Christmas in the 50's

Christmas 50+ years ago in New Zealand. Hmm - well it was different to 2007 - but similar too.

We were a farming family so Dad was up early (about 4.30am) in the morning as usual to milk the cows. My bedroom was by the kitchen and I would hear him singing as he made himself breakfast and a billy of tea to take to the milking shed with him.

He had fought overseas in the Middle East with the NZ Armed forces during World War II and had a large repetoire of army songs and also some of the hits during the war years. He could sing Lily Marlane in english and german, and especially loved Gracie Fields songs.

Santa figured largely in our young lives at Christmas time. We were usually taken to a department store in the nearest large city and would whisper our requests to him. Not much credence was given to the usual stories of a flying sleigh, reindeer etc. But we did leave out some food for him, cake and a bottle of beer!

We had no concept at all of what a white Christmas would be like, even though we happily sent off Christmas cards with snow scenes on them. In fact we had never seen snow even though Mt Ruapehu which is now our nearest ski field was only about a four hour drive away. With having to milk cows night and morning all summer then feed and look after calving cows all winter, we never ventured very far from home. Our cars and roads were not so reliable either and long journeys were often fraught with breakdowns.

We had a stocking by our beds which would be filled with an orange and some nuts in their shells, and maybe a lolly or two. There would be one main present also under the tree from Santa and family gifts as well. The tree was usually one from the farm somewhere, sometimes a rimu (native tree), but often the top out of a Lawsoniana pine. We had homemade decorations and a few shiny glass bells.

So when Dad came in from the shed the presents were opened. Mum would be busy stuffing the goose that had been killed and dressed by Dad the day before. I would often help Dad with this task - we were very matter of fact about eating animals we had raised! Occasionally we would have lamb for our Christmas meal. As we had about 500 sheep on the farm as well as cows, there were plenty of lambs. In fact dad would shift the lambs away from the roadside paddocks close to Christmas as we were wary of poachers. In the past he had found a distressed ewe and no lamb.

We would have members of the extended family arrive for Christmas Dinner. Dinner, around 2pm, was always a goose or lamb, gravy, fresh dug potatoes, fresh beans and peas (no frozen vegetables were available in those days), and for dessert always Christmas Pudding with brandy sauce and with threepences in it. We looked forward to finding the threepences!

Mum also made a trifle (sponge cake, home bottled fruit, custard, jelly). Virtually everything we ate was grown and produced by us. Even the eggs to bake the sponge! Baking items - flour, sugar, salt pepper etc were bought of course. My Grandad (standing in front of the tent), would supply his home made apple cider and Ginger beer.

All this heavy meal was eaten in the heat of a summers day! We were not near a beach to go swimming, but sometimes swam in the nearby river, or a stream in the hills.

Extra visitors were accommodated in a tent on the lawn.

The photos (the black and white ones taken with a 'Box Brownie') are - the geese, our tent with my Grandad, youngest brother, a farm dog, and Dad in his work clothes standing in front, me on the horse (horses were used as farm hacks around the hills and sheep), one for Candy of my brothers with our guinea pigs (they eventually escaped and lived wild under and around a wood pile where they bred with gay abandon). and one photo of my two brothers with a new bike for the older one and the younger ones new toy truck in the background. Most family or farm photos have a horse, a lamb or a dog in them!

My memories are of lots of laughter, the excitement of seeing relatives that we had probably not seen for some time, no TV so we would sit around the radio and listen to the Queens message, lots of food, excitement of the presents of course, and my Uncle who had been a choir boy in his youth leading the singing of Christmas carols. The same Uncle (English born) was a very keen cricketer and we always had a game of cricket in the afternoon on the lawn.

To remember and write about past Christmases is happy and sad at the same time as all my own family, including my much loved two younger brothers, have now passed away and I am the last one left.

Next post - Christmas in New Zealand in the 2000's!