Skip to main content
Close Button
Donate
  • Replies 38 replies
  • Subscribers 40 subscribers
  • Views 8115 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Christmas in Films, Music, Stories, Poems and Traditions

Trainspotter
over 5 years ago

With Christmas rapidly approaching - it seems only twelve months since last time - I thought I would start a thread on Christmas - what it means to us, our memories, what traditions we have (locally or of our own), what we like or don't like, and also to share our favourite films and music of Christmas.

I do not like the commerciality of Christmas.  My favourite memories of Christmas were when I was young, and returning from Church before Christmas to the glow of the the wireless/gramophone set in the living room, the light of which was an eerie green colour, the room being lit by the lights of the Christmas tree and a collection of 78's of Christmas Carols playing on the gramophone. It was a truly magical time.

In the late 1980's a programme was made for Channel 4 of Dylan Thomas's 'A Child's Christmas in Wales'.  This is a film I watch over and over again, it just evokes memories of my early Christmases, when we did not have a television set.  This film isW beautifully shot, and brings the humour of Dylan Thomas out.  'A Child's Christmas in Wales' was originally a short story, and there are versions of Dylan Thomas himself reading it on You Tube.  Dylan Thomas had such a beautiful way of putting things into words, and perhaps because of my own Welsh heritage it always brings a bit of a tear to my eye, in a good way!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BTSQYdBuZY

I also think humour is an important part of Christmas and the Christmas season.  I like all sorts of Christmas music from religious to secular, and songs which are really about the season rather than Christmas.  So for my first song which I will put here is this one from Bob Rivers (who is a record producer, not the singer!), the song is a parody of a delivery by a certain brother and sister who were very popular in the 1970's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GONd04tiLk

Please share what Christmas means to you here.  And I will add more as the days pass!

Parents
  • over 5 years ago

    I heard Sandy Toksvig discussing a 'traditional' Danish Christmas this morning (24 November) on Radio 4 which I found very interesting.

    She also described how the (real) candles on the Christmas tree would be lit after Christmas Dinner by the men after the women had left the room, the women returning when the tree was in full glory fully lit (well the candles fully lit I would think!)

    I remember in my childhood that there were advertisements on the television every year warning people not to light candles on Christmas trees, and a house round the corner from me caught fire from someone doing this.  I seem to remember some stately home (perhaps a National Trust property?) saying it was having real candles on a Christmas tree as part of its Christmas decorations. I am sure they would have took all necessary precautions to prevent a spread of fire though!

Reply
  • over 5 years ago

    I heard Sandy Toksvig discussing a 'traditional' Danish Christmas this morning (24 November) on Radio 4 which I found very interesting.

    She also described how the (real) candles on the Christmas tree would be lit after Christmas Dinner by the men after the women had left the room, the women returning when the tree was in full glory fully lit (well the candles fully lit I would think!)

    I remember in my childhood that there were advertisements on the television every year warning people not to light candles on Christmas trees, and a house round the corner from me caught fire from someone doing this.  I seem to remember some stately home (perhaps a National Trust property?) saying it was having real candles on a Christmas tree as part of its Christmas decorations. I am sure they would have took all necessary precautions to prevent a spread of fire though!

Children