The clamour of Christmas seems to increase with each passing year, from lavish presents to boasting on social media.
With trees going up as early as November, it’s no wonder that festive burnout has become very real, and yet silly season continues to leave us in a heap of tinsel and tangled fairy lights.
But as the cost of living continues to rise and food banks come under increasing pressure, it is a pertinent reminder that Christmas was once very different.
It did not become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958, after “yule vacations” had previously been declared illegal in 1640.
Anyone caught celebrating Christmas risked imprisonment and although the ban was lifted in 1712, having a Christmas tree in your house in some parts of Scotland was considered unthinkable – even as late as the 1940s.
As parents worry whether Santa will bring enough gifts this Christmas Eve, and question a complicated stuffing recipe, we’ve taken a look back at an altogether simpler time.
A former nurse now living in Midmar, and residents of Cowdray Club which is a residential care home in Aberdeen, have shared some very special memories.
From home-made decorations to wearing your best frock, it is a privilege to share this snapshot of December 25, as it once was.
From all of us here at Your Life, we wish you a very happy Christmas.
Dr Sylvia Hoskins: ‘This was a special time of the year demanding reverence and awe’
Dr Sylvia Hoskins has spent much of this festive season helping those in need as she does every year, through volunteering at a foodbank run by the church.
A retired lecturer in nursing, Sylvia, who was born in 1947, can remember a very happy childhood.
The presents she received could even be considered influential, after she was given a nurse’s uniform at seven years old and went on to work in the profession.
Although the celebrations may have changed somewhat, she still loves this time of year.
“The year was 1954 and I had waited excitedly for Christmas Eve, hoping beyond all hope that Santa had read my letter which I posted up the ‘lum’ of the coal fire, and that my wishes would be granted.
“As my little sister Carole and I ran around in our pyjamas, the house was filled with the wonderful smells of Mum’s baking and Dad was busy showing us how to roast chestnuts on a coal fire, the one and only time of the year when this happened.
“In anticipation, my sister and I hung up our stocking over the fireplace for if that year was anything like past years it would be filled with all sorts of interesting goodies; but it was the main present that brought the most excitement and this year I had asked Santa to bring something extra special.
“In my imaginary world, my precious little rag doll Peggy was very sick and this was an emergency; I desperately needed a nurse’s uniform so that I could take care of her properly.
“I could not wait to go to bed, for the sooner I slept, the quicker morning would come and even the intoxicating aroma of Mum’s baking of gingerbread biscuits and Christmas cake could not tempt me to stay up too late.
“Hurriedly we prepared the cup of milk and biscuit for Santa, and one massive carrot for Rudolph the red nose reindeer.
“The morning arrived, the bedroom was cold (no central heating in those days) and icicles hung on the windows outside, but we ran downstairs in excitement to find the coal fire roaring and the smell of turkey and roast potatoes cooking in the kitchen.
“Mum had been up early to make sure my Dad had some breakfast before he set off on his bicycle in the snow and ice, down the Howes of Bucksburn from Northfield to Stoneywood Paper Mill for his 6am-2pm shift, for in those days in Scotland, most of the men worked on Christmas Day.
“To my absolute delight, there it was, in all its splendour, my nurse’s uniform and I could not contain my excitement and joy as I hurriedly rushed to put it on.
“I was so proud of wearing that nurse’s uniform.
“As for the contents of the Christmas stocking – oh my gosh, chocolates, an absolute treat, homemade knitted scarf, mittens, socks, a wonderful book, and best of all an apple, a tangerine, some nuts just for me and a threepenny piece.
“I showed everything to my Mum who in hindsight probably had very little sleep, and my little sister who was very impressed with my nurse’s uniform and showed me the utmost respect as she reached out to pick up her new little doll and cot (made by my Dad) so that I could check out to see if her health was OK!
“We had the most wonderful time and when we exhausted our excitement inside our house, we ran outside in the snow to meet the other local children to show each other what Santa had brought us.
“That nurse’s uniform definitely had an impact on me for I would go on to to train as a nurse.
“Christmas Day was always a special time of the year at the hospital in most places, for it was the tradition for the doctors, including the surgeons and medical specialists, to serve the patients’ lunch and also to serve the nursing staff’s lunch once the patients were settled.
“The hospital was always decorated with Christmas cheer and no matter how tired we nurses were, we would stay on extra hours (without pay) to ensure that our patients had the best time ever.
“After I was married and pre-children, I would often leave the hospital late on Christmas Day to find my dear husband waiting patiently for me in the car ready to drive me home, and by the time I reached home, I was fast asleep.
“As the children arrived, we always had many friends, family and children in our house at Christmas.
“On Christmas Eve we would pile in the car and go to Midnight Mass and experience absolute peace and quiet at a time when everyone seemed to be rushing around in some stressed state.
