Hi Connie
My most vivid memories of Welsh Christmases (1940-50) are stirring the
pudding mixture and putting in silver threepennny bits. And the goose
which was cooked in the coal range. It was put in the oven at about
midnight Christmas Eve, and cooked very slowly through the night. It was
placed on a trivet above a large pan so that the grease could drip down
(geese are extremely greasy). All the vegetables, Christmas pudding etc.
were prepared in the morning before Chapel (which was usually 10am-11am).
Christmas dinner was served at luch-time.
All the goose grease was kept in a stone jar in the pantry for when coughs
and colds arrived. The grease was smeared on a piece of flannel and
wrapped around the neck (for coughs) and on the chest for colds. I
presume it acted like Vicks and helped with breathing. In fact goose
grease seemed to be a cure-all in those days.
I don't remember having a Christmas tree but we used to cut lots of fir
branches, holly (and mistletoe if we could find it). The rooms were
decorated with the greenery and the smell of pine permeated the whole
house.
Lots more memories, enough to fill a book which I will write for my
grandchildren one day!!
Pam
in New Zealand
Can those of you who live in Wales or used to live in Wales, tell
the
rest of us how Christmas used to be celebrated?
Do you still maintain some of the old customs? Do the Welsh still like
to sing?
Would love to spend one Christmas in Wales and another in Scotland.