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After the final stir it was placed in white pudding basins and the tops covered and
tied with string to seal them. I remember that we had an electric copper for boiling water and the puddings were placed into water that did not quite come to the top of the basins and that they were left to cook in
the slowly boiling water, how long this time was I don't remember but I do remember that a watch was kept to make sure that the copper did not boil dry. When cooked they were removed and left to go cold then moved
to the pantry until required when a pudding would be reheated and served with a sauce or custard.
As the days progressed most children had written their letters or wish list which if I remember did not change
very much. Maybe what we asked was for the updated version of last year's main present. I think when most boys reached a certain age their main present asked for was a train set, or a new bike as the one that
they had was now too small to ride. Where there was more than one child in the family they got individual presents but others were joint ones. These were things that we all played with. Only having brothers
would have meant that I would only have stated things from a boy's point of view, but with help from a friend who has a sister I'll describe a small list of toys that may have been requested by the girls. The
letters were then posted to Father Christmas or Santa Claus at the North Pole or placed in what we thought were secret places that his helpers would collect them from
Some of the the toys that boys would have asked for as presents were a train set -
this would have been clockwork or electric they both came with various lengths of track that mostly made an oval, but with something we all had lots of back then, called “imagination.” The train could be going any
where in the world. Other track could be bought separately for the expansion of your layout along with other accessories. Tinplate toys like motor cars with the driver painted on the front and side views. The
original matchbox toys and later dinky toys all scale models of vehicles. Cowboy outfits this may have included guns and gun belt, some had imitation bullets or a rifle. Most of the guns would take a reel of
caps that when the trigger was pulled, the hammer fell on the spots of gunpowder held between the paper and made a bang like a gun shot. Football and maybe boots. Sword and scabbard. Now and again a watch which
could have been a pocket watch for the boys. Some had pictures on them with part of it that moved, and wrist watches for the girls.
The girls may have asked for a nurses uniform, dolls pram, a doll with eyes
that opened when lifted up and closed as it was laid to sleep, a cot and blankets, a toy oven with pots and pans.
The oven allowed them to cook with some form of tablet (what they contained we dont know). Girls too may have asked for a bike, or a tea set.
Both boys and girls would have asked for the latest albums
(reading books). Other things would be more practical like clothing or footwear. One of the things that we would get was a hot water bottle ... our houses when we were growing up did not have central heating,
each room had a fire place but normally there was only a fire in the kitchen for cooking and in one of the rooms that you were living in ... this saved on the fuel bill. Pencils, crayons the latter could be of wood
or wax, and they came in packets or sets in a case. These would also have a sharpener, ruler and eraser. There were drawing and colouring books, and not forgetting the board games that included snakes and
ladders, ludo, and checkers (drafts). Sweets included chocolate money that were in various sizes to represent the coins of the day, chocolate Santas which were a hollow shell to make the figure and were wrapped in
silver /red /green foil like paper and were about six inches tall.
Most of the toys we received were new but there were others that were not.
One of them would possibly be the bike, it would have been cleaned and if required repainted, the brake blocks replaced and handle bar grips changed and some times a new seat put on it but even with these parts being replaced the price paid was less than a totally new one and we were chuffed to bits as we had a new bike. If our old one was still in good working order it became a `new bike` for someone else as a birthday present or Christmas present the following year.
As time drew closer their seemed to be a buzz in the air, the music and songs gradually changed to having a more Christmas theme to them, the Christmas cake had been been iced and decorated, very similar to
a birthday cake but this one had Merry Christmas iced on it and decorated with imitation holly leaves and berries, a Robin proudly showing his red breast, a Christmas tree and Santa's sleigh and reindeer. One day
when we arrived home from school the kitchen oven was still hot and the smell of baking filled the air, tins were on the side, and still cooling were the last batches of mince pies and tarts and not forgetting the
sausage rolls that in a few short days would be back out of the tins and displayed on plates or cake stands
The trimmings that I remember being put up were often home made by using crepe
paper. These were strips about two inches wide that were cut from the main sheet some had half inch cuts into both of the long sides which were then opened sewn along the length on a sewing machine . By
doing this the paper crinkled slightly and as the end was reached another piece maybe of a different colour until the required length was obtained. These trimmings were the ones that hung across the room from the
corners to the centre. Other trimmings that we children could make were paper chains.
These were loops of brightly coloured paper that were formed by gumming the ends of the strips together then passing the next one through it, Repeating the moves would result in a paper chain being made and these would be pinned to the picture rail at intervals. Holly and mistletoe were also used as part of the decorations. With Mum getting our milk from the Co-op through the year the silver or red foil tops would have been saved as was silver paper. I think these were then used to help one of the charities. The bottle tops were moulded around one of our fingers to form a bell shape then with a darning needle threaded with cotton or wool it was pushed through the top from the bottom up to the knot. A space was left and the next knot was tied and the first move was carried out alternating the colours or just using one of them until you had a string of tiny bells. We did have some trimmings that were bought these were in the form of balls or bells and a large Chinese type lantern as John described it that was placed over the light hanging in the hallway. In the bottom of the lantern were two metal clips that would have originally held a candle inside of it. The others were pinned to the ceiling plus numerous balloons the latter being shared out between us after Christmas to play with, some enviably were burst within minutes of receiving them, others we let the wind blow them over the fields, and some even were forgotten about and when remembered they were just limp and deflated shadows of their former shapes.
