Christmas Past and Present

Christmas Past

I appreciate more and more the memories that my parents made to make Christmas a special time. My dad’s army socks on the end of the bed on Christmas eve - reused to receive the gifts Father Christmas brought. A nativity set made by my mum from pipecleaners and scraps of material left over from the clothes she had made for the family. These were augmented by a small bauble for a king's gift; sheep and camels borrowed from our toys; and some gleaned straw from the field down the road to line the crib for an out of scale baby Jesus. She made do and was creative with what she had to make the season magical for us. 

Yes, for a few years before she went back to work she had the time - and the inclination to do some simple crafts for Christmas alongside the more laborious food preparation of Christmas cakes, puddings and mincemeat with which to entertain the relatives on Christmas day. It is easy to forget that shop bought was often more expensive than homemade but times have changed and many products are easier and cheaper to buy now.

At one point we had an early form of plastic christmas tree which lasted for a few years before it bit the dust. There was no option for recycling either plastic or real trees then.

Some years my mother would cut or pick up a small branch and set it in polyfilla or something similar and paint it white before decorating with some brightly coloured baubles.

I don’t remember a real Christmas tree apart from the year when my uncle transported one I think from Scotland, on the top of his mini. It was a very exciting arrival being delivered late on Christmas Eve. I was old enough to remember the occasion, but not the details.

As we got older mum occasionally used holly and ivy to create simple decorations with a few choice luxury baubles which she kept from year to year. These festive plates either stood on the blanket chest in the hall or decorated the dining table.

Making Christmas special doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive. A few choice homemade decorations can highlight the season and can be kept for future or recycled. 

Christmas Present…

As they aged both my parents and parents in law have been in a position to not need things and have enjoyed gifts of homemade produce such as chutney or lemon curd. Other welcome gifts of Amaryllis, with their bright and elegant blooms and hyacinths, with their heavy pervading fragrance, have enriched the dull days of early January. Occasionally seeds have also been requested by other relatives as they started on their gardening journeys or to fill an interest in particular varieties of chillis.

I know that times have changed since my childhood, and I am almost certainly showing my age. There has been an increase in expectations, advertising and social media and while we can’t bring back ‘the good old days’. What we can do is pick up those things that are timeless and set our own agenda. Sometimes keeping things simple can be a good option when things are tight moneywise. Children and even us adults may regain some of the magic and simplicity of the first Christmas by being inspired to a different way of doing things.