One hundred years of one house in Chorlton part 37 Christmas

The house in 1974

The continuing story of the house Joe and Mary Ann Scott lived in for over 50 years and the families that have lived here since.*

I don’t know how Joe and Mary Ann celebrated Christmas, but they were here from 1920 till Mary Anne died in 1974 so I guess they pretty much had it sorted.

Over the year’s traditions build up and these are as much part of the event as the tree, the dinner and the presents.

When John Mike and Lois lived here from 1974 till ’79 the pattern was determined by the fact that they went home for Christmas, Lois to Weston and Mike and John to Leeds.

So the big meal was held the day before, the gifts exchanged and a sort of second event happened a few days after they came back.

Christmas 1977

Lois cooked, Mike laid the table and John provided the music.  The meal was eaten in the dining room but back then there was no central heating.

John had ripped out the fire places and bricked up the space, which left us shivering in a big room until the antiquated electric fire and the flow of alcohol began to work.

Never underestimate the ability of 20 something’s to become as silly as children.  Paper hats and crackers were required, the conversation usually bordered on the inane and we had a brilliant time.

That said once my lads began to come along Christmas entered a new phase.  Your first Christmas with a new born is different and from 1984 as the family grew so did new traditions, ones which continue even now despite all four of the lads being grown up.

It begins with the issuing of wish lists, rumbles on with the decision on what to cook on the day and becomes intense when we debate when to get the tree.

Christmas 2011

Too early and it runs the risk of losing its needles and too late and all that is left are those sad two foot specimens which have a bit missing in the middle.

They have to be so big that you end up chopping a bit off the bottom, come from a forest somewhere and have a mismatch collection of decorations which are as much about past Christmases as they are about elegant design and appearance.

Only recently did I give up on the multi coloured tree lights and went with the wishes of our Josh that they should be all one colour.

And every year we still put the Christmas angel designed by Saul somewhere near the top.

For the last few years we have bought two, the giant one for the front room and a second smaller one for the dining room.

Now this I know is sheer indulgence but we are always well looked after by Adams in the precinct who has provided us with trees since 1984.

And the choosing of the tree is as much a part of the tradition as the rest of what we do.  I have and still am accompanied by as many of the family who are round on the day, we stand earnestly looking at the selection debating the merits of each and finally strike the deal with Tony.

Christmas 2011

The rest of it unfolds as you would expect.  Ben at 29 still gets a Beano annual and Luca some Kinder egss in his stocking.

And the stockings of all four must always been in the same spot each year.

And because I grew up in the 50s and that pretty much has frozen in time the Christmas I like, we bring out the Monopoly board, insist that everyone tries a selection of the festive nuts, and gather to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

That said there will be the addition of those nice things to eat that Tina grew up with at home in Italy, at least three phone calls to Varese during the day and a visit from Ron and Carol.

All that and the Christmas football match which the boys and their friends play for half an hour on the Rec sometime after the presents and before the big meal.

It is a tradition which they have played for as long as I can remember, and over the years the event has pulled in friends, and anyone who is around the house on the day.

Dan Dare from Eagle Annual nu Six, Christmas 1956

I doubt that it is the Christmas that Joe and Mary Ann would recognise but it is now one that in some form or other has settled on the house for nearly 40 years, which allows me to think it is as much part of the history of the place as any other.

Pictures; from the collections of Andrew Simpson and Lois Sparshot

*The story of a house, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20story%20of%20a%20house