Bio 1. Pre WW II Family Fun

Bio 1. Pre WW II Family Fun

In England the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, is also a holiday. Traditionally it was the day employees received Christmas boxes from their employers. As a kid in England during the 1930’s, Christmas and Boxing day meant fun, presents, sweet stuff to eat and a big family party.

We helped to shuck the peas and to top, tail and cut the beans, French style. We also stoned huge Arabian raisins for the Christmas pudding, a cross between a rich fruit cake and a steamed suet pudding with just enough flour to hold the grated suet, dried and candied fruit, sugar and butter together. Grown-ups ate small servings, but my cousin Jack and I ate as much as we could get.

Thanksgiving is not celebrated in England, so Christmas is the annual feast. A big turkey, a ham, roast beef, potatoes roasted-in-meat-drippings, Brussels sprouts, beans and peas. No corn, yams or cranberry sauce, but we didn’t miss what we’d never had. Christmas was also the time for big Jaffa oranges from Palestine, dates and figs from Egypt in neat diagonal rows in long thin wooden boxes and a big bowl of mixed nuts to shell. Mum’s favorites were walnuts, Dad loved Brazils and I ate them all. 

Like most homes with children, Christmas morning began in chaos, with piles of presents and wrappings everywhere. Aunt Nell’s house, across the road, was the family gathering ground. After breakfast, Dad went over to join the other men at the on-going poker game with penny stakes and sixpenny max. Mum and I went to help with last minute chores. Dinner was at 2 PM and lasted till dark, around 4 PM. when the real party started.

Uncle Horace and Uncle Bill were family comedians who organized kid’s games while the grown-ups moved to the front parlor. Dad played the piano. He could pick up any melody and as there was booze for adults, everybody liked to sing. The room was so packed there was no space for more chairs, so we sat on the floor. A coal fire in the grate kept us warm even if it was freezing outside.