At this wonderful time of the year, do you think back at the #ghosofChristmaspastandChristmasnow? We all have our memories of Christmas as children and remember the anticipation of Santa arriving during the night with a bag full of toys and goodies.

The cookies and milk would be left for Santa and greens for the reindeer.

We try so hard to be good, in the days running up to Christmas, just in case, he might just go flying by on his sleigh with his reindeer and not stop off at your house.

Ghost of Christmas Past – THE BUILD-UP TO CHRISTMAS

What excitement pervaded our household of four little children, when our mother began making the Christmas Cake and put us to work making decorations. They were made of crepe paper strips which we carefully cut and then gently pulled the edge, thereby making it flute the edges.

These streamers were strung up from a center point in the ceiling out to the edges of the room. In the middle, a carefully kept, fold-out bell, was hung with great ceremony.

Each year we would try something new with the crepe paper but the bell was always in the middle. We had a branch cut as a Christmas tree and we made all the decorations for that too.

A Ghost of Christmas Past MOMS EDIBLE CHRISTMAS TREE

Mom sometimes made an edible tree. She would string popcorn and wind it around the tree. Hang up brightly-covered sweeties, baked gingerbread biscuits, etc. What fun this all was.

We children made our own ornaments out of whatever we could find and these were kept for many years. Certainly, the three girls were crafty but our little brother would try his hand at making things too.

TIME FOR MOMS CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Oh, what an affair this was. First, it meant boiling the tickeys and sixpences (now you know how long ago this was). They were made of silver in those far off days and these had to be boiled before being inserted to the pudding which was set in a special tin and then set in a pot of water to boil for a certain number of hours.

Once it came off the stove and was tipped on a plate to cool down, it was time for the inserting of the precious coins. The excitement built up as we watched Mom carefully inserting the tickeys and sixpences, we wanted to try to imprint in our minds where the larger coins were placed (as if we would remember on Christmas Day?)

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

As in many households across the world, it was a very hard job for our parents to get us settled into bed, as we would want to watch out for the arrival of Father Christmas.

Poor exhausted Mom and Dad would have to wait for all four of us to be sound asleep before putting the presents around the tree, knowing full well that we would be up bright and early and then pandemonium would prevail.

Often we would creep down while they were asleep and try by shaking, smelling, or feeling each parcel, to guess what was inside. We couldn’t take the chance of opening a corner to peek through.

If we made enough noise waking up, that was the signal for Mom and Dad to get up and then the magic of Christmas day began.

Dad played the role of Father Christmas and doled out a gift to each of us in turn. We would watch carefully to see what was given and received, especially if the recipient liked the gift we had made for him/her. We made most of our gifts or in later years, used our pocket money which we had saved to buy something small for each member of the family.

The tradition in our household was that we were only allowed to choose one gift to open before going to Church for our Christmas Service. Gosh, the anticipation and excitement to get home was quite overwhelming and we hoped that the Minister’s sermon would be brief. I bet that his family felt the same way.

Ghost of Christmas Past – A VERY DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS

When living in Redcliff. When I was around 10 years of age, my father worked at Risco, (Rhodesian Iron and Steel Commission) and they held a party for all the children in the large Club House. We received wonderful gifts that Mom and Dad had chosen from the list that they received and knew we would like.

A friend Brenda and I danced as Christmas fairies one year and it was so funny as halfway through the dance someone bumped the record player and the music changed dramatically, as you can imagine, we carried on dancing but didn’t know quite where we were in the dance, so just improvised. It was quite a hoot.

Ghost of Christmas Past – THE POLIO SCARE

The year after the Christmas fairy debacle, we had a totally different way of celebrating Christmas. For one thing, we all had to go to the local clinic for a polio vaccine. The queue was so long that I passed out and had to be taken in before some of the others who had waited far longer than I had and then taken home by ambulance. This happened on both the occasions we had to go for the polio vaccine.

My mother was quite used to me blacking out now and then, as I had done so on occasions when she was pinning up a hem and I had to stand on a chair. She was relieved for us to be taken home in the ambulance so we avoided the long walk home.

Naturally, that year we could not have our usual Christmas party at the Club and it was very disappointing until on Christmas day we got such a lovely surprise to hear Carol singers in the street outside, and there down the road came a large flatbed truck with a pianist, carol singers, singing all the lovely well-known carols and there was Santa with a very large bag of gifts.

The children from the entire street, crowded around the truck and as our names were called out, we went forward to collect the gift and a bag with sweets, and fruit, from Santa Claus. My special gift that year was a tennis racket. What joy.

CHANGE COMES WITH MARRIAGE

A new blended tradition needs to be formed. families do things differently. It can be quite difficult to adapt to the changes but to keep the peace (very important), especially at this time, accept them.

When children come along though, It becomes more tricky to stick to past traditions.

Some children don’t care for Christmas cake so one needs to compromise.

CHRISTMAS NOW and Ghost of Christmas Past

Although our Christmas traditions have changed over the years when one marries, one also has to marry the traditions of both households. This is not always as easy as it sounds, but it pays to compromise and keep the very essence of what Christmas is all about.

Over the years of my married life, I have loved to carry on making Christmas gifts and have tried so many varied Arts and Crafts and Sewing ideas during this time.

Sewing – quilted cushion covers
Net Food Protectors
Embroidered items – peg aprons, Christmas runners and serviettes
Decoupage boxes and home crafts, door stops. Pots for indoor plants.
Painting
mosaic – lamps, pot plant pots
Sewing children’s clothing for my own children and also the children we used to host for the holidays from the Johannesburg Children’s Home.
Rag Dolls and toy frogs for Maitland Cottage Hospital

Ghost of Christmas Past and Christmas Now – ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SOMETHING NEW

Have been through many stages and the family has had gifts made in varied mediums and I am always on the lookout for new ideas.

CHALK COUTURE CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

Fortunately for me, my daughter has just interviewed Melissa Hancock, a lovely young Stay-at-Home Mom in the States who is a Chalk Couture Designer.

What a fantastic interview Lauren conducted with Melissa. Knowing that I am a ” craft nut” she asked me to see what I thought and my thought was, WOW! What a lot of fun and I can’t wait for it to come to South Africa.

Have you heard about the Chalk Couture craze? I had not and am thrilled to come across a fabulous new craft, to try out for next year’s gifts.

You can find Melissa on ChalkCouture/LoveisBlonde.

SHARING IS CARING

With Melissa and Lauren’s blessing, I am sharing these lovely articles using Chalk Couture Melissa has made for her home.

PLANNING FOR CHRISTMAS 2023

So much planning goes into making Christmas a special time for all and this year

We shall all be contributing something towards the meal but have decided on no presents.

One thing I find is that not many of the young people, I know, like the traditional Christmas cake that I grew up with. Our Christmas here in this hot climate is a very different affair from what others in colder climes enjoy.

No snow here, perhaps a slight drizzle on Christmas day, but usually sunny and hot.

A good day to enjoy a Braai (Barbeque)..