Christmas Retro

milli milli

I thought I'd start a thread on things from Christmas Past that you never see now or nostalgic things from your own past.

Here are some of mine:

* Big bulb-like coloured lights on public Christmas trees
* The Budweiser ad with the horses
* All my Christmas toys and especially when I was 9. I remember the actual wrapping paper from that year and the anticipation of touching and feeling the wrapped presents days before Christmas trying to figure out what they were!
On Christmas Eve just before going to bed, it was just too much and I tore a little of the paper to see what one of the presents was! Ha!
* Christmas carol singing with my class when I was in primary school. The sheer joy of it, the practising, the waiting for my friends to call so we'd walk down town to it. I used to wear a fair isle jumper all the time - my mum knitted it for me.
* Decorations on my childhood tree that held amazing memories but are gone now - the little elves attached to pipe cleaners that twisted around the branch. The 70s textile-type decorations. The glittery accordion-type 80s style decorations that you can get in Euro shops now.
* In school after the last test/exam and saying goodbye to your school pals and the anticipation that Christmas was just around the corner!

Ok there are piles more but just thought I'd get the ball rolling!
Happy walk down Nostalgia Street!!

Loughc

Oh WOW, what a great thread!!

I'm with you Milli, the big bulb Christmas Tree Lights, my mam has the same set for 24 years and she was dead proud of them, each year she'd love telling everyone how long she had them, unfortunately the lights did give out and were duly replaced by the lantern lights, they didn't last too long, possible a year or two.

We used to go Christmas Carol singing for SVP in Secondary School, I still vividly remember those nights, they were magical.

The toys as well for me, our Santy use to lay out the toys unwrapped on the couch. Two of the toys I remember so well were two I didn't ask for but I loved, one was a simple ring toss game, it was so fun and another was The Crystal Maze board game. I loved the show and the board game had some of the best mini games I've ever played even to this day. I'd hands down pick to play that again over any xbox.

Remember the old large selection boxes that used to take about a fortnight to eat they had so much in them.

And remember on your last day in school before the holidays you had a class party, could play games, do wordsearches and crosswords. They were the days.

"Midnight Mass" that started at 9 in our church haha, I still remember the place being packed, the cold air in the church and the smiles on all the people it was in great form.

Maybe I'm wearing rose tinted glasses but Christmas seemed to mean more "back in the day" and it seemed better.

milli milli

Loughc wrote: »

Remember the old large selection boxes that used to take about a fortnight to eat they had so much in them.

They probably took longer to eat because the chocolate bars themselves were much larger then than now!
Remember how a Yorkie bar was really hard to eat? It was really hard to break off a chunk of it.
When I was young, money was scarce. I used to stay in my Auntie's house every Friday night and on the way there she'd buy me a chocolate bar in the shop as a treat and I would look forward to it! Imagine! And that was only the 80s! But before credit cards. Today kids can be too spoiled and I agree with when you say:

Maybe I'm wearing rose tinted glasses but Christmas seemed to mean more "back in the day" and it seemed better.

There's probably some rose-tinting going on (much like myself!) but it did seem simpler then. Lots more walking back then, less cars, no credit cards (unless you were rich), it wasn't as rushed as nowadays. People would stop and chat.
Now people are too stressed, there's never enough time in the day, there's way too much choice. People are less social, with their heads stuck into mobile phones (I'm as guilty as this as the next person!).
Sorry gone off the point a bit - but even on Christmas Day if you watched a film there would be only a few to watch - we had 6 channels for much of my childhood (rte1 & 2, bbc1 & 2, utv, channel 4)
Sky only came along when I was a teenager. Nowadays you can watch whatever you like. And if people watched it, they would give it their full attention! Now, we are multitasking with our phones whilst watching!

I would really love to experience the simplicity of it all again!

Loughc

milli milli wrote: »

Now people are too stressed, there's never enough time in the day, there's way too much choice. People are less social, with their heads stuck into mobile phones (I'm as guilty as this as the next person!).

Now, we are multitasking with our phones whilst watching!

I would really love to experience the simplicity of it all again!

This to me is the biggest problem as I am as guilty as the next person, I'm planning on cutting back on phone use this year and already I'm feeling happier with my head up for a change.

Yeah I'm the same I'd love to experience the simplicity all over again.

dori_dormer

Loughc wrote: »

The toys as well for me, our Santy use to lay out the toys unwrapped on the couch. Two of the toys I remember so well were two I didn't ask for but I loved, one was a simple ring toss game, it was so fun and another was The Crystal Maze board game. I loved the show and the board game had some of the best mini games I've ever played even to this day. I'd hands down pick to play that again over any xbox.
.

