Christmas / New Year Memories

Couldn't agree more Janey, the pressure on parents today is enormous. I recall writing a list before Christmas and being overjoyed to get ONE item off it. These days kids write a list and expect to get everything! Goodness knows how parents afford Christmas. That leads to another problem, they can't, resulting in so much debt accrued that most never pay it off from one year to the next - but maybe that's another topic! I also remember the "sock" containing a couple of tangerines, a few walnuts, hazelnuts, monkey nuts. I used to spend ages just trying to crack them open (obviously a "method in the madness" with my parents giving me those!) I recall there always being a Dyson & Horsfall catalogue in the house at this time of the year and I used to spend hours drooling over the pages of toys, with the catalogue spread open on the floor and me lying with a piece of paper and pencil "making my list". I guess todays equivalent is an iPad (other tablets are available ) open on the Argos toys page! Wrapping presents was also the domain of my Mother, who would shut herself away in the bedroom for hours. The sounds of paper-rustling and sellotape ripping echoing down the stairs. Christmas morning came and I was never allowed to open my presents, which were always by the side of my bed in a pillowcase, until my (older) sister's light was on. So, many times I'd wake and lie there for ages, waiting for the sudden glow of her bedroom light coming through the crack around my bedroom door. Just found these on the internet - I remember having the "crossbow" in the last pic. Happy days - or were they? What do others recall?

Believe it or not I never had that many to fill a pillowcase, what I did have, but did seem a lot at the time, were placed under the tree but I did have the usual mesh stocking with oranges and some dates too one year. Crayons and cut out dolly books, posh hair slides. A grown up fountain pen. Numerous pencil boxes over the years. I never had a girls annual. The reason they were placed under the tree was because that was to make sure they were not opened before my parents were up. I remember the assorted liquorice selection. I must have had a bite out of all of them.. Then came new year. Dad would have a lump of coal, go out the back door and enter via the front. I have heard so many variations as to why. Mostly the luck it would bring into the house or you would never be without anything. Gone are the days when I could find a silver threepenny piece in the pud. Of course as I grew older all was upgraded to 78's and the first record player as it was called then, new shoes and blouses. The best Christmas would have been seeing Toby, our little Yorkie downstairs, that was such a big surprise, as I didn't even ask for him.. Happiest days indeed.

For weeks I had been waiting without a pause, for the coming of dear old Santa Claus. Dad took two chairs to his wood shed, made space free, in their place he placed a holly tree, it stood from floor to ceiling. We decorated it with bells and tinsel and such things, and on the top my sister placed a lovely doll with wings. My brothers and I made paper chains with flour paste, we daubed it everywhere, such was our haste. Cotton wool that looked like snow, and sprigs of holly gave the house a lovely rich and winter glow. My mother and sister made mince pies by the dozens, we were a large family, with aunts, uncles and cousins. Such was the joy we were all feeling, then dad came in, fixed mistletoe to the ceiling, grabbed mother's hand and took her beneath it, gave her a big kiss. Oh how we were so merry, then dad poured mum a glass of sweet sherry. We kids had pop and apple cider, my favourite drink was ice cream soda. But dad called out, "I need some help to pluck the goose". In an old tin bath it was so big. We helped feathers scattered all over, placed some over his cap, looked like a white wig. Rolled some papers, set them alight, singed the goose, to our delight. Then mum played the piano, we all sang carols, such a festive night. Then mum said, "It's time for bed or Santa won't come". As I scampered upstairs, she playfully smacked my bum. I went to sleep worn out, excited, murmurs in the night, "Has he been?" Woke at dawn, in our stockings an orange and nuts, and gold papered chocolate money, pencils and books. Sister came in, lay by my brother, now we were top and bottom, two by two, she had scent and girls' toys. Mother came in with cups of tea on a tray, portions of pork pie to start our day. My elder brother and I searched around, our eyes met. Our younger brother, more toys than us, he also had a large train set. But dad came in, "I thought Santa had left something downstairs for me, but there's presents downstairs for you two". I shot out of bed, my brother at my back, rushed downstairs, there was a new bike by the door, the label said "Jack". The present laying on the floor, it stretched right to the door, I had been hoping for sword or a dagger, the label said "Kaga". I tore at the paper and string. A pedal-car train, I looked at dad, who gave me a wink, said "Well I'm blowed, the Silver Link". Another present on the table for my sister, she opened it up, a big smile on her face, a beautiful necklace. Dad said "Try it outside in the lane", but mum said "First, coat, cap and scarf, it might rain". I pedalled and pedalled, broke records galore, it was mine, I blew the whistle, shouted "Get off the line!" But dinner time came, my legs all ached, felt all aflame. We pulled crackers, wore paper hats that came over the face, read the jokes and laughed till it ached. The goose was a size, middle of the table, I ate all the food I was able, mum said "There's more", as over the pudding a white sauce she did pour. I was so full I ate in a manner, I bit something hard, a silver tanner. Aunts and uncles visited us, had a drink and a mince pie. What a Christmas, what a joy, I swore from now on I would be a good boy. We sang more carols, then off to bed, but not in a canter. I knelt down, thanked mum and dad and, of course, Santa.

