Christmas in the 1950s - Anyone Remember??

Zoologist_1 — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:37:03 GMT

OK, the thread about being in a "funk" about the upcoming holidays got me to thinking.

When I was a child, the only people who got piles of presents were kids of movie stars. And even then, many of those gifts weren't kept but given to orphanages, etc. (MOMMY DEAREST).

We were fairly poor, but even the "rich" kids in town just got maybe 4-5 gifts tops. And anyone too old for Santa didn't get but 1 gift from each person or family.

And adults just got one gift each from each other, if that.

Mom's stress came from having to stay up all thru the nights of Nov./Dec. to sew our new outfits and PJs, after working hard for 14-16 hrs/day, and still not sure if she had enough money for a simple Christmas dinner. She didn't buy for my cousins, aunts, etc. No money for that at all. But then, only a couple of wealthier aunts bought anything for us, and it was like a soap-on-a-rope or small Avon powder 'tube'.

I've talked to Mom about this - thinking maybe I just "missed" the stress, etc., but she insists that no, it really WAS a less stressful, more joyous time for most people. Esp. the older ones who'd lived thru the Depression and were just glad to have a good meal and those who had been in the military and were just glad to be with family, etc.

Even I can remember as a young married the first time they brought out Christmas stuff in the stores before Thanksgiving. I was shocked and appalled. Now, it's almost right after Labor Day.

Question: How you remember the holidays?

topic Christmas in the 1950s - Anyone Remember?? in Beauty

Christmas in the 1950s - Anyone Remember??