[David.]

When I was young we were so poor that ...........

My father had to have, in addition to relying on working overtime, up to 3 additional part time evening/weekend jobs (until we were old enough for my mother to also work).

One Christmas, when there was no overtime  available where my father worked for some time, we faced the prospect of no tree and no Christmas dinner.

My father and I went out and dragged an dead branch out of a hedge and painted in with whatever leftover paints we had, and that was our Christmas tree.

On Christmas Eve, the 2 tickets he bought for the works raffle  both won - 2 chickens for Christmas! (not a vegetarian then).

And it's what I always remember as our best Christmas, and I can't even remember if we got any presents.

[brucesgirl]

You think you were poor - we had to eat our dinner off the floor cos we couldn't afford a table, and our toys were new cardboard boxes.

JOKING  

[mashauk]

You were lucky

All we got was a lump of coal......

[DeadlyNightshade]

Don't know, if that really suits in here, cause thankfully we weren't poor. But the best part nearly every year is, when we try to  make the Christmas tree more even by rearranging the branches.. last year my sister and me spent three hours, poking with knives/ nails/ handdriven drill to get them in the right place only for my mum to tell us, that it looked worse then beforehand

But our Christmas never was mainly about presents and the dinner, it was game playing, watching old family films on 8 mm.. even when we were young we would forget about the presents cause it was so nice with the atmosphere

Bell

[Selkie]

is that a real or artificial tree?  :shock:

i always remember my dad trying to get our one to stand up straight (always a real tree, which we would put in a big bucket of coal), and then fiddling for hours with all the lights!!

[sweet nasturtium]

When I was young we were so poor that ...........

My father had to have, in addition to relying on working overtime, up to 3 additional part time evening/weekend jobs (until we were old enough for my mother to also work).

One Christmas, when there was no overtime  available where my father worked for some time, we faced the prospect of no tree and no Christmas dinner.

My father and I went out and dragged an dead branch out of a hedge and painted in with whatever leftover paints we had, and that was our Christmas tree.

On Christmas Eve, the 2 tickets he bought for the works raffle  both won - 2 chickens for Christmas! (not a vegetarian then).

And it's what I always remember as our best Christmas, and I can't even remember if we got any presents.

I remember our tree having a nice pile of presents under it - but there were 7 of us, so by the time they were divided there wasn't much to go round.  

Our children just have far too much stuff.  This year we're going to put presents under the tree as time goes on so we don't have too MUCH by the end of it.

But we never thought Christmas was bad, or that we didn't have enough. It was all about decorations, sweeties and singing.   Only now do I look back at the joy a pad of paper and some pencils would bring!

[David.]

All we got was a lump of coal......

That's an expensive present these days (just been to the coal yard - and not for my daughter's present).

[garddwr bach]

For the past 4 years I've been cutting a big, nicely shaped branch from my garden and using it instead of a tree. I put all the lights and trimmings on it and it looks lovely and takes up less space than a traditional tree. Is it just me who does this? Am I being mean? Help!!

By the way – coal around our way is £10.50 for a bag.

[muntjac]

we was so poor we collected coal of the rail lines .dad shot sumat .grandad had a packet mints and we sat on his chair arms and waited till he breathed out so we could breath in n share his minty breath.. mam bought orange peels from the market  n burned em to make it smell like we had loads fruit in our house n the nieghbours always sniffed at the letter box .    

[brucesgirl]

You were lucky - we couldn't afford a letterbox
 

[Aunt Sally]

You were lucky - we couldn't afford a letterbox
 

 :cry: You have to have a door to be able to even think about a letterbox  :cry:

[WG.]

You were lucky - we couldn't afford a letterbox
 

 :cry: You have to have a door to be able to even think about a letterbox  :cry:

Well .... everyone has been alluding to it so it is high time it was posted .... GqNGhcdtMbc

[Aunt Sally]

And you try and tell the young people that today, and they won't believe you.  

[David.]

we was so poor we collected coal of the rail lines

We snatched the coal the train drivers threw beside the tracks to collect later, whilst we picked blackberries beside the railway line.

[David.]

When I was young we were so poor that....Part 2 - my wife's childhood:

My wife's father & uncle lost their (rented)farm when it became unviable and my wife (to be) was only a few years old and obviously had never had a summer holiday.

In subsequent years, she went with on holiday with her father and sister to her Uncle's farm (hard times there also) in summer, when the milker went on holiday.

The girls stayed in a tent next to the chicken sheds, and their father only got board & lodging. Their mother had to stay back home and go to work.

Best holidays my wife ever had!