Christmases of the past vs today - Page 8

JaneMarple · ‎05-23-2011

@151949 wrote:
Out to breakfast with some friends and we were comparing Christmas as we remember them when we were kids to Christmas today. When I was young my Mom would get nice things , but not horribly expensive - for instance it would be pretty common for a lady to get a new dress or sweater from her closest loved ones. Often my Dad would get Mom a pretty dress and us kids would give her a matching cardigan or belt to go with it. My grandparents would always buy us all underwear and so my Mom woulds ALWAYS get a pretty lacy slip from grand ma. Girlfriends gave each other nice things like a pretty hanky or a pair of hose. Ladies got gifts like wallets, often if Grandma knew what my Dad got my Mom ( I think grandma picked it out) then she may get her a matching hat or gloves.
Now a days it seems like gifts have gotten so extravagant! Men seem to feel compelled to buy their wives jewelry or electronics. This whole thing has gotten so out of hand!
Gee, when I was a teenager I was thrilled to get a new sweater and skirt, a knit hat & scarf, or a warm flannel nightgown or robe. Now a days teens seem to expect electronics.
Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of the joy is gone from simple things in every aspect of life today.I am happy to say that my friends and I still exchange simple gifts that are just to say I was thinking of you.

We all change over time, it's not healthy to be stuck in a past era! Gone are the days when women were given appliances for Christmas and kids given underwear. For goodness sakes why wait until Christmas to give someone that you love socks and underwear? Handkerchiefs as a gift in the 21st century? I don't think so!

OP why do you ASSUME that any of us do not give our friends "simple gifts"? In fact you assume a great deal!

You don't have any kids so cannot even grasp what we as parents feel about our kids or and what Christmas means to us!

You Don't Own Me- Leslie Gore
(You don't Know) How Glad I Am- Nancy Wilson

Marienkaefer2 · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
Out to breakfast with some friends and we were comparing Christmas as we remember them when we were kids to Christmas today. When I was young my Mom would get nice things , but not horribly expensive - for instance it would be pretty common for a lady to get a new dress or sweater from her closest loved ones. Often my Dad would get Mom a pretty dress and us kids would give her a matching cardigan or belt to go with it. My grandparents would always buy us all underwear and so my Mom woulds ALWAYS get a pretty lacy slip from grand ma. Girlfriends gave each other nice things like a pretty hanky or a pair of hose. Ladies got gifts like wallets, often if Grandma knew what my Dad got my Mom ( I think grandma picked it out) then she may get her a matching hat or gloves.
Now a days it seems like gifts have gotten so extravagant! Men seem to feel compelled to buy their wives jewelry or electronics. This whole thing has gotten so out of hand!
Gee, when I was a teenager I was thrilled to get a new sweater and skirt, a knit hat & scarf, or a warm flannel nightgown or robe. Now a days teens seem to expect electronics.
Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of the joy is gone from simple things in every aspect of life today.I am happy to say that my friends and I still exchange simple gifts that are just to say I was thinking of you.

I'll bet that if there had been i phones, tablets, etc when you were a teenager, you would have been thrilled to get those, too.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.--Marcus Tullius Cicero

bri20 · ‎03-10-2016

I'm going to assume the OP was given many gifts of jewelery through the years That's okay for her, but not for the rest of us. Lol

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

Hose with a lacy garter belt would be ok.

SHUT UP!!! LOL

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

@151949 wrote:
@chrystaltree wrote:
I'm hoping and praying that as I age, I won't be one of those women who thinks that everything was better back in the old days. Because it wasn't...lol OP's mother might have received a dress and a cardigan but HER mother got aprons and pot holders...lol Life moves on. People didn't get electronics 60 years ago because there were no electronics. There were no laptops and tablets and cell phones and fax machines and hover boards and drones. Also, people didn't have major credit cards. Master Charge and Visa didn't exist. There were store accounts but for the most part, people paid cash. Also, incomes were not as high as they are now, even factoring in for inflation. There's nothing wrong with giving and receiving nice things. And people still do give and receive practical presents and presents that do not cost a lot of money. But Christmas isn't just about gifts. For us, it's mostly about family and food and decorations and lights and new beginnings. Just as it was when I was a child 50 years ago.
LOL - boy did you ever make a wrong assumption here - MY GRANDMOTHER got diamonds and pearls and gemstones for almost every occasion -- my grandfather was a jeweler.But as the poster above has already stated - you've totally missed the point . It was about appreciating the simple things - but then, as usual, everyone here just goes on the attack immediately.

So I'm guessing this was your "other" grandmother? Not the one you spoke of in your original post who would give your mother a slip?

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Mominohio wrote:
@151949 wrote:
My DH was an only child and an only grandchild. His family wasn't wealthy but they were comfortable and he was extremely spoiled. Now as an adult he will say that all that spoiling was a bad thing and made learning the true reality of life much more difficult for him to understand. Spoiling children with material things is never doing them any favor. Spoiling with love and attention are another story and that is what all children deserve.

I've never agreed with this sentiment. I don't think too much love is a bad thing, but the way people choose to express that love can be quite another story.

