Take me back: How Britain celebrated Christmas in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s
Heather Large looks back at how we celebrated the festive season in the 70s, 80s, and 90s from food and decorations to TV and music.
1970s: The queen, then Eric and Ernie
If you grew up in the 1970s then you will probably have memories of a more traditional Christmas.
The countdown to the big day was marked on an advent calendar with children more than happy to find a festive picture behind each window, instead of the chocolates and gifts that are common today.
Many people have had their decorations up for many weeks but in the 1970s, the tree, along with all the decorations, would have gone up about a week before the big day.
It was also common for people to make their own decorations such as paper chains to hang up around the house.
On Christmas Day, all the family would be gathered to enjoy traditional turkey and all the trimmings followed by that fruity favourite, Christmas pudding.
Sprouts would accompany the main course and in some houses, the leftovers would be used to make bubble 'n' squeak.
Christmas dinners up and down the country were planned around the Queen’s Speech at 3pm. Everybody paused what they were doing to watch Her Majesty’s annual national address.
Buffets during the festive period may have featured prawn cocktail, quiche Lorraine, vegetables in aspic, pâté shaped into domes or trees, Twiglets and vol-au-vents.
Trifles were always very popular - and are still enjoyed at Christmas today.
To wash it all down, Blue Nun wine, Black Tower wine, Bailey’s Irish cream and Corona pop were firm favourites during the decade.
Anyone wanting a sweet treat could tuck into chocolates such as Matchmakers or After Eight mints or dates.
On TV, Billy Smart’s Circus or the BBC pantomime were essential Christmas viewing in many households.
But one of the most popular shows was Morecambe and Wise’s Christmas Specials, which were longer versions of the main series, with more big name guests, and bigger routines.
Among those fondly remembered is in 1972 which started with the comedians pulling a cracker and featured Glenda Jackson, Pete Murray, Vera Lynn and a cameo from Bruce Forsyth in a reindeer sketch.
The show’s popularity peaked with the 1977 Christmas edition, with a phenomenal 28 million viewers sat down to watch, making it the most watched comedy programme in British television history.
The decade also saw the release of favourite Christmas films Scrooge (1970), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1975) and Miracle on 34th St (1977).
Many of the Christmas songs still played today were released in the 1970s such as Elton John’s Step into Christmas, Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody, Lonely This Christmas by Mud, Boney M’s Mary’s Boy Child and When a Child is Born by Johnny Mathis.
1980s: Queen Vic misery with Den and Angie
Everything was colourful in the 1980s – and Christmas was no exception.
Throughout the house, families would cover everything with tinsel and garlands.
Fake snow was also popular and could be sprayed onto windows.
In many homes, it was an annual tradition to use stencils to create festive designs on the glass.
Rooms would also be decorated with foil ceiling decorations and lametta - long narrow strips of shiny foil.
The majority of people would decorate a real tree but artificial trees could be found, and grew in popularity during the decade.
Handmade decorations for the tree and house were still popular and children had great fun making them.
Christmas Day food was very similar to the previous decade with turkey and Christmas pudding featuring as they still do today. But the latter came with some drama as it had become fashionable to pour brandy over the top of the pudding and set it alight.
Babycham and advocaat were many people’s favourite tipples to enjoy during the festive period.
During the final years of the decade, Coca-Cola was becoming a popular drink in many households thanks, in part, to television advertising.
Boxing Day buffets may have included a Vienetta, which was introduced in 1981.
Families sitting down together to watch TV may have enjoyed the likes of The Snowman, which was shown on Channel 4 for the first time in 1982.
It was based on Raymond Briggs’ picture book, which had been released four years earlier.
Watching the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day was also incredibly important in many households - as was watching the latest episodes of the soaps.
Over 30 million people tuned in to EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986 to see Dirty Den give divorce papers to his long-suffering wife Angie.
There were also festive editions of popular shows such as Jimmy Tarbuck’s Christmas All Stars.
There were plenty of newly-released Christmas songs to enjoy during the decade such as Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone.
But probably the most famous of the 1980s was Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas.
1990s: Britpop, Friends, and new menus
It’s the decade remembered for Britpop, the debut of television show Friends and publication of the first Harry Potter books.
As a nation, we were generally getting a little more adventurous with our food and celebrity chefs were making an appearance.
This meant our festive favourites were given a little twist such as sprouts cooked with pancetta.
When it came to decorations, fibre optic Christmas trees grew in popularity during the 90s but the foil decorations from the 80s were still also fondly put up in many houses.
Shopping for presents usually involved visits to the likes of Woolworths, BHS and Toys R Us.
High streets were always bustling in the run-up to Christmas. There was no online shopping and Sunday trading wasn’t introduced until 1994.
If you grew up in the 90s, then writing your letter for Father Christmas might have involved flicking through the pages of an Argos or Index catalogue and circling the toys and gifts to include in your wish list.
In the run-up the big day, many families would buy a copy of the Radio Times or another television guide and highlight all of the programmes and films that they wanted to watch.
If there was a clash, then the VCR would come to the rescue, recording shows that could be watched at a later date.
We always knew we could expect festive editions of some of the nation’s most popular shows such as Blind Date, Bruce Forsyth’s Generation Game, Birds Of A Feather, Noel’s House Party, Big Break and Only Fools And Horses.
And in the run-up to the big day, retailers would try to attract our attention with adverts such as Boots commercial which featured Raymond Briggs’ much-loved character The Snowman.
Woolworths and Quality Street were among the other brands pulling out all the stops at this time of year.
At the cinema, there was plenty to watch. Among the Christmas films released during the decade was the popular Home Alone series along with The Nightmare Before Christmas, a remake of Miracle on 34th Street and Mrs Santa Claus.
Finding out what was going to be top of the charts for Christmas was an exciting moment for music fans who also made sure to tune into the festive edition of Top Of The Pops.
Some of the number ones included Stay Another Day by East 17, Michael Jackson’s Earth Song and 2 Become 1 by The Spice Girls.
