christmas memories

[piggy and babs 544]

Surprised no ones mentioned the Christmas lights & display in Burton's under the council house that was magical when i was a kid , it was the only time we went in my Mam could drop a few things in her bag while everyone was looking upwards.

Hi all this was always one of our pre christmas treats, to go and see burtons arcade lights the nativity in the square and of course to see santa usually at co.op . Down to central market get a bit of shopping a pot of peas some cockles musles and winkles to take home and welks and tripe for dad. Then across the road to Huntingdon St bus station to get the bus back home. trip always planed so dad could call in at fox and hounds or jackie bells on the way home dont forget that pubs closed for the after noon then.

[Ashley 288]

dont forget that pubs closed for the after noon then.

Do you know why Babs? and when that was introduced? (no googling,lol)

[Beefsteak 305]

I do, I do, I do, !! Me Sir, Me Sir, Me Sir. !!!

[Ashley 288]

wait your turn boy! lol

[piggy and babs 544]

wait your turn boy! lol

No Ash dont know why.But do you remember how the lads used to climb the christmas tree in the square to take off the star and the presents before Tug Wilson got back and made them put them back again.More of a game to see how many the could each get.

[Beefsteak 305]

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Can I go now sir , please sir , me sir !!

[Ashley 288]

Ok Beefsteak, tell em why

[Beefsteak 305]

During the first world war vital war production and the munitions factories in general were losing a lot of their workers in the afternoons, to 'the daemon drink' ie folks going for a pint a lunch and staying there!! So the government brought in strict licencing laws to restrict opening hours and to get people back in to work .

[Ashley 288]

And for the nightshift, ie shutting at 10, not sure when such increased to 10.30pm, but can remember it, pre the first world war regulation was it a case of open and close when they wanted?

[Beefsteak 305]

Basically yes, there were a lot fewer age restrictions too.

[hippo girl 1,995]

its that time of the year again, so keep the christmas memories of Nottingham alive.........

[bamber 128]

As well as Santa's Grotto on the top floor the Coop used to have a Lego building competition during the run-up to Christmas. There was a huge box of bits and you had half an hour to come up with something. Invariably my model featured lots of machine guns and missiles based on my experience of building Lego armies.

A few choice bricks - that didn't feature in my collection - also came home with me .

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Christmas Eve was the most boring day of the year. Nothing happened and there was nothing to do. I just wanted the day to finish so that the next day would come along which I knew was going to be much better Then you had to try to get to sleep on Christmas eve. You went to bed at your normal time, but you were lying awake for hours, and even if you did get to sleep you'd be waking up again every few minutes. I dreaded that coming. When I reached the age where I started hunting round the house with my sister to find where my parents hid all the presents before Christmas day. Eventually discovered it was on the top shelf of a cupboard in their bedroom. I felt clever, but from that day I'd ruined the surprise for myself about Christmas, and it was never the same again after that. My grandma and grandad would come over from Radford in a taxi (that was exotic living in those days) on Christmas morning and they'd stay with us for the rest of the day and overnight. That meant they slept at our house, so someone had to sleep downstairs in the living room on the sofa on xmas night. I really liked it when I was old enough to be that person, and I'd be looking forward to that for weeks in advance.

[Ashley 288]

book him Danno

[mick2me 3,033]

The worst Christmas I ever had, I was twelve.

We were stuck in a caravan in the middle of a field, in Bucknall Lincs.

No Electric gas or heating, apart from a small wood stove where we burnt

collected branches.

It was the hardest winter of 62-63, snow drifts higher than me.

Social services brought food hamper and Christmas presents for me and my

younger brother. I remember mine was a second hand Popeye Game, I probably

remember it because it was the most appreciated Christmas present I ever had.

We moved to Nottingham in the Spring of 63, I remember walking along the

embankment in the spring sunshine.

All the Christmases got better after that.

Tell the kids of today that and they wont believe you.

[hippo girl 1,995]

like Clif ton said, there were always relatives staying over at christmas and we had to give our beds up.......the whole experience was family based and in my case Liverpool always came to Nottingham for two or three days.....................now its whether children living in far flung places make the journey back !!!!!!!!

[katyjay 5,090]

I remember that all the tradesmen that had come to the door throughout the year, got a 'Christmas box', a little bit extra money in their payment, for a Christmas tip. Do folks still do that? The only person nowadays we get come to the house regularly is the paper man who lobs the newspaper at high speed from his car window! [you sometimes have to hunt for it cos it's skittered into the bushes!]

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Remember how dead and quiet the streets where on Christmas day?? Hardly a soul to be seen anywhere, even the pubs closed for one full day. I never found one pub open anywhere, and believe me I looked!!!!

[bamber 128]

Remember how dead and quiet the streets where on Christmas day?? Hardly a soul to be seen anywhere, even the pubs closed for one full day. I never found one pub open anywhere, and believe me I looked!!!!

Didn't NCT run a Christmas Day/Boxing Day service at one time?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Not during my time in Nottingham on Xmas day, I left in 1975. Boxing day services were always minimal, probably one every hour on each route or less.

[Beefsteak 305]

The Christmas day bus service ran up to 4.00pm. We were always on it heading to Grandma and Grandpas, the last bus usually terminated at the CoOp on Upper Parliament Street, and we had to walk to Lenton from there!! usually singing old songs as we walked to keep our spirits up and our tiny legs moving!!!(One I remember was "You roll a silver dollar down along the ground , and it will roll roll roll because it's round round round !!

Boxing day was a 'Sunday service' on the buses (When we were always invaded by my dads brother , Uncle Harold from Beeston)

[mick2me 3,033]

...usually singing old songs as we walked to keep our spirits up and our tiny legs moving!!!

I am just trying to imagine you with tiny legs!

[denshaw 2,871]

In the eighties NCT ran a skeleton type service on Christmas day, something like 09am until 4pm.

[Ashley 288]

Anyone remember the year when Christmas was cancelled? well I can't remember it! !laughing!

[radfordred 6,284]

Satsumas.