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| Clarke Family 1950's |
Well Christmas is on us again when you get
older it seems to come round very quickly. When I was a child I had some
excellent Christmas’s having a German Mum we celebrated a lot different to
everyone else in the 1950’ – 60’s. We would start the 1st Sunday of
Advent and this would be having on the 1st Sunday one candle in the
evening and we say prayers, being brought up good Catholic that was not a
problem, then we would sing some carols mainly German ones the one that would
always make my mother cry was Silent Night which my Dad Mum Brother Norman and
I sang in German, the other song which brought my mother to tears was “Oh Mein
Papa” this would be followed by a few sweets a Luxury in those days. As the following Sunday's went on we added more candles also we had Advent Calendars sent over
from Germany they were not available in the UK. So on to Christmas as my mother
was German we started celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve Night “Heilige
Nachte”. This would start at about 5pm with a massive meal sometime 6 courses and
then one present each and Dad told us that animal spoke to all children at
Midnight on Christmas Eve, I never found out if that was true as I aways fell
asleep before Midnight. Christmas day was the English version Christmas stocking
on the bed so we did not wake our parents to soon, these normally had Oranges,
Apples, Sweets and a Small toy and never once did I catch Father Christmas filling
them up. Then up by 6am waking my Dad up so he could light the front room fire
for us to see all our presents. After breakfast it was visiting he neighbours
and in the afternoon they would visit us. Dinnertime was Chicken and all the
veg and then pudding cannot remember actually having Christmas Pud though, what
people today do not realise Chicken was still a luxury in the 1950’s.
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| Margret 22 Nobby 21 |
As I got older things changed slightly in that
Norman and I would go for a Drink Christmas Eve and normally get well tipsy
this has not changed even now. I meet a group we call the Christmas Eve Club
and you can guess when we meet. Although we came back merry Mum never
complained in fact every year she would say “I love it when my Boys enjoy
themselves” as the years went by and I had children we carried on the
traditions of Advent and Christmas Eve but Christmas Day was spent at mine and
Val’s home and Boxing Day at Val’s Mum and Dads.
When Mum Died in 2004 the Christmas Sparkle
died for me, both Val and me tried to keep the 4 Sundays of advent but it was
not the same. Some Sundays not all the family could be together and the
religious aspect of it had fallen away and the grandkids could only see it as
time for gifts so we stopped several years ago. Of course I still enjoy
Christmas and my Grand children have a different Christmas experience but
Christmas for me would always centre round my Mum
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| Macknades |
Yet travelling down to the Macknades market
Faversham I did feel that tingle of Christmas. It is housed in a Barn and with
all the fruit and veg on display, Christmas Trees, nuts, cheeses, meat, cakes,
sweets from all over the world on display it gave you that feeling of an old
fashioned Christmas and I loved it. Then that evening I was invited to Keith
and Wendy Whyman’s house for what they call Christmas Nibble, which is in it’s
self is becoming a bit of a tradition. This time of year it is good to sit with
friends and talk especially as we are of the age to compare what pills we are
taking.
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| Macknades |
So this year the Christmas Eve Club will meet
at the Coniston Hotel at 1pm John and his boys will be round Christmas Day and they want a Bar-B-Q in the outside Bar-B-Q house
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my
readers
Martin Clarke
http://martinclarke.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/oh-mein-papa-von-lys-assia.html
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