The Christmas trees I remember as a youngster were real ones with pine needles all
over as they started to fall off towards the end of Christmas. Even after a good clean up one or two could still be found in the gap of the floor boards later in the year. They had been grown in woods or
forests for Christmas, nothing artificial about them like many of today's, though I must admit that a lot of them now look like the real thing. Our tree as my brother John remembers always sat on the sideboard and
remembers the tree mysteriously appearing over night one year. The decorations were made of glass in the shape of balls, pendants, birds. I and my brothers were bought a decoration that looked like the old gas
street light that clipped to the branches and a Father Christmas each one year. There were candle holders and candles that clipped to the branches but I dont remember them being lit, the lights that I remember were
in a string of twelve and the bulbs were in the shape of fruit and nuts and were painted to look like the objects they represented and screwed into the holders. Many trees were finished by having lengths of tinsel
draped over them ,and at the top was placed a glass spike that widened to represent the star at Bethlehem or a figure that represented an angel or fairy. All the decorations were kept in a large flat box that
disappeared along with its contents once Christmas was over, where to I still don't know to this day as we never came across it in the house while at play. This box one year appeared in the coal house and was found
by me when I went out for more coal but the full family were in the house all afternoon and I was the person who had refilled the coal bucket the time before and it was not there then!
Each year on the mantlepiece stood a figure of an old man that was made from a pine
cone and was fastened to a pair of carved shoes, had a cotton wool beard and eyes and a bright orange band of card round the top that looked like the brim of a hat.
This belonged to dad. The opposite side was a tin plate box type car Mum had received one Christmas as a little girl and when the roof was removed its secret was revealed - the car was full of toffees. This is now in my keeping and it is filled with toffees and placed on one of table tops through Christmas. Continuing back as we grew up the centre of the mantlepiece had a figure of Santa about eight inches tall and on either side of it a squeaky cockerel - these two were John and Bill's (William), Dad had a stuffed toy dog who's tail could be pulled out. A small wooden horse on wheels and a cockerel on a rocker that was Mum's and a small blue car the last survivor of a set that belonged to me and had come from Germany, I believe when Dad was in the Army. A Santa in a glass ball which when shook up had a substance in it that looked like it was snowing around him also was brought out with the decorations. This belonged to me and sadly was broken a number of years back. The Santa figure was mine, bought for my first Christmas. He survived for fifty years before the rubber material perished and went into a gooey mass which had to be disposed of. With him being bought for me all those years ago it was thought that a replacement should be found but this was easier said than done! We searched every where and had no luck until passing a stall on the market at Scunthorpe. Laying there was a Santa roughly the same size but not quite the stately figure of fifty years back but he had a squeak when squeezed just like the other so he now stands every Christmas in my home for the last seven years just like my old one did. The stall was one that sold everything for your pets and the Santa should have ended up as a toy for a dog to play with but not this one!
Just before the end of the term at Winteringham School a Christmas party was
held for the children. From what we remember it was held after School and that in the morning we all took buns or pasties that would be used for tea with the sandwiches and jelly provided by the school. We had our
tea in the canteen. For this we had to supply our own plate, mug or beaker, and spoon these had to be marked with our names on the bottom. I am not sure how the spoons were marked. When tea was over we made our way
back to the double classroom where party games were played. At the end of the night's party we met Father Christmas who handed out presents to each of the children which may have included a torch, simple games, a
tube with some type of solution and a small plastic straw on which a small blob was placed and then by carefully blowing through it a bubble was made that seemed to harden and keep its shape shortly afterwards.
There were other toys that I think were for the different age groups but we don't remember what they were. The day after, any food that was left over was brought to the classrooms in the afternoon by Miss Burkill
and her staff and shared out between everyone and our plates, mugs and spoons were returned to us before the end of the day.
Christmas Eve would see Mum busily preparing the vegetables ready for Christmas
dinner to save time in what would be a rather hectic morning the following day, with the radio playing music associated with Christmas and carols she could be heard singing along with as we would either be playing
in front of the fire or giving a helping hand if it was required. When bedtime came, a glass of milk, and a mince pie was put out on the table for Santa or Father Christmas, as he was called by both names, plus a
carrot for his reindeer before we retired. Before getting into bed we placed a sock over the bed end, but with all the excitement it was hard to get to sleep and when sleep finally overtook us I remember drifting in
and out of it and still hearing the radio playing what sounded like Midnight Mass then fading back into sleep only to wake again, to find my sock still hung over the bed end. Eventually unable to stay awake any
longer I drifted into sleep and as my brother John states “for what only seemed a few moments but Santa always came in that time and That's the Magic of Christmas I will never forget” and then I was waking up to the
sounds of Bill or John saying “he's been” and sitting up found my sock full and bulging with different shapes. I remember that my bed had been put into the same room as my brothers and the only reason that we can
think of is that a fire had been lit in the grate during the day to warm the room but it would have been left to go out when we went to bed but the room was still warm when we woke. We sat in our beds with our long
grey sock and started to take out the contents, some of them were an orange and apple, various nuts, a small packet of crayons and colouring book, a tin of toffees, sometimes a small torch, a diary, dinky toy and
not forgetting a sugar mouse with a string tail - these were pink or white coloured. The socks were what we were allowed to open by ourselves and play with until we were called into our parents room.
