santa and sleigh

Christmas began when the decorations, carefully saved from year to year, were brought down from the attic. The small Christmas tree was pulled into shape once again, placed on the table in the window and the baubles hung on it. Expanding paper chains that had been carefully folded up last year were pulled out and draped across the ceiling, often enhanced by simple ones made at school. These were made by cutting sheets of coloured paper into strips which were interlocked as they were made into circles. They could not be saved for next year but added to the festive atmosphere.

On Christmas Eve I would go to bed early as I knew Santa didn’t come unless you were asleep.

Oh, the excitement when I awoke and the toys I had asked for in my Christmas letter had arrived. Soon Mummy, Daddy and my sister, Dorothy were up and we were all wishing each other Happy Christmas and sharing in the excitement of seeing what he had brought and exchanging our own presents.

When I was young it was during the war when the slogan in all transport areas was “is your journey really necessary?” So Christmas was celebrated with the relatives who lived the nearest and in our case it was my Uncle Albert and Auntie Joyce. Uncle Albert, a merchant seaman, had come to Scotland at the beginning of the war and his fiancée had joined him from Canada. They had married from our house and made their home in Anniesland in Glasgow, about an hour away. She expected them to return to Canada together but the war put a stop to that. They lived on the top floor of a Glasgow tenement where there were a lot of stairs to climb and lifts in tenements were unheard of. This was never Auntie Joyce’s plan and as soon as the war ended the two of them, now with two little girls left for Canada.

Because of Dad’s job we were very privileged to have a car and after breakfast we set off for  Glasgow. We all looked forward to seeing each other again but I was specially excited as I knew there would be a present for me. The day was celebrated with a glass of whiskey or sherry and preparations were underway for the Christmas dinner with discussions as to whether or not it was a white turkey as these were considered more tender and tasty than brown ones but were hard to find. Roast potatoes, sprouts and gravy always accompanied the turkey, followed by plum pudding, custard and brandy butter. Of course the pudding was always round as it was cooked in a cloth, then it was set alight and carried in state to the table with the curtains closed so that we could enjoy the full effect of the flames.

As was the custom in Britain we listened to the King’s Speech at three o’clock so an effort was made to have dinner finished and all cleared away then we relaxed round the fire, turned on the radio and waited for His Majesty to speak. After this some of us might go for a walk if the weather permitted or we might play board games, Sorry being the most popular one, or Monopoly. As the evening wore on turkey sandwiches would appear with a cup of tea and at last we would cut the Christmas cake. Eventually I would fall asleep to the sound of adult talk, then I would be wrapped in a rug and carried out to the car so that we would be home by midnight.

In Scotland, as New Year’s Day was a more important festival than Christmas, we had holidays on the first and second of January as well as Christmas Day but not on Boxing Day as Saint Stephen’s Day was called. Our Christmas celebrations were reversed with my Uncle and Aunt spending the day with us in Greenock. Turkey and plum pudding were eaten once again but this time they stayed overnight as the important part of the New Year celebrations was the First Footing. To bring good luck to your house for the New Year the first person to enter the house after midnight struck had to be a dark haired man bringing a gift. This was always organised by Uncle Albert leaving the house at five minutes to midnight and returning with a large lump of coal. In those days we had lumps the size of a football. I was allowed to stay up for this event and even if I fell asleep would be wakened up to hear the twelve o’clock chimes and Auld Lang Syne on the radio and we would all embrace and wish each other a Happy New Year.

Then the adults would welcome the New Year in with a glass of whiskey and we would go outside where Happy New Year could be heard reverberating round the street as neighbours came out to greet each other. Some would come in to have a drink with us and there would be discussions about the events of the year just passed and hopes and plans for the year ahead. Of course by this time I was tucked up in bed and as I fell asleep I could hear everyone getting happier downstairs, and the bursts of noise on our usually quiet street as people met and wished each other a Happy New Year as they went First Footing from house to house till dawn.