Part of lots of love for some people is giving too much. Too much in the terms of 'things' too much in the terms of experiences (like the kids who are world travelers by the time they are 10, or have experienced a lifetime of things so early they are bored and miserable by the time they are a teen), and too much in terms of attention.

Yes, kids can be given way too much attention (think the helicopter moms of today). Kids need their own space, they need their own friends and time away from doting parents. They need to fight their own battles (sometimes) and find their own ways. They need to learn how to entertain, motivate, and do for themselves,and not look to others for constant attention.

True love is knowing what not to give your kids sometimes, including excessive things, experiences and attention.

But it's up to each parent and child to know what is "excessive." That is a sliding scale! What is excessive for some is NOT for others. And some see electronics as "excessive" some see a dirt bike as excessive, some a phone, etc. etc.

Best just to say someone had a wonderful child and let it go at that.

dooBdoo · ‎06-27-2010

@Noel7 wrote:
@Moonchilde wrote:
Nostalgia is great - for some things, for some people - but it's not universal, and it's not about being nostalgic for the same things for everyone.

I am one of many who didn't have a happy, warm, loving and caring childhood or youth (along with several on these forums), and Christmas memories are particularly bitter for me - having little or nothing to do with money spent and everything to do with effort and love which was NOT put into it. I have "hated Christmas" and everything about the season for a good 50+ years, for several reasons, almost none of them to do with money.

That is the case for me no longer, and hasn't been sinnce I've become fortunately surrounded by loving family I have only been able to experience relatively recently.

Not to bring a deliberate downer to this thread, but since the conversation has turned to generally having warm & fuzzy nostalgia, just a reminder that sometimes, thoughts of the past hurt, and that not everyone looks back with fondness.

It doesn't mean I begrudge anyone their happy memories, it just means we are not all alike or have had the same experiences.
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@Moonchilde

My childhood and the following years growing up was like yours.

I realized some years later that I had deliberately made a continuing effort to make it very different for my child. I used books and TV as a guideline in lieu of anything else.

That's such a good reminder, @Moonchilde and @Noel7. I'm guilty of forgetting that. I was blessed with warmth and love in my family, although we definitely learned to live with little in the way of material goods and we knew, out of necessity, how to stretch a dollar. (((cyberhugs))) to both of you.❤️ You clearly took the experiences and transformed them into good and better things as you grew up and moved forward, and not everyone does that. Thanks for your posts.

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova

Katcat1 · ‎07-21-2011

When I think of Christmases of the past, I think of walking 2 blocks to our shopping area which was a mile long. Any store front that was vacant was usually a Christmas tree stand. I would always pick out the tallest for $10. I also think of when I was a little younger that we would go to my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve and come home and Santa arrived before we did and all the presents were under the tree. I am sure I asked for certain things but no, they were not extravagant. My mother would always buy me a new dress to wear to see the "real" Santa at Marshall Field's before Christmas and have lunch in the Walnut Room. My mother made traditions which I really enjoyed and looked forward to. Today, people don't spend the time to make traditions which is sad because it is part of your childhood and building memories.

kindness is strength

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@Katcat1 wrote:
When I think of Christmases of the past, I think of walking 2 blocks to our shopping area which was a mile long. Any store front that was vacant was usually a Christmas tree stand. I would always pick out the tallest for $10. I also think of when I was a little younger that we would go to my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve and come home and Santa arrived before we did and all the presents were under the tree. I am sure I asked for certain things but no, they were not extravagant. My mother would always buy me a new dress to wear to see the "real" Santa at Marshall Field's before Christmas and have lunch in the Walnut Room. My mother made traditions which I really enjoyed and looked forward to. Today, people don't spend the time to make traditions which is sad because it is part of your childhood and building memories.

I'm sorry, but I find this POV to be ridiculous and even offensive. If you yourself are a parent, I'm sure that you have created your own traditions for your family; if you are not a parent, please don't make unfounded assumptions about what others do in their own home.

The fact is, life didn't stop with you or others. People continue to be human. And part of being human is trying to make life comfortable and joyful for their families. We don't all succeed, and surely some go without. But most of us strive to ensure that those who come after us will remember the best moments.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@Katcat1 wrote:
When I think of Christmases of the past, I think of walking 2 blocks to our shopping area which was a mile long. Any store front that was vacant was usually a Christmas tree stand. I would always pick out the tallest for $10. I also think of when I was a little younger that we would go to my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve and come home and Santa arrived before we did and all the presents were under the tree. I am sure I asked for certain things but no, they were not extravagant. My mother would always buy me a new dress to wear to see the "real" Santa at Marshall Field's before Christmas and have lunch in the Walnut Room. My mother made traditions which I really enjoyed and looked forward to. Today, people don't spend the time to make traditions which is sad because it is part of your childhood and building memories.

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@Katcat1

Why would you think others aren't making traditions for their families?

You would have to know about every family to come to that conclusion. We have many young and older families we know well and they have all made their own traditions for Christmas or Chanukah.