I got that board game too! Was brilliant! I have almost completely replicated my child hood xmas for my son. Hope he appreciates it lol!

Posy

These encompass my memories of Christmas in the 80's/90's







and making these in school

Loughc

Some of the old school large selection boxes.

iguana

Oh wow, Lough, my stomach is flipping looking at those. Not at the thought of the chocolate but the feelings they invoke from my childhood. Wow!

Posy, I found a bag of those metallic balls in my parents attic in January. I think they were from my great grandmother's tree. I'm hoping to snaffle them for my tree this year though when I mentioned finding them to my mum she had a look in her eyes that suggested she might want them herself.

For me I just remember Christmas as a completely MAGICAL time. Everything felt otherworldly and so very, very special. I have this one amazing memory when I was maybe 5 or 6 of coming back from "late night" Christmas shopping (probably at about 8pm) and sitting under the tree in the sitting room waiting for the cocoa my parents were making in the kitchen. There was this pinky glow from the fairy lights and I was so, so happy. It's why as an adult I have a hard and fast rule that the fairy lights on my tree must have pink bulbs.

bagofweasels

Loughc wrote: »

This to me is the biggest problem as I am as guilty as the next person, I'm planning on cutting back on phone use this year and already I'm feeling happier with my head up for a change.

Yeah I'm the same I'd love to experience the simplicity all over again.

What a lovely thread. Have to agree on the phone thing ..... being available 24/7 steals time from those we're actually with

Toto Wolfcastle

Posy wrote: »

These encompass my memories of Christmas in the 80's/90's

I loved those decorations. I always wanted the big Cadburys selection box but I rarely got it. I had a soft spot for the net selection stockings too for some reason.

My favourite memories of Christmas are things that could only happen as a child. There was a painting in my bedroom when I was a kid and on Christmas Eve I woke up and was absolutely convinced that I could see Santa in it. Another year I looked through the keyhole of the sitting room before we went in and thought I saw Santa sitting on the video recorder. I was terrified to go in after that. I think it was just the all the hype and excitement.

freshpopcorn

The old Afternoon Tea tin.

DrJ

Wow, those photos from Posy and LoughC are great J I remember those decorations and selection boxes. Great thread, OP.
Anyone else make a ‘Christmas copy’ at primary school? Up to the age of about 10 we used to all for the month of December be allocated time in school to draw a Christmas picture or write out a carol or whatever into what was called our ‘Christmas copybook’. So I might draw a snowman on one page, write out Away in a Manger on another etc. I used to love going overboard with the glitter and glue ;-) Fond memories of putting a bit of glue on the page and shaking loads of glitter over it and putting Christmas paper as a cover on the copy.
Great memories of the Christmas play at primary school too. I played the tin whistle as a child so I was always with the musicians in the dark at the side of the stage. One year Jesus fell off the stage and on top of us which was very amusing.
We used to make Christmas decorations too in primary school and actually still have them. Purely for nostalgia purposes we still put our ‘Christmas bells’ (egg cartons covered in tin foil!) on the tree (made in the early ‘90s at school).
Other than that I’d have to agree with the OP about the big bold coloured lights. God, I hated when those crap energy saving cold blue lights came in during the early ‘00s. At least now you can get energy saving ones that are coloured.
I remember as well there used to be great coloured lights of fairies, bells, and reindeers hung across the main street but health and safety demanded they be taken down around the turn of the century. So there’s barely any lights out ever since. There used to be speakers erected in the town playing Christmas music too. Used to love that.
I just hope we never reach a point where we look back and think how quaint and retro it was to say ‘Merry Christmas’. It has changed and I think you’ve all hit on something re the technological changes but cultural changes as well. Both are connected. It’s sad that more places don’t close they way they used to. I think having that big gulf of time where all you could do was stay at home and enjoy the company of immediate and extended family was very healthy for the heart and soul. You had the 'January sales' but that meant there was a full week beforehand where you just stayed home and you'd eat, sleep, walk, and socialise.

OU812

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab0-T0KkJzY

athtrasna

That wrapping paper that was so thin it was almost like tissue paper with big garish patterns.

Carol singing with candle torches made from spirit bottles with the bottom cut off and then reinforced with seasonally coloured insulation tape.

Snow spray for the tree

Midnight mass at midnight

Big jars of bullseyes and orange and lemon slices my dad used to get in the cash and carry.

The annuals you got in school, sugradh, siamsa and spraoi depending on what class you were in. Annuals from santa too.