When
shouted all three of us joined them where a soft glow emanated from the fire burning in the fire place of a lovely warm room. Sitting on the bed we ate our breakfast of cereals and drank a mug of hot tea. Breakfast
over and the pots put to one side it was time to open our main presents that Mum and Dad handed out in turn from large pillow cases. After opening our presents we dressed and went downstairs taking them with us.
Fires were already lit in the room and kitchen, these being banked up before our parents came to bed. This would allow the fires to burn very slowly and only need a good poke for them to spring back to full life, the latter heating the oven ready for cooking the goose for Christmas Dinner. With us lads having a quick wash and our breakfast pots washed and put away it was time for Mum to start cooking. If Dad had been on a night shift he had returned to bed to get some more sleep and we were sent out to get some fresh air this usually ended with us making our way down to have a look at the River Humber. Thinking back, I think that sending us out was not only for fresh air and exercise but a way of making sure of Dad getting his sleep before dinner time.
“Post On Christmas Day”
This is something we don't get today but I was
reminded that this happened in Winteringham when we were growing up. The service was carried out by local villagers in place of the regular postman. I do remember post coming through the letter box but always
thought that it was neighbours out for a walk and were dropping off post that had been delivered to them by mistake.
Most Christmas mornings we received a visit from Granddad and David Robinson who brought
presents for the family while Grannie prepared their Christmas dinner so it was a rather short stop but on the odd occasion they would all come to see us together.
With sumptuous smells filling the air and
steam rising from the open pans, the table was set for dinner, this usually being around twelve to one o'clock. Mum was bustling around taking the food from the pans and placing it into serving dishes and then they
were brought to the table. The goose was placed in front of Dad's place as he was the one who did the carving. The other dishes held mashed and roasted potatoes, sprouts, carrots, parsnips and stuffing plus the
sauces and gravy. With the main course over as we collected up the used plates and placed them to one side as Mum busied herself taking the Christmas pudding out of the pan where it had been reheating and turning it
out onto a serving dish and making the custard to pour over each portion. Back at the table she put a portion into a dish for each of us along with custard if required with the instructions `It's hot and mind how
you eat it!` Being told this we tucked in not only enjoying the pudding but secretly hoping that we would find one of the coins that had been put in the mixture, sometimes we were lucky and found one, other times we
did not on the odd occasion there were none to be found in any of the portions so we would have to wait for the next pudding to be cooked. With dinner over and feeling rather stuffed we left the table to help with
the washing up before returning to the room and to play with our presents, and I believe it was at this point Dad and Mum sat down and relaxed with a glass of Emva Cream Sherry before having to start again for tea
and to await the BBC's broadcast of HRH Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Message at three o'clock on the radio.
My memories are very sketchy about tea time but with the help of my brother John we have been able to
describe some of the food we would have had for the meal. Christmas tea seemed to be special and could be likened to a posh Sunday tea. We had things then that we did not normally have through the year
alongside those we did. With a proper pork pie (home made I think by Grannie Robinson, Dad's Mum) various meats and pickles. Possibly a salad of some type and slices of fresh bread. It is thought that we may have
followed the meats with Mum's own bottled fruit (this was done during the year when it was plentiful and amounts were bottled to use through the year until it was time for the fruit to be picked again) with cream or
evaporated milk. Also on the table along with the buns and tarts would be mince pies and sausage rolls and Mum's homemade and iced Christmas Cake which John remembers being too rich for him to finish our tea
off. John adds that through teatime the wireless would be on with carols being played he believes from King's College, we did not have Television back then just “good old fashioned Steam Radio” as we called it
not that it was powered by steam but electricity!
My first Christmas after leaving school and starting work I asked if I could
purchase a turkey for Christmas dinner as a present for the household? Given permission I had no idea of what size we would require so when Mr Aspinal (apologies if misspelt) the Co-op Butcher started taking orders
I placed mine asking for what he thought was a twenty pound bird in weight but I said that that was the price I wanted pay for it. I remember him looking rather puzzled but he scribbled figures onto his pad and the
order was placed. When the day came for the bird to be delivered I went out and paid for it then the butcher put a monster of a turkey onto the counter. I staggered into the house with it and it was put on the cold
slab in the pantry. I don’t think anyone could believe the size of it. When it was time to cook it we found that the biggest roasting tin we had that only just went in the oven had to be used and with the `monster`
in it the oven was just about full. I don’t remember the weight or the time it took to cook but we were eating turkey for quite a long time after Christmas Day. It was a long time before I bought another!
I would like to say many, many thanks to both my brother John and John Kirk for their input to this memory.
I would also like take this opportunity to wish all the readers of the Winteringham Site a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Flyer,
Anthony Robinson.
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