A 1940s Christmas

Muppet81

fly_dragon_fly wrote: »

I love this idea! sounds super fun! It's a era that makes me sad that we will never have tea dances and family and life style like they did. but anyway I listen to this whilst online which i can imagine will have xmas music playing! http://www.1940sukradio.co.uk/ x

I do listen to that too. Love it.

It is still possible to have the best of both times. We are members of a living history group and attend wartime weekends as well as dances. We even have occasional film nights where we show 1940s films and bits of Pathe News and public information films. We off course dress for the occasions either in uniform or civilian dress. Even going to a normal night out, most of us would dress in civilian 1940s stuff. People seem to love to see it and say how smart and elegant we all look and youngsters invariably say " you look cool"!

Some people wonder why we do it and think we are glorifying war or belitteling the suffering of the people on the Home Front in those years.

Far from it! It is an acknowledgment of times when people lived by different values and did things in different ways. We love the music, the clothes, the friendliness of all the others like us that we meet. It is a mark of respect for what people did go through and it makes us appreciate the good elements of the current times. Whenever I get my steam iron out, I say a prayer of thanks that I do not have to start heating up a flat iron

Got to say that I am looking forward to this Christmas much more than any in recent years and delighted that I won't be spending stupid money on unnecessary gifts and food and drink. AND I bet we are going to have a brilliant time

Please let there be a sprinkling of snow just to add to the mood.

Muppet81

whitesatin wrote: »

Gp to midnight mass/carol singing.

Invite a few elderly residents from the locality/care home - talk to them in advance to find out what they did/remember.

If you do watch tv, get hold of some 40s movies, preferably Christmas ones.

Lovely ideas! We always go to carol service in out local church the night before Christmas Eve and that is certainly the start of the festive season for us.

Sadly the invite the elderly is not a goer for this year. This is the first year we will not have our husbands Mum with us as she died this year. After almost 12 months of sick visiting anmd hospital visiting I think we need an uncomplicated Christmas this time. BUT will bear that in mind for next year as it sounds a lovely idea. I love talking to older folk and hearing their stories about the past.

TV is banned that day but I am sure we will be watching something Christmasy on Boxing Day - White Christmas again I think.

I will try to post some pics of the day but not too sure how to. I managed it once before but struggled a bit

3v3

Muppet81 wrote: »

...
Does anyone have any suggestions for other things we could do/ make to add to our 40s day. Has anyone else done the same? ...

Card games (whist) dancing and sing-a-longs were the entertainment. Maybe games of "Forfeit" or Sardines; (maybe put mini yo-yo's in your homemade crackers - the one's they sell in packs in the childrens party bag section at supermarkets - so you can have yo-yoing contests?).

Maybe you could have a 1940's film or two for entertainment? (Casablanca; Wonderful Life?)

To get a "frosted", sparkling look on your holly, make a strong solution of Epsom salts (from the chemist) and dip your holly into that.

Set the table for one extra - then remember to have a toast to "absent friends" (to acknowledge the loved one/dear friends who were fighting).

If you don't want to go the whole hog and put up black out curtains, maybe a token gesture of latticing the windows in black tape (it will definately alter the atmosphere ) ?

Muppet81

3v3 wrote: »

Card games (whist) dancing and sing-a-longs were the entertainment. Maybe games of "Forfeit" or Sardines; (maybe put mini yo-yo's in your homemade crackers - the one's they sell in packs in the childrens party bag section at supermarkets - so you can have yo-yoing contests?).

Maybe you could have a 1940's film or two for entertainment? (Casablanca; Wonderful Life?)

To get a "frosted", sparkling look on your holly, make a strong solution of Epsom salts (from the chemist) and dip your holly into that.

Set the table for one extra - then remember to have a toast to "absent friends" (to acknowledge the loved one/dear friends who were fighting).


If you don't want to go the whole hog and put up black out curtains, maybe a token gesture of latticing the windows in black tape (it will definately alter the atmosphere ) ?

Love the Epsom salts idea. Will give that a go. Do you dissolve them in water (hot or cold) and just dip holly into the solution then let it dry?

Will run the tape idea past OH as it would add to the atmosphere.

Also love the setting an extra place idea, just hope OH does not get too emotional about his Mum if I do it. May just settle for the toast this year.

Thanks all for your help and ideas. Must start saving toilet roll tubes ready for my crackers.

3v3

Muppet81 - you dissolve the epsom salts in a water solution (should work with cold, but you may need warm water?), then dip and dry

If OH has been recently bereaved, then the extra place setting can be a very cathartic vehicle If you are re-enacting a 1940's scenario, many people were coming to terms with not just one bereavement, but possibly many? It is not a "bad" thing to do (only our contemporary culture makes it so ) it is a very healthy way of a) remembering a loved one and b) keeping their presence/memory valued. It opens up the conversation for happier times, fond memories, age-old wisdom, and associated positives

mary-op

I was growing up in the 1940's and remember our Christmases.
We did always have chicken (courtesy of grandmas hens) and plenty of fresh veg -well, whatever was in season. Brussels were always overcooked............lol so don't forget to do that. Christmas pudding with silver sixpence hidden in it.....and for tea, sandwiches and trifle if we were lucky, if not, jelly and custard and mince pies.
No television, just the radio and games, I think we had Tiddly Winks, Ludo, and what Dad called 'Housy Housy' which is also known now as Bingo.
Paper chains for decorations, our christmas tree was one of those aritificial ones with thick branches.......not much tinsel about so we made things to put on it.
Only one present each for me and my brother......grandma used to make some stuffed toys to add to it.
Very 'frugal' -it had to be, but it was fun. I can't remember not enjoying it:)

purple45

If you can lay your hands on a gramaphone, the records are incredible. That would really set the scene!

Knitting_Nora

Is anyone else thinking that Muppet's Christmas is beginning to sound like the place to be? Expect guests!

raven83

Muppet81 wrote: »

Have a real love of things 1940s, the music, the fashions etc.

Have decided to have a 1940s Christmas Day this year.

Tree decorated with vintage decorations. Home made crackers. Holly for decoration. Hopefully it will snow and we can have a nice frosty walk in the morning.

We will of course dress appropriatly for the occasion

meal -
Mock Goose (Wartime recipe - potatoes, apple, sage and stock with a tiny bit of cheese) plus all the trimmings - roasties, stuffing, sprouts, carrots, apple sauce and gravy.
A wartime Christmas Pudding ( includes mashed potatoe and grated carrot) made one last year and it was very nice!
A fake Christmas cake - made it last year- an upturned cake tin covered in polyfilla and with a cake frill. Fir trees and little figure on top. Put a few home made mince pies under it
OH's homemade rhubarb wine

Later we will play old fashioned games such as Sorry (may not be quite 1940s but close)

Does anyone have any suggestions for other things we could do/ make to add to our 40s day. Has anyone else done the same?

Getting quite excited about the thought of a Christmas day turning our back on expensive consumerism.

PS We do not have children at home so it is only us and a couple of adult friends

Seems 1940s is all the rage at the moment. Where i took the kids out for a day out today they had posters up on doing a 1940s 3 course meal through out december!

scuzz

If you can't get a gramaphone and records, there are some great CDs out there with Christmas music from the era.