Christmas spending, nostalgia and the importance of showing up - Robin and Patricia Silver
The Christmas illuminations across the county have been turned on and present buying is well under way but it’s also a time for reminiscence and reflection.
This festive season provides a time to spend with loved ones, to recall those that are missed and to plan new year resolutions that hopefully aren’t abandoned in January.
The average annual spend per household on internal and external decorations has jumped to £185 which excludes the trees themselves. About five million of those are sold every year.
When it comes to presents for children, preferences haven’t really changed dramatically. In the 1950s, the most popular gift for children was Mr Potato Head. In those days you had to provide your own potato whereas today, a plastic potato is included.
This was followed by Meccano sets, craft kits (including painting by numbers), hula hoops, dolls (especially Barbie from 1959 onwards) and Premium Bonds, still favoured by caring grandparents. Adults were lucky enough to receive aprons, ties, socks and believe it or not, cocktail sets.
Moving into the Sixties and Seventies, competition came from Sindy and Action Man, Scalextric took away some of the market for train sets but Hornby trains are still running just as regularly as their larger brethren.
Space Hoppers and the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 came along and remain in production today. Original models are now highly collectable.
Male adults opened bottles of Brut and Old Spice aftershave and today these brands now have increased ranges of toiletries.
Women were still being given aprons but also Breville sandwich makers, mixers and other small electricals or they may have been lucky enough to be given cosmetics or toiletries like Bromley lemon shaped soap and the unlucky ones may have had to put up with a box of Brillo pads.
Into the Eighties and Nineties, along came Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony, Care Bears and Rubik’s Cube.
Adults increasingly received presents for the home like George Foreman grills, mobile phones and electronic games like Super Mario, still going and not looking a day older.
All time favourites include chocolates with names like Dairy Milk , Black Magic, After Eight, Quality Street and Roses, all remaining extremely popular along with the Nineties additions of Celebrations and Heroes.
Whilst this season is clearly a time of buying presents, remember that there can be as much joy and satisfaction in the giving as well as in the receiving.
There can also be disappointment and criticism when it is realised just how inappropriate or simply unwanted a gift can be. One of the reasons that familiar old brands have survived is to avoid this catastrophe.
For many, there are also journeys to be made. Not just physical trips to get home (or get away from home) but journeys of remembrance.
Visits to graves, to family and friends and those who are poorly or are in hospital or to the lonely who might just be living round the corner. These can be even more rewarding than presents and quite often far more enjoyable and much appreciated.