Christmas As A Kid: The Traditions I Miss

Apart from the Scrooge's and Grinch's out there, the majority of us all love the mince pie and tinsel season. Christmas in terms of buying presents has evolved so much over time. Nowadays, my friends who have children of their own are buying their kids iPad's, iPhone's or X Box's. Every present they get now seems to involve a plug socket and a hike in your electricity bill.



When I was growing up, the most my presents would need to make them work were batteries. Other than that, 95% of my presents didn't come with wires or involve anything electrical. It makes me melancholic to think how Christmas has changed so much over time.

Christmas As A Kid: The Traditions I Miss


Even when it comes to buying presents, we all don't bother to walk around the shops grappling with other shoppers to let you have the last Dove set you need to buy for your Aunty. It all happens at the touch of a button online. It's all become so commercial now, eg Black Friday. I love going into shops to buy Christmas presents, I like to physically see what I want to buy on the shelf, it gives me a better idea of whether I want to purchase said item or not.



Thinking back to when I was a kid, I miss the innocence of believing in Santa and putting out cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. The excitement of running downstairs to see if Santa had left you a note and a sack of presents (praying he'd sent you what you had asked him for). Ah, those were the days.



Talking about traditions, here are the one's (particularly 90's kids) miss around Christmas time:




1) USING  THE  ARGOS  CATALOGUE  AS  YOUR  PRESENT  WISHLIST  SOURCE
Remember when you used to grab a pen and circle the items you wanted and "accidentally" leave the page open for your Mum and Dad to see? Sometimes I'd be less tactful than that and cut out the items I wanted and conveniently put them somewhere where they would DEFINITELY see it. I do miss scouring through an Argos catalogue at Christmas, it used to be one of the highlights of my Christmas.

Christmas As A Kid: The Traditions I Miss
2) HANDING  OUT  THE  CHRISTMAS  CARDS  IN  YOUR  CLASSROOM  LIKE  YOU  WERE  POSTMAN  PAT
I used to get so unbelievably excited when handing out my Christmas cards to my friends in my class. However, it involved a lot of grafting prior to handing them out. Writing down a list of your classmates (and always forgetting one person's name). Then it was the hard task of picking a multipack box of cards (usually from Woolworth's) then going home to write them all out until your hand was in excruciating pain. If you ever forgot somebody's card, then that friendship basically ended there and then.




3) THE  FIGHT  TO  BE  MARY  IN  THE  NATIVITY
Did I ever play Mary I hear you ask? No. Unfortunately, there aren't enough Mary, Joseph, Angel Gabriel or Wisemen parts to go around. So someone was going to play cattle, sheep or the donkey. You drew the short straw when you got given the part of an animal that doesn't speak, except moo's or baa's. I suppose one positive thing to look back on, I never had to wear a tea towel wrapped round my head with a piece of rope keeping it there. What did I used to play? I was an angel in the chorus of an angel choir. I always used to position myself at the back so my Mum and Dad wouldn't take a snapshot of me to embarrass me on for years to come. Kids aren't completely stupid you know!



4) THE  LAST  DAY  OF  SCHOOL  BEFORE  CHRISTMAS
Without a doubt the best day of the school year calendar. The day you literally did jack shit and just did whatever you pleased. Colouring Christmas pictures and fighting over the red felt tip pen to colour Father Christmas. Your teacher not limiting the noise decibel level as it's the last day before Christmas. Wheeling in the TV on the trolley to put a Christmas film on or belting out Mariah Carey on the CD player. Also clearing out your tray underneath the desk to take all those Christmas cards home that you'd stuffed in there from days before. Good times.


Christmas As A Kid: The Traditions I Miss


5) CHRISTMAS  ARTS  AND  CRAFTS
Pritt sticks at Christmas go racing off the shelves as there never enough to go around the classroom, particularly during the festive season. Lots of glitter, glue, silver/gold pens and paper get used and destroyed in December. From making paper chains using umpteen amounts of strips of paper to making paper snowflakes and sticking them up on your classroom's windows.


6) HAVING  A  SHIT  NIGHT'S  SLEEP  ON  CHRISTMAS  EVE
If you tell me that you had a slept right through to Christmas morning on Christmas Eve when you were a kid - you're lying and I can't respect you as a human being. I always remember being too afraid to go for a wee at night in case Santa caught me and would tell me off. Well, I knew he couldn't tell me off for needing a wee, but you know. How you would function on Christmas Day on like 30 minutes sleep was beyond miraculous.


