As we all make our final preparations for the big day, at Dorset History Centre we thought we’d take a moment of quiet and reflection and take a look at Christmases past.
There are some fantastic photographs in the Herbert Collection showing Weymouth in the 1960s that capture the mood and anticipation of this festive time of year…
Christmas in the 1960s
In the early part of the decade people were still being quite frugal, post war rationing, and austerity were still recent memories. Alongside the tree, decorated with tinsel and baubles, decorations were much simpler and homemade such as brightly coloured paperchains made from strips of paper.
Historic-uk.com references some other traditions that you may remember, and continue today, such as making the Christmas pudding 3 to 4 weeks in advance and stirring in a sixpence for luck. Preparations for the Christmas feast would start much later – most people worked until lunchtime on Christmas Eve and with few families owning freezers, food for Christmas lunch was bought as close as possible to Christmas Day. There weren’t many supermarkets on the high street (they were just appearing) so many would order from their local butcher. Christmas lunch, much like today, consisted of some form of poultry; turkey, chicken, or goose with all the trimmings.
On the day, family would gather around the TV at 3pm, or if there was no TV the wireless, to listen to the Queen’s speech. There were only 2 channels until the mid-1960s: BBC and ITV (BBC2 came to the airwaves in 1964). The Christmas schedule would often show a circus on both channels. The evening meal was often left-over turkey or cold cuts of meat. Boxing Day, with more people owning cars, would include a visit to extended family.
Does this bring back memories for you, and if so, what do you remember of Christmas in the 1960s? We’d love to hear your comments!