Christmas Recollections
Christmas was, as with many families, a time for great excitement.
Early Days living in Carlisle
When the family lived in Carlisle on Currock Road, memories include:
The arrival of a larger than normal delivery from the grocer, Richardson's, whose shop was just round the corner from Mary's family home in Hart Street. Mr Richardson himself would bring the cardboard box into the living room, where he and Mary would tick off the items on the list.
As schools broke up, one task would be making long paper chains which were then added to the decorations around the rooms for that year.
Some gifts were placed until the 25th on the piano in the front room.
- On Christmas Day, when the four young sons entered the Living Room, Santa had laid the presents in particular places, which became the normal positions in following years.
- After the present opening, the family headed to St. Margaret Mary's Church for the Christmas morning mass. It was expected that to prepare for Communion, as was the expectation for fasting in the late 1950s, the children should not eat any of the sweets and chocolates in the parcels.
- One year, some presents were wrapped in plain brown paper. This did not detract from the fun of opening the parcels. However, when Kevin's sisters arrived for lunch they asked what everyone had thought about the pictures on the wrapping. In the haste to open the presents no one had noticed the glitter and glue which had painstakingly been used to decorate the plain wrapping!
Moving to Brampton
The move into the new house in Brampton was at the start of December in 1963.
The usual Christmas excitement rather took over and in the early hours the house was awakened by a noisy game having been started. This did not go down too well with Kevin and Mary!
The following year, the sons were disappointed as, even though it was by then late in the night, Santa had not visited. In the morning feeling very glum, the children headed to the parents' bedroom to bemoan the lack of presents and found their way in the dim morning light to the parents' bed. When the lights went on, the early morning noise from the previous year had not been forgotten as, looking around the parents' bedroom, Santa had laid out all the presents there, so preventing the early morning tearing open of wrapping.
The Ridge above Lanercost Road
Christmas Day Traditions
Christmas Turkey
For many years Turkey was the must have menu. A regular source of the Christmas bird was a farm near Linstock, possibly Houghton House. Kevin would head off to collect it. As soon as he came back there was an annual debate as to whether or not it would fit the oven!
Kevin would regularly bring back two turkeys, one for a Boxing Day meal at Hart Street. Usually the smaller of the two was taken to Carlisle.
Stuffing was always sage and onion.
Timing is all, so with the Christmas Day Mass to attend, followed by Kevin heading to Carlisle to collect his sisters, with another trip to collect Mary's sister and her aunt Bella, the meal needed to be ready shortly after all had assembled. All well and good, apart from one year, when Dad, adopting his safety first approach, had switched off the oven before heading to Church.
Mashed potato a-plenty, brussels, but not forgetting the baked beans and peas to appease the sons.
Of course for Kevin, any meal, even the Christmas Turkey, was incomplete without the necessary HP Sauce.
Christmas Food and Drinks
As the relatives arrived they would be offered Sherry, often Harveys Bristol Cream or a Madeira. The alternative to Bristol Cream was Crofts Original, known in the household as "Crufts".
Christmas was the time when Mary also brought out the "best" glassware. Recollections are that the glasses preferred for the sherry/madeira were short stemmed, fine glass round bowls. These had a gold band around the rim and the glass itself had a rainbow lustre in the light.
Following trips to Silloth, and time spent in the Amusement Arcade sitting at the Bingo, hoping for prizes of small faceted glass glasses,, after success in this, the two sets of six glasses were used for many years afterwards
The table for Christmas lunch also included Christmas Crackers, although Mum's sister, "Aunt Mick" would always insist on taking hers home with her, possibly so as not to spoil her hair do!
The meal itself was served with sauternes for the older guests.
After the turkey the Christmas pudding was served with a white rum sauce. The pudding itself had been "stirred up" at Hart Street, and usually included the odd sixpence. Some of the guests didn't eat this, having either just the white rum sauce or an alternative cold custard made available to them.
Mince pies were also available, these prepared by the aunts at Grace Street as well as Mum's relatives in Hart Street. These were plentiful, and stored in metal tin to keep them fresh.
Later in the afternoon, it was time for the Christmas cake. This was traditionally prepared at Hart Street, and was usually square. Aunt Mick was responsible for its decoration. Marzipan and smooth icing, with a piped edge and silver balls on piped icing bases the finishing touches.
Trifle, once described by a family friend, Elsie, as "Nursery Pudding", was also a regular feature. This was more to Andrew's taste. He recalls that Mary's simple approach included trifle sponge fingers, jam, jelly and cream. No frills. However, the bonus was he would eat the spare fingers with a bit of jam spread on top!
The jelly was usually a raspberry flavour, Robertsons being one brand that was remembered, Chivers another. These was packaged in cardboard, which came as tablets of joined cubes, which were pulled apart before adding the boiling water.
Decorations
The tree always provided much discussion. Kevin would head into Brampton to find the best tree he could. One year he came back very pleased with himself as he thought he'd found one that he thought had a good shape. The reaction was less than he had wanted or anticipated, as the conclusion was it was a "totty one".