Christmas As A Kid: The Traditions I Miss



7) PAPER  ADVENT  CALENDARS
I'm quite a traditionalist when it comes to Advent Calendars. I love the paper/card ones. Opening the little window every morning up until the 24th to see what the little picture was. Remember when the 24th window used to involve opening two little flaps?! Ok, I need a better word for flaps there. I need to stop saying fla.…ok, let's move on (quickly)
 
 
8) HANGING  YOUR  STOCKING  UP  ON  CHRISTMAS  EVE
Putting my stocking on the edge of my bed ready for Santa to fill up with presents was the best. It always had to be a red stocking, nothing more traditional than that! In Christmas films, they always hang their stocking on the fireplace, the adult me now sees it as a fire hazard. I am definitely maturing, which is quite sad.
 
 
I could name god knows how many other established Christmas rituals, I know that you had have some unique ones of your own too.
 
 
Let me know your favourite Christmas traditions as a child!
21 comments
  1. This post has made me feel so nostalgic! Presents in general really have evolved haven't they.
    I remember getting an Argos catalogue and circling all of the items that we wished we could receive on Christmas Day. As well as buying the smallest Christmas cards ever and handing them out to your class. LOVED this post x
    Amber | www.amberatlanta.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. They were the good old days weren't they?! I'm so happy you liked this post Amber! x

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  2. lovely post but no not all parents buy electric items to their kids. I am a mum and my husband and I only bought wooden made toys to our daughter for Christmas for a sustainability reasons and few second hands toys too such as Disney's dvds etc.. and we already know she s going to love them.

    http://www.mariesconnections.com/

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    1. That is true, it just seems like it where I come from! It's so good that you've bought your daughter toys like that! x

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  3. It was always the Argos catalog to sort my christmas presents out!

    Love, Amie ❤
    The Curvaceous Vegan

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    1. And me Amie! I loved circling the toys I wanted! x

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  4. Omg this is so full of nostalgia and I love it! Doing the run through of the Argos catalogue to put my Christmas list together was one of my highlights for sure! I always used to love the Christmas card run at school too where they'd sort out the postbox and everyone would get a little pile of festive post. I was never Mary in the nativity - I went from sheep to angel to my biggest role which was inkeeper's wife haha! Love this post :) x

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    1. Ooh the innkeeper's wife is a role I've never seen before! I always thought he was single! x

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  5. Oh I feel so nostalgic reading this. I loved going through the argos book, That should defintely come back!

    I still get the last day of school feeling as I work in a school. Walking out of there on a friday afternoon is the best feeling in the world!

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    1. I used to work in schools and I loved that last day at Christmas, I used to skip out of work! x

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  6. I absolutely love your humour and the memories that you have awoken in me. Christmas memories and traditions are so much part of life. I may be one of the few Canadians that loves mince pies too...have a Happy Christmas!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the post Mark! Happy Christmas to you too!

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  7. Love this - it's amazing how many things I had forgotten about! However I fear now I would need to go to the gym for a few weeks before being able to successfully tackle the Argos book (do they even do one anymore?!).

    Well done for such an extensive list!

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    1. I like to think that the Argos catalogue still exists! x

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  8. Looking through the Argos catalogue at Christmas was the best! This is such a nostalgic post haha I love it X

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

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    1. It really was the best Faye! I'm glad I got you feeling nostalgic! x

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  9. So cute! I definitely think that Christmas loses its magic when you grow up and Santa isn't a thing anymore. Circling the Argos catalogue used to be such a big event. I remember asking my parents to get another one because I messed up my choices one year 😂 x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. It really does lose that sparkle Sophie when we find out Santa doesn't exist (hopefully no kids read this!) I love that you asked your parents to get you another one cause you made the wrong choices! x

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  10. This post filled me so much nostalgia! I do miss flicking through the Argos catalogue for presents, and the last day of school! I still write Christmas cards but no where near as many.
    Kim x chimmyville.co.uk

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    1. No I don't write as many anymore, which is quite bittersweet really x

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  11. I love this post! It brings back such great memories. I also looked forward to handing out Christmas cards and the last day of school before break. You just knew it was going to be a fun day with your friends!

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