with fabulous Christmas decorations. We also did the sleigh ride to get to Santa's Grotto. After that, we went for a short bus ride to the Hippodrome to see the panto. Such an exciting time and the anticipation of knowing that we were going to do it again next year made we want to stay that age forever! We try to re-create that for this generation, who love going to visit Santa, only now it's Winter Wonderland at the Trafford Centre and the panto has reality TV celebs, but the kids don't care.

Sorry, a bit of cross threading there, got carried away

I also remember the 'zoo' in Harrods, going to Bristol Zoo riding on Rosie the elephant (or was it Christina, they were both there at the same time)....circuses with lions and tigers (no one thought it cruel then ), penny slot machines, 8 for a penny Fruit Salad and Black Jack ( now presumably politically incorrect) chews, gob stoppers literally the size of golf balls (sucked, changed colour and kept in your hanky until next time!), frozen 'Jubblies' - weird coloured frozen twisted triangle shape ice blocks ( full of artificial ingredients I suspect and lurid colours.....
Skipping ropes and skipping using long lengths of thick rope, playing marbles and Jacks, hula hoops.... first time round!

I remember going to see Chu Chin Chow on ice when I was about 8.