Tinsel and glass balls for many years, but for the first few years lights were not included in the decorations.
One set of decorations that stood the test of time were the "Concertina Santas" that were hung in the hallway.
The mantelpiece above the fire in the lounge provided the location for a pottery Nativity set.
Later on Christmas Day
Walks, Card Games and Christmas Cards
Once the table was cleared and the washing up completed, some of the family would head out, either for a walk along Lanercost Road, sometimes to the "One legged post box" or up the hill to the Ridge behind Sands Croft. Obviously, this served to build up the appetite for tea later!
Later in the day, it was a case of getting the pack of cards out to play a game called “All Fours”. High stakes, playing for pennies. The rule was simple, put your penny down to get into the game, those chosen to play had drawn the Jacks. Four points at stake each hand “High, Low, Jack, Game”.
Recollections include Mary getting narked and irritated with Kevin every time they were partners. Mary would also occasionally reminisce a bit on her Mum. No one became over agitated if they lost, but for the four sons it was all taken very seriously.
Margaret would look through all the Christmas cards that had been received to see what people she knew who had sent cards to Mary had written about their experiences over the previous year.
James Hodgson
Boxing Day
Boxing Day seemed to start slowly, after a late rise.
The excitement was soon evident, as everyone started to get ready for the journey to Hart Street, for a second Christmas meal.
On Christmas Day, Mary and Margaret's brother, James would be playing the organ at the parish church in Horsham where he lived. Once those duties were completed, he would make the journey North by train allowing him to celebrate Christmas in the Hodgson family home.
Sibling rivalry between Margaret and Mary was in evidence as there was always the decision to reach as to which was the tastier meal. Any changes were usually put down to the fact that Hart Street had a gas cooker, as opposed to the electric in Kevin and Mary's house.
Recollections are that the meal certainly did have a different taste. Margaret didn't like Christmas pudding, so one change was that after the main course she would serve something different. One of these was generally referred to as "Lemon Fluff".
One year Margaret said she had acquired fireworks after the meal. To the four sons, this sounded very exciting. However, these were indoor, table top fireworks. While not damp squibs, they were somewhat less than impressive!
After lunch, on Boxing Days when Carlisle United were playing at home, Kevin and some of the children would make the short walk to Brunton Park, often detouring by Grace Street to see Kevin's sisters.
Returning to Hart Street after the game, tea and cake would be served, and James would then proceed to hand his gifts out to the assembled adults. These seemed to follow a pattern, with Mary regularly receiving Chanel No.5 perfume.
Everyone then moved to the front room with its coal fire. Wall lights above the fire added to the ambience.
James enjoyed playing carols for the family on the Bluthner piano that was in the front room, and liked to have requests for carols to play, and if possible to have people either together or individually sing.
If there was time, the cards came out again for further games of "All Fours" before the day came to an end.
After Boxing Day...
Meals after Boxing Day would centre on using up the remainder of the turkey. Turkey sandwiches were made, but Mary enjoyed preparing a "turkey stew", which all enjoyed. It was served with chips or mashed potatoes. If mashed, Mary's approach usually involved the inclusion of "some" butter!
Similarly, there was usually plenty of Christmas pudding to eat up, again served with the white sauce, with the splash of rum added.
While mentioning rum, another teatime favourite was bread spread with a traditional Cumberland rum butter.
Board games
Presents often included games that could be enjoyed by the four sons. One of which was an "Electric Derby". Andrew spotted this when Sands Croft was being cleared, and has high hopes of restoring it to working order in due course.
The usual crop of board games also appeared over time, including Monopoly, Risk and Cluedo.
One popular general knowledge game one year had a magnetic "robot" that spun round to point to the right answer.
Sweet treats
At Christmas, it was usual for various sweets and "luxuries" to be sweets and confectionery to be lying around.
"Selection boxes" were eagerly anticipated, tins of sweets such as Cadburys' Roses and Quality Street dwindled gradually, often with some of the toffees left for Kevin to chew his way through. Milk Tray was also popular, often causing slight disagreements about who should get the strawberry creams. Kevin was again often left to mop up the less popular varieties.
The Black Magic were less popular with the four sons, the adults thus able to have a chance to select a favourite.
Turkish Delight
One of the boxes that seemed not to be eaten too quickly was Turkish Delight. The pink, sticky, sugar coated sweet had paper folded over the sweets as its top layer
Meltis Fruits
"Meltis New Berry Fruits" were sugar coated, with a liquid centre. They continue to be produced.
These seemed to find favour with some of Kevin's sisters, including Kath.
The image is an advert from 1954, so, as a product, the sweets have stood the test of time.
Boxes of Dates
Boxes of dates were also seen at this time of year only. At the time, these were in colourful, thin, wooden boxes with rounded ends. As a product, the shape is still one that is used these days, but the wood has largely been replaced with more mass produceable packaging.