Now it's really strange reading that, as we always had pork pie for breakfast on Christmas morning, and I've never really understood why. I've read in recent years that it was a "Black Country" tradition (although I guess you could insert your own locality). I still have pork pie for Christmas breakfast (when I can remember to buy one!) but does anyone else recall this strange start to the day?

Yes, a pork pie for starters and bacon sarnies if wanted and a good hot cuppa. I was wondering too if many of us remembered to make little presents of any kind for our parents. Dad bought me some chocs to give to my mum and she showed great surprise that they were from me, knowing full well dad had bought them. I always made them a Christmas card of sorts and a calendar once with those little calendars from the Post Office. One was made from a choc box lid from the year before. The pictures on the Cadbury boxes were beautiful in those days. It was always a turkey and the full works.

The only good thing about a Turkey Christmas was that I had all the dark meat to myself, but I would have preferred roast pork, crackling and chips. Pork pies (and Scotch pies) I ate on a regular basis anyway, but knew nothing of the tradition mentioned here.

I was always led to believe that having pork pie for breakfast on Christmas morning was a Coventry tradition; and that Gardners Pork Pie shop in Gosford Street opened early on Christmas morning to sell them. As Norman used to have pork pie in Birmingham, perhaps it was a Midlands tradition.

I've been a vegetarian for many years so I cannot even remember what turkey tasted like, except that I wasn't keen on it. I must admit the thought of curry sounds great! Every year since the kids left we have intended to go out for Christmas dinner but we either leave it too late to book or a friend who is on his ownl asks if he can come round for Christmas, not that we really mind. But one year we will go out for Christmas dinner

Oh for me too! Yes, finding a silver sixpence in the Christmas pud, and sitting for hours making paper chains to hang all across the ceiling, and the quiet cursing from dad when he couldn't untangle the Christmas lights to put them on the tree.

I have friends in Coventry who say that having pork pie for breakfast is a family tradition; and some members of the forum have also mentioned it in this topic (see threads 76, 77 and 79). On thread 105 it mentions that people have pork pies in Leicestershire, so maybe its just an old tradition (English?) that has been handed down through generations. Many people must have had this tradition to make it worthwhile for shops to open on Christmas morning.

If you Google "pork pie for breakfast Christmas Day" you will find a number of references to this

I'm trying to decide. Should I go for a pork pie Christmas Day breakfast or... bacon, egg, sausage, tomato, baked beans, mushrooms, black pudding, hash browns, fried bread and three slices of toast. Er, think I'll have the pork pie as a pre lunch snack about 11ish.

Well I go back to 1930 with the pork-pie breakfast, and I believe it was an easy snack on the bed with all the nuts and toys around, and with a large dinner looming it made easy cleaning for our parents, a little better than biscuits, and not too filling before dinner, I can't remember a Christmas without pork-pie. Every year as far as I can remember my mother was given a goose at Christmas, by her brother, who had it as a gift from Keresley Colliery management. But our Christmas was always spectacular. The fire in our old fashioned grate never went out, it had hobs both sides, and swing hooks for the kettle and pots, and we had a fireguard rail about three foot high, and we had a house brick that we put in the hob to warm, wrapped in a blanket was our hot water bottle, and as we lay each end of the bed we had foot fights trying to nick it for ourselves. Great days.

I think the "full" breakfast sounds good. Sirloin steak for lunch - yes, please! Turkey's alright, I suppose, but I'd prefer a nice piece of cod in crispy batter with chips and mushies. Pork pie for tea would be good too

We always had an ox tongue and ham baked in a pastry crust cooked by my mother at Christmas. Christmas dinner during the war was a cockerel, we kept Rhode Island Red chickens and White Aylesbury ducks when we were evacuated to Measham.