*Updated 21/11/2022*
In the last blog, we discovered what Christmas was like in wartime. Now it’s time to look at what the festive season was like in postwar Britain.
Were there fewer challenges and did it improve for people?
On 8th May 1945, the war officially ended in Europe. Unfortunately, the effects of the war lingered through Christmas 1945.
Apart from rationing, which didn’t end until 1954, there was a lot of adjusting to do on the domestic front, as you can imagine. But, with true British stoicism, Christmas was certainly not cancelled!
The effects of rationing on Christmas
There were still food and fuel shortages, especially in the early period. And some rationing got even stricter post-war (bacon and soap for instance). Extra rations, however, were given at Christmas but it was still an abstemious time, and the ‘make do and mend’ attitude prevailed.
Turkeys were scarce (although a black market existed!) so the Ministry of Food gave alternative recipes, one of which was called ‘murkey’ or mock turkey! This was a dish of sausage meat, vegetables and breadcrumbs and it proved quite popular.
Desperate for some post-war cheer, in 1945 a British newspaper asked for whiskey to be kept for Britons instead of importing to the USA!
Determined to celebrate!
- Home-made Christmas decorations
Christmas decorations were still a DIY job, paper chains (often from newspaper) were popular and so was the wire Christmas tree.
Due to factories having shut down or becoming involved in the war effort, many toys were made from wood or handed down from elders.
It wasn’t uncommon for gifts to be recycled….children’s bikes, for example, were often passed down having been repaired/repainted.
Some gifts were sent by American charities to British children.
- Christmas carols returned!
There were no longer blackouts so people could once again enjoy carol singing in the streets.
- Christmas parties for children
Some communities and clubs held Christmas parties for the children.
With post-war austerity continuing, usually only sandwiches and pop were provided but they’d probably watch a show such as Punch and Judy. They were very popular.
Facts about post-war Christmas in Britain
- Not all POWs were repatriated until 1948. They weren’t allowed to mix with locals until 1946 and then people invited them for Christmas.
- Trafalgar Square’s first Christmas tree arrived in 1947. The tree was a thank you gift from Norway for our support in the war and it has continued ever since. It’s usually a Norweigan spruce, selected from the forests around Oslo, over 20m tall and 50-60 yrs old.
Christmas in Britain during the 1950s
In 1945 a Labour government won the election, with Clement Attlee becoming Prime Minister. This government introduced a series of reforms for post-war-ravaged Britain.
The development of the welfare state and, within that, the birth of the NHS in 1948 would improve the standard of living for most Britons.
As rationing was gradually phased out (tea, sugar, butter, cheese, margarine, cooking fat, bacon and meat were still rationed in 1952) and the above reforms were put into place, life started to look a little brighter.
A new age for TV!
Though television had been around since the 1930’s, very few people had a set and broadcasts had been suspended for the entire war.
It wasn’t until 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, that the sale of TVs really took off with many people buying them for the occasion.
At the start of the decade, only 350,000 households had a set but by 1960 nearly ¾ of the population had one.
For many years it was strictly controlled – for example, the BBC weren’t allowed to broadcast more than 2hrs before 1pm and it shut down at 11pm!
Gradually though it became less strict, and more variety was broadcast…. serious dramas, current affairs, news, and major sports like the FA cup final and the University Boat Race.
What did they watch on TV in the 1950s?
On Christmas Eve 1950, programmes didn’t start until 5pm and there were just two for the children - ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ by Kenneth Grahame and a film from Finland called ‘Santa Claus Workshop’.
Christmas Day started at 11.30am with a church service but then there was a closedown until 5pm when ‘Muffin the Mule’ came on for the children.
By Christmas Day 1959 there were programmes all day, starting with a ‘Christmas Greeting’ (carols) at 8.30am and ending at 10.50pm with an ‘Epilogue for Christmas Day’ by the Principal of Didsbury College Bristol.
There were a few programmes for children including ‘Chipperfield’s Christmas Circus Festival’.
What food was popular for a 1950’s Christmas?
Food was seasonal. There were no supermarkets. Very few people had fridges and there were virtually no freezers.
Popular foods:
- Beef, chicken or duck – turkey was still expensive
- Vegetables -plentiful
- Trifle
- Tinned fruit
- Carnation milk
- Christmas pudding (still popular now - our Christmas hampers include it!)
- And from 1957…Pigs in Blankets coming in!
What gifts were given during the 1950s at Christmas?
- Toy soldiers
- Aprons
- Diaries
- Postal orders
- Corgi toys
- Matchbox (die-cast car brand)
- Airfix aircraft- just coming in
- Muffin the Mule puppet
- Mr Potato Head – launched 1952
- Barbie – launched 1959
Material developments of the 1950s
The child’s world became very exciting with the production of plastic toys, starting in the early 50’s, by companies such as Fisher Price and Ideal. Wood, paper and metal toys would soon become less popular.
As people became better off, recovering from the war, the Christmas tree returned. White artificial trees were popular or green ones sprayed with fake snow and they were often small, people placing them on top of TV sets (also small!).
A historic moment
Live from Sandringham, the Queen’s first Royal Christmas Broadcast was televised in 1957.
In the next article, it’s Christmas in Britain during the Swinging Sixties!
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