Wow this thread is really bringing me back, almost everything mentioned already was there for me too

Jude13

Leaving a candle out in the porch. The smell of real fire's in the air.

I used to have those baubles, I loved being asked to help my dad get the decorations from the atic. I would then be in charge of untangling the lights.

Santa always left a gift for the dog, even though she/he preferred the wrapping paper.

I hated having to wear new clothes my mum bought, as with most people at the time they weren't what you would call designer or stylish. I understand now how much effort my folks put in to providing for us.

I also remeber begging my dad to tick the 'Cola' box on the sheet of paper that the milkman would deliver at Christmas. I'm not sure if anyone else had this but our milkman delivered soft drinks/minerals at Christmas and my dad would get red lemonade as a mixer but I always wanted cola as we didn't get it any other time or year. He used to get cream soda as he said he used to get that a a treat when he was a kid from his dad. I must get a bottle this Christmas and share it with him.

We did the SVP carols in town also, I only remember it vaguely.

Now are jobs are to create fantastic memories for the little ones of the next generation.

Glitzgirl

My parents were never really big on Christmas in general. It was only as I got older my mam tried to make more of a fuss about it. Am having serious flash backs though with those tinfoil like bauble decorations ! I remember tryin to stick tacs in the long extendable ones that I used to put up for my nan on her ceiling. And the arguments if it didn't look straight! Wasn't easy tryin to make a perfect x on the ceiling with two of those :pac:

Personally I will always remember 4 things.
1 -Getting a small polly pocket each year in my stcoking
2 - getting a glass bottle of coke (like the polar bear had on the coke commercial at Christmas time ! )
3- the dread of going christmas shopping to get a new outfit. My poor mam used to get so fussed and leave it til the last minute lol
4- I will never forget tryin to wake my younger sister up to tell her santa had gone and our stcoking were there . Only to be greeted with a slap in the face as she rolled over. Lovely big black eye that year haha :pac: to this day she still doesn't like christmas ! How im related to her ill never know haha

Glitzgirl

Oh sorry and my mam stocking up on tk lemonade and orange for Christmas. And the little bottle of cadet cola for cousins , guests etc :pac:

Loughc

Back when chocolate was proper chocolate haha.

OUTDOORLASS

We had a batchelor Uncle, that would always arrive with a big box of Lemons sweets.....(getting out my violin now....)
that was back in the day when that would be a major treat.....

milli milli

Jude13 wrote: »

I also remeber begging my dad to tick the 'Cola' box on the sheet of paper that the milkman would deliver at Christmas. I'm not sure if anyone else had this but our milkman delivered soft drinks/minerals at Christmas and my dad would get red lemonade as a mixer but I always wanted cola as we didn't get it any other time or year. He used to get cream soda as he said he used to get that a a treat when he was a kid from his dad. I must get a bottle this Christmas and share it with him.

Thanks for sharing this memory. I remember my Auntie getting bottles of cream soda (completely forgot that name) and red lemonade. I knew it was delivered but couldn't think by who. Hadn't realised the milkman delivered those bottles.
We would get Dunnes Cola. It was very rare to get real Coke back in the 1980s (in our family).

Just wanted to bump this as it's so nostalgic.

Now are jobs are to create fantastic memories for the little ones of the next generation

You are so right Jude and I consider it a great honour. I get crazy excited for my nieces and nephews when Christmas is approaching. I just remember how excited I used to get.
My niece is coming to stay with me in August and for a treat I'm going to let her put up a small Christmas tree in my house. My auntie would always let me do 'mad' things when I was younger, stuff my mum would always say 'no' to.
So yes it's great to be able to create memories for the little ones.

washiskin

I'm not sure if I posted this before, but Jude put this in mind for me.
The first year in our "new" house Dad went down to the shop we used to go to before we moved and came back with an old milk crate filled with a bottle of A Winter's Tale Sherry, ginger ale, bitter lemon, tk red lemonade, tk white lemonade, tk cola, tk cream soda and .........tk raspberryade!! :pac:
We were so excited, Santy was forgotten about! :rolleyes:
On Christmas Day, we were allowed to drink our minerals out of wine glasses and I discovered that by dipping my trifle covered spoon into it, the cream made a raspberryade float.

Jude13

"tk raspberryade" the memories.

In relation to a mad aunt I have one that would put some mint liqueur (tiny amount) into our 7up and we thought we were so cool.

baby and crumble

As my friends kids are getting to the age to really love and remember Christmas now (4-5) I am DETERMINED to be the Mad Aunt.

