'Christmas 1965 - 75'

Below is another of my articles for 'Hastings Town' magazine. In the interest of historical accuracy, I have decided to leave this piece as it was originally published. Regardless of what some mentioned here have allegedly done, they were still a part of my formative years and I cannot simply forget that...

In many ways my memories of Christmas as a child in the mid sixties and early seventies sound like a cliché. Small boy, too excited to sleep, closes eyes in order to try and kid Father Christmas into thinking its safe to ‘pop in’ and drop off sack of presents…

Actually, I’m really glad to think I remember those days of innocence in such a way and now I am older I realise even more how lucky I have been to have been blessed with such loving parents.

I was born in Priory Avenue, Hastings in 1965. Shortly after my birth my parents went to live in Stonehouse Drive at no 59 Kennedy Court in a block of flats. It is there that most of my happy childhood memories of Christmas took place and I believe it is because of these memories that I love Christmas so much…

Back in those days it wasn’t fashionable for women to work and so I was brought up by my Mum and disciplined by my Dad if I was naughty. Dad worked as a van delivery salesman for Buss Farmfresh Foods (sausage manufacturers mainly) and worked very long hours starting at 5am and rarely getting back home until late evening.  For this reason, I didn’t see an awful lot of Dad during the week but on Sundays he and Mum would take my brother, Geoff (born in 1967) and I out for a trip somewhere.

The truth of the matter is that I was spoilt rotten as a kid. As the first born, I was made a right fuss of and was always being bought toy Matchbox cars (remember them?) or brought sweets by family and relatives. Probably because of this, my brother and I did not always get on well as children. I suppose the sibling rivalry thing came into play and thus I was sometimes a little terror!

Christmas was always a time for togetherness though and every year Geoff and I would spend ages whispering to each other in bed at night in the run up to Christmas Eve about what we hoped we’d get for Christmas.

Each year on Christmas Eve the routine was the same. Dad would make us go to bed at about 8 o‘clock (or earlier) but there was no way Geoff and I were going to get any sleep! Laying in bed eyes closed we’d have our ears on full alert for any sound of Father Christmas’ arrival and as soon as we heard the slightest squeak of the bedroom door we were wide awake!

Usually, about 1am in the morning, the moment we had been waiting for would arrive. A feint stirring could be heard coming from outside our room swiftly followed by either the sound of whispering or the rustling of paper.  As gently as could be, the door to our bedroom would open and we could hear the sound of a sack full of presents being placed at the end of our beds. Then, as silently as before, Father Christmas was off on to his next visit and the door would close again.

Of course, until we got older, Geoff and I had no idea that Father Christmas was actually Dad and so as soon as the door shut Geoff and I would leap out of bed and rush over to take our first look at our Christmas goodies.

Inevitably, this made a lot of noise and so Mum and Dad were soon into the room to shush us because of the neighbours. We were never going to be able to wait until the morning to open our prezzies though and so Dad would haul our sacks into the living room where Geoff and I would have a wonderful time tearing through Christmas paper and gazing in wonderment and excitement at some of the toys and games we found.

Mum and Dad must have spent an absolute fortune on us... Our Christmas sacks were taller than we were and stuffed to the brim with presents. I used to love finding an annual or a new boxed game but was always disappointed if I found clothes. Somewhere in the middle of our sack we would find a ‘dummy present’. Mum used to delight in wrapping something she knew we really wanted inside three or four different layers. Ripping off the first layer we’d find a second box wrapped in Christmas paper. Off with the Christmas paper again and we’d find a bag and so on…  Our screams of delight when finally discovering what was inside always evoked another round of shushing I can tell you!

Boxed games like ‘On The Buses’, ‘Cluedo’ and ‘Exploration’ were all the rage back in the 70’s and all the kids I knew used to play them and love reading annuals. It was always a thrill to be able to say ‘ I got that as well’ when friends were telling you what they’d got for Christmas and such fun going to ‘their house’ to play their new games.

The two games I remember loving the most were ‘Crossfire’ and ‘Battling Tops’. ‘Crossfire’ was a puck shooting table top game a bit like Ice Hockey only using a plastic gun that fired ball bearings and ‘Battling Tops’ involved sending spinning tops into a plastic arena where they would bash into each other and dart wildly about. The last top still standing was the winner!

Christmas was always a great time for T.V. as well. I used to love all the ‘Christmas Specials’ of my favourite programmes and ‘Top Of The Pops’ Christmas show was always particularly special. I loved Glam Rock and bands like Mud, The Sweet and Wizzard were always game for a laugh with Jimmy Saville, Noel Edmunds or ‘The Hairy Cornflake’ DLT. I still remember the fun Mud had in 1974 with that ventriloquist’s dummy, when singing ‘Lonely This Christmas’ while at No1, for example. Yes it was hammy and yes it was pretty silly but fake snow, people falling about and a dummy whose head kept falling off was also fun and I loved the light heartedness of it all.

In fact, that’s one of the things I miss so much about those days. Life in the 70’s was so much less complicated than today. Things ‘were what they were’ and people ‘called a spade a spade’. No one sued anyone and people had much more of a sense of showbiz and pride in themselves and their community. Mind you, I say all this based on the memories of a child and many other people I know have subsequently told me just how difficult life was for adults at that time so perhaps I’m not the best judge.

Christmas in Hastings and St Leonards was always magical to me though. The Christmas decorations along Kings Road were amazing! 

With bulbs covering the length and breadth of the street, visiting the area was like walking into a massive version of Santa’s Grotto and most shops had beautifully decorated Christmas trees inside or in the window. I also used to LOVE the multi-coloured bulbs all down the lampposts along the sea front –it made the trip into town or back home so much more jolly and Christmassy!  Woolies, Debenhams and Boots Christmas displays in town were always impressive and the queues to visit Santa in his grotto on the second floor in Debenhams always long…

And then there was ‘Gamleys’ in Queens Road. Gamleys was the ultimate shop for kids! Every conceivable game, Action Man accessory, Lego set, Scalextric, toy car, doll or science set could be purchased there and spending money in the sale there after Christmas was always a joy.

I love the fact that adults seemed to think it was perfectly safe and acceptable back in the 70’s to give a kid a chemistry set for Christmas. Just think what might happen if some of ‘the little darlings of today’ were suitably ‘armed’ with a Bunsen burner, some Sulphur and a plentiful supply of litmus paper!

Maybe because there was no Internet, no e-mail or mobile phones to absorb so much of our time there was a need to encourage kids to become interested in science, learning and the arts. Nowadays learning stuff must seem pointless when you can ‘Google’ and get an answer in less than 30 seconds… 

 So, this Christmas, spare a thought for far off days. Think of ‘Spirograph’, games of ‘Top Trumps’ and of miniature soldiers and smile. The 60’s and 70’s may not have been as great as I remember them but Christmas was simply Christmas back then and all the better for it…

Love to you all xx