“As life goes on and old age creeps into the equation, for me Christmas time is as special as it has always been.
“Life is quieter, different, but the needs of our world are still there.
“Apart from the joy of spending time with my family in their houses, for me, the most important thing about Christmas is participating in the celebration of Mass.
“It is a time of quiet reflection, inspirational music, food for the soul, peace for the body and mind and a time to give thanks for the life I have lived and the joy of days yet to come.”
George Simpson: ‘You made your own fun’
At 85 years old, George has fond memories of Christmas spent with his wife, Margaret, and the couple’s two sons on Leggart Terrace in Aberdeen.
The retired plumbing inspector now stays at The Cowdray Club, and reminisced on an altogether quieter Christmas.
“I think my memories come through partly what my parents told me about Christmas, alongside what I can recall.
“When I was growing up, I thought Christmas was OK.
“But looking back, it was a rather basic affair.
“My mother was a housewife and my father was a farm servant.
“I was one of five children, and my father had been called up in the war.
“He served for five years and eventually worked at Stoneywood Paper Mill when he came home.
“He was there for the rest of his working life.
“When it came to presents, it was nothing like today where children say what they want.
“From what I remember, you were given something you needed.
“Usually something for school, and there would be a lump of coal in your stocking.
“There was very little else, so us children had to make our own fun.
“Christmas dinner wasn’t a lavish affair.
“I think we had chicken, or what we called a hen.
“That was life in the countryside, someone would have killed a hen for the table.
“I grew up in Summerhill, that was considered the countryside back then.
“It was just fields and a few houses, now it’s all flats and shops.
“There was no Christmas tree that I can recall.
“We went on to have our own family, two sons and now I’m a grandfather as well.
“I have grandchildren abroad and nearer to home, at Cluny in Aberdeenshire.
“They certainly got a bit more than I ever got; I can still remember the look of excitement on my boys’ faces when they got something special.
“I wouldn’t say we spoilt them, and they really appreciated what they got.
“At my age, Christmas comes and goes.
“I’ve got four grandchildren now and they’ve certainly been indulged.
“When I look back, we never made a big scene of Christmas.
“But Hogmanay, that was different.
“We always had a party in our house.”
Maureen Robertson: ‘My father worked really hard’
For retired secretary Maureen Robertson, she believes that much like today, Christmas was dictated by what you could afford.
Maureen, who is 87, grew up in Aberdeen and now lives at The Cowdray Club where she has been involved in making paper chains reminiscent of traditional decorations.
She has very happy memories from her childhood and Christmas remains about family.
“We used to go to grandma’s house or whoever was willing to take on the Christmas lunch.
“As the family grew, where we spent Christmas was dictated by which house was big enough.
“We always had turkey and all the trimmings, I was an only child and I loved Christmas.
“My mother was a housewife, that was how things were.
“And my father ran a gents outfitters business on Bridge Street in Aberdeen, it was quite well known.
“He worked really hard and had taken the business over from his own father.
“As a family, we kept the shop running for as long as we could.
“I always remember Christmas as a really exciting time, how you celebrated it depended on your income.
“I always wore my best dress and I had ribbons in my hair that were tied into bows.
“There was a stocking to open come Christmas morning, and one year I think I got a bike.
“By the time I had my own children, two daughters, they always got what they wanted more or less.
“They never went without.
“We didn’t go over the top though, not like today which seems to be such nonsense.
“I never liked to spoil my girlies completely.”
Gillian Sangster: ‘We used to sing Christmas songs together’
At 80 years old, Gillian Sangster can still remember Christmas spent with her family.
She grew up on the outskirts of Glasgow before coming to Aberdeen where she stayed on Menzies Road in later years.
Gillian is now a resident at The Cowdray Club, and has wowed staff with her ability to recall so many details of her life.
Festivities of several decades ago are no exception.
“I used to hang up my stocking on Christmas Eve, it always went on the end of my bed.
“I’d wake up in the morning and it would be full of gifts, it was so exciting.
“I had two dolls, and I called them Jennifer and Patricia.
“I think one year I got a pram to push them around in, and I was so pleased with that.
“Christmas dinner was turkey, and we had a Christmas pudding as well.
“There was me, my two sisters and my brother.
“It was my mother who did all the cooking, I helped her but maybe not very much.
“When we moved to Aberdeen, my father was the manager at Watt and Grant.
“As I grew up, I got a job just around the corner as a book keeper at A & R Milne.
“I can’t remember us ever going to church around Christmas time.
“We weren’t really into that sort of thing, but I still got very excited.
“I used to help decorate the tree, and we always sang Christmas songs together.
“I think Rudolph the red nose reindeer was one of them.”
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