Funthalia_Love

Who remembers the ever achievable toilet roll insert Santa Claus?

From my memory, the one pictured is positively Kardashian perfect compared to the monsters I used to bring home to my Mother!!

r3nu4l

I was a child of the 70s and 80s so this YouTube video has loads of products as I remember them

https://youtu.be/LGpsmoAzlZo

Such happy days.

I also remember these in our house but never see them anywhere these days.

r3nu4l

iguana wrote: »

Oh wow, Lough, my stomach is flipping looking at those. Not at the thought of the chocolate but the feelings they invoke from my childhood. Wow!

I felt exactly the same when I saw that image!!

milli milli

r3nu4l wrote: »

I was a child of the 70s and 80s so this YouTube video has loads of products as I remember them

https://youtu.be/LGpsmoAzlZo

I just remember the Penneys ad - wow! Such memories! I remember that little elf at the end so well!
Oh and Maurice Pratt!! God, I used to think he was such a big, grown man - he only looks in his 20s in that clip!

It's funny how the vegetables are the same prices now (when on offer)!

I remember £20 was a lot of money back then in the 80s. My brother wanted a Star Wars At-At toy but it was over £20 and out of the price range.
We didn't have a lot of money back then, but we had loads of toys.
I had Tiny Tears and my brothers had loads of Star Wars figures and toys. The Star Wars figures were £1.99 back then.
I had 2 My Little Ponies - they were either £1.99 or £2.99 each.

It is funny how the price of some food hasn't really gone up with inflation. Is it because we are producing more? Also there is some unfair pricing going on with retailers and farmers - maybe that's the bigger factor?

freshpopcorn

This is a very old ceiling decoration!

Loughc

I shamelessly stole this from the All Things Retro forum;

I know Christmas is a while away, i found this website that gives the UK listings and the tv guide covers for Christmas

Brought back some memories

http://ukchristmastv.weebly.com/

Loughc

kitten_k

Argos catelogue from 1984

http://www.totgu.com/1984-argos-catalogue-will-take-you-back/

Loughc

Oh wow, Mr Freeze and Mr. Pop. Both things I badly wanted and never got haha.

Some of the stuff in that is gas, brought back so many memories, the C64... wow.

Posy

Spirograph!! I remember that!

I had a commodore 64... used to love it.

Loughc

Posy wrote: »

I had a commodore 64... used to love it.

Yep I had one too and way too many games, remember Dizzy?

Toto Wolfcastle

Loughc wrote: »

Oh wow, Mr Freeze and Mr. Pop. Both things I badly wanted and never got haha.

Some of the stuff in that is gas, brought back so many memories, the C64... wow.

Me Freeze was crap. Not sure why they expected children to be able to crush ice with some plastic and their hands.

Posy

Loughc wrote: »

Yep I had one too and way too many games, remember Dizzy?

I do!
My favorite was Buggy Boy, the car racing game.

Loughc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGpsmoAzlZo

So this is all kinds of amazing!

Loughc

The above video has a penny’s Christmas ad with the famous jingle and an acoustic version of war is over by u2.

A-maz-ing

DvB

That penneys ad & jingle brings back a load of memories.... talk about nostalgic!

Loughc

http://www.gosocial.co/new-cadburys-selection-boxes-christmas/

Interesting wish they had a bigger selection (pardon the pun) of bars.

freshpopcorn

Loughc wrote: »

http://www.gosocial.co/new-cadburys-selection-boxes-christmas/

Interesting wish they had a bigger selection (pardon the pun) of bars.

It would be great if it tasted the same!

Posy

Oh I love the look of them. Very retro!

gosocial wrote:

If you’re one of those people who get excited for Christmas in September, then you’re in for a real treat.

How did they know??!

Loughc

Loughc

Great thread guys. I can recall Christmasses in the mid to late 80s. Is it fair to say while still commercialised to a degree it was a far simpler affair?

It is probably because Ireland was still a state influenced heavily by the church. While I'm no Church goer myself today I long for that less commercialised time and a breakaway from this Christmas Inc shíte that it's morphed into.

Another thing noticeable is that fewer hit Christmas songs released in modern day.

Loughc

Toto Wolfcastle

Wow, turns out Christmas TV was always rubbish on RTÉ.

French_Girl

Fab pics, Loughc!

Posy

Great pictures Loughc!!

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

Wow, turns out Christmas TV was always rubbish on RTÉ.

Hahaha!

Loughc

Mam of 4

geez , just look at how young everyone is on all the covers , doesn't seem that long ago !!