Christmas Now and Then

Food is always on my mind and thinking of Christmas foods of NOW and THEN makes me think that life and customs are ever evolving and changing.

THEN

THEN was a time when our parents either grew or prepared our Christmas dinner. My father would buy six chickens or ducklings several months before Christmas so that we could have a supply of a THEN delicacy. My sister and I would have the job of feeding and caring for the chickens or ducklings and, as children will do, we made pets of them,giving them all names. When the time came for Dad to kill one of our pets, there would be much crying from us and much pain and anguish on the part of my father. Every Christmas, he would declare that our family would not be doing this activity again. Nevertheless, we always had a baked duck or chicken on our plates until we were old enough to ask for lamb or beef. Lamb and beef were bought from the butcher and thus were removed from our emotions.

THEN was a time when my mother, like a sorcerer, would get out her trusted “Common Sense Cookery Book”. She would gather together all the ingredients for a plum pudding and a Christmas cake. Her working partner was the old fuel stove that sat so menacingly in the corner of the small kitchen. She would magically persuade the stove and oven to do anything. Firstly, for the pudding, she would save threepenny bits which had to be boiled. She then mixed the dried fruits, suet and brandy which were left overnight to soak. The next morning a huge pot of boiling water was bubbling on the stove eagerly waiting for Mum to mix the flour, spices, sugar and eggs into the fruits. It was then that the coins were stirred into this bewitching concoction. A piece of boiled and floured calico cloth encased this magical spicy pudding. It was lowered into the boiling water to tantalize our noses and minds for the next five hours. Once cooked, the pudding was stored hanging in a dark place ensuring that our noses were teased whenever we passed.

I loved making the Christmas cake with my mother. While she was preparing the ingredients which were very similar to the pudding, I was allowed to stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. I was also allowed to lick the spoon and bowl after I had finished my next job. I would quickly but carefully line the cake tin with three layers of newspaper followed by three layers of brown paper, thinking all the time of the pleasure to follow. Once the cake mixture was poured into the tin, my mother would somehow know by magic, the temperature needed for the cake, and organize the oven by closing vents and or dampers. Once cooked, the cake was dosed with a cup of brandy, wrapped securely and stored next to the pudding to mature for several weeks. When the first of our various family members or friends came to visit in the weeks leading to Christmas, my sister and I were allowed to eat a slice of the Christmas cake and to share a bottle of homemade ginger beer. What bliss! If I close my eyes today I can still taste the richness of the cake and feel the spicy bubbles of the ginger beer.

Because our extended family was, either, too large and scattered to be invited or our family finances couldn’t cater for them, our Christmas dinner was a quiet but happy celebration for our immediate family only. On Christmas day. after our presents were opened, and we had our normal breakfast, my mother would instruct Dad to take the children out of the house for a walk around the streets of Port Kembla so that she could cook without interruptions. We loved seeing other children playing outside on the roads or riding new bikes. What wonderful memories this writing has evoked!

Once home the heat from the fuel stove drove us outside to play while the tantalizing baked chicken or duck, and boiled pudding aromas invaded our nostrils and souls. We were very eager to be called for dinner. Our hot and red faced mother would present us with a Christmas dinner fit for a King. Our plates would be heaped with crispy chicken, stuffing, baked potatoes, pumpkin, white sweet potatoes, carrots and beans. Rich brown gravy made with meat juices would be carefully ladled over the baked vegetables and meat.

For me, the pudding was the best part of the meal. A slice of pure magic was accompanied by stirred custard. Occasionally, a slice of luxury would be served as well; a thin slice of Streets ice-cream. We ate our pudding very carefully so as not to swallow the money. The threepenny bits were carefully counted on the side of the plate and the amount compared. Every year our father would pretend to swallow the threepenny bit and we would be most upset and concerned not only for him but for the money. What a waste, we children thought!

Once Christmas dinner was over, Mum would retire to sleep while Dad, my sister and I would wash, dry and put away the dishes. Needless to say, the kitchen was still a furnace but we didn’t mind as we had full contented pudding tummies, Santa toys to play with afterwards and money to spend.

On occasions when our family finances allowed, Mum would buy a raw ham and cook it in the copper. This was a delicacy we would enjoy for weeks. Ham salads were a joy at this time of the year while ham and pickle sandwiches on a fresh white tank loaf of bread can still make my taste buds water.

NOW

NOW is a time that Christmas dinners are evolving and changing for me; instead of having a child’s view of Christmas dinners, I have a grandmother’s view and, while family dynamics have changed the occasion, I still look forward to the 25th December. We are invited to one of our children’s home to help celebrate.

Christmas food is bought a couple of days before Christmas day, rather than prepared and cooked in the home. It would appear that buying has made our lives easier. However, shopping is just as time consuming without the pleasures of the preparations of the THEN were. Catalogues delivered to the house are full of Christmas goodies, ideas and recipes. Seafood and salad is on the menu at many homes while turkey has pushed aside the humble chicken or duck. Salads have usurped the glory of baked vegetables. Gravy is made by adding water to a packet of Gravox.

Department stores and supermarkets are stocked with goodies ranging from coca cola to mince pies. They play jolly Christmas music to entice us to buy, buy, buy. There is no need to make a Christmas cake or pudding, you can buy one. However, not everyone eats the rich cake or pudding anymore. Exotic cakes and desserts have manoeuvred their way onto the NOW table. I am sad that the excitement of eating the pudding containing the threepenny bits has been replaced by everyday ice-cream and chocolate money. Hams are cooked for us but ham is not a once a year experience for most people any more.

Life is more sophisticated now. Food is often served buffet style and eaten outside in the cool of the verandah. Gone are the days of the old fuel stove and my daughters or daughter-in–law do not present with a hot red face. Adults enjoy a glass of wine or champagne as the children drink their soft drinks. There is still much laughter and merriment. Children can hardly wait to finish dinner to jump into the pool to cool off while grandma washes the dishes that cannot be put into the dishwasher.

I look back with such fondness of the THEN Christmas dinners that I shared with my loving family. However, life is one of change. I must admit that I still look forward to the NOW Christmas dinners because I share them with my extended family whom I love and hold most dear. I suppose that , when my grandchildren reach my age and sit down at the computer to write a Christmas NOW and THEN piece, they will have equally fond and loving memories of the Christmas dinners of their youth as I do. What will 2050 Christmas dinners be like?

14. 2. 2011