One hundred years of one house in Chorlton part 60 ............ traditions and continuities

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.*

Now I have no idea how Joe and Mary Ann celebrated Christmas.

My memories stretch back to 1976 when I lived here with Lois, Mike and John.

Back then we celebrated it on the Saturday before because they went home for the day.

A little later after we moved back and the boys were born the event took a different shape as it always does when there are children in the house.

But in all that time one of the traditions which marked the event was the arrival of the Christmas tree which had to be big and has always been bought from Tony Adams in the precinct.**

For over thirty years we have wandered down there with a selection of the children agonized over which to buy and always come away happy.

More recently I have left the choice to Tony and his staff who have always managed to select a better one than I ever did.

And then for reasons now lost in time we began buying a second one which was smaller than the first and sits in the dining room while the big tree takes over the front room.

I fully accept that this is an extravagance but it is part of the tradition of the house and like all traditions is one that we continue but also one which we add to and adapt.

So every year there is a new decoration which sits beside the older ones along with those which were made by the children when they were young.

Now Christmas trees don’t come cheap but Tony has always done us a good deal and now he has become as much a part of event as his trees or the cards which are displayed on green ribbon hanging down from the picture rail in the hall.

Not that this is a blatant bit of advertising.

It is more a reflection on Chorlton’s history, because A J Adams has been in the precinct for over 30 years and Tony is now the oldest trader in the complex.

And that is worth remarking on, after all if we go back thirty years many of the names I was familiar with have long gone, from the big stores like Woolworths, to the small independents like Quarmbys, Burts, and the wool shop.

So this Christmas like the others stretching back to into the early 80’s will be celebrated by a tree from Tony.







Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

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


**A J Adams,
19 Chorlton Place,
Chorlton cum Hardy,
Manchester,
0161 881 1349