WE’VE had a wonderful year here at Looking Back, reading everyone’s memories and sharing stories of times gone by in Dorset.

We thought there was no better way to celebrate the end of the year and the season to be jolly than to share some wonderful winter memories of what Christmas used to be like, in the ‘good old days’.

Joining the Veteran’s Rendezvous at the RAFA Club in Weymouth on Wednesday, veterans enjoyed mince pies and Christmas cake while reminiscing about Christmas time.

Poppy Butcher, from Weymouth, was dressed all in red for the festive affair. Always smiling, Poppy shared some of her most memorable moments.

Poppy said: “When I was a child, Christmas didn’t start until Christmas eve. We didn’t send cards locally either. This was the 30s. Lots of men were out of work and there wasn’t much money coming in.

“We used to hang a sock up at the end of the bed and have some nuts, an orange and a sugar mouse! When we would go to sleep the parents would have put them all there.”

Poppy added: “We didn’t get very many presents. The only time we had chicken was at Christmas, it was very expensive in those days.

“We didn’t put the Christmas decorations up until Christmas Eve when all the children were in bed. And of course we always had to leave something for Father Christmas – usually a mince pie.

“My favourite part was all the family getting together for Christmas – then and now.”

This season, Poppy is hosting 16 members of her family.

She said: “It will be wonderful. We will play games and have a sing song.”

The born entertainer said one of her favourite memories is a panto her friends put together.

Poppy said: “It was 1942 and all my friends and I got together and decided to have a pantomime, and decided on Cinderella.

“Together, we took it all around town! It was good fun – I was the fairy godmother! My cousin Sylvia Shearn was Cinderella and Peter Harvey was Prince Charming.”

Eileen Galling, 79, is the branch secretary of the RAFA club and lives in Preston. Sharing her memories of Christmases in Devon, she said: “Christmas was always fun. There were 13 of us on Christmas day. I always got a doll, in those days you had to have it made.

“My dad made us a dolls house and a garage for the boys because you couldn’t buy them in the shops.

“We made our own decorations and always looked forward to local brownie and church parties too.”

Betty Curtis, 88, from Weymouth, also used to get dolls for Christmas.

Betty said: “Christmas has always been about family. We were always the ones who had family come to us. We used to get so much food and they would stay for a week!

“When I was a child it was a chicken that was a luxury. We had some marvellous Christmases. Mum and dad used to save up for the presents. I had these big dolls and I still have them now!”

Betty has shared most of her Christmases with her husband Maurice.

She said: “He used to come to my place for Christmas. The girls used to stay with their mums.”

But before girls, Maurice said it was all about trains.

He said: “When I was young, it was a train set and wind up trains that I would receive. We had a Christmas tree with real candles and used to make our own decorations.”

Catching up with magic airman Peter Price at the RAFA bar, he recalled Christmas as a child.

Peter said: “I used to get a little fire engine made in Japan from Woolworths. I used to have a bag of sweets and a cracker and not a lot else. It was a different time then.

“I used to go out with my band all over the Christmas period and doing the puppet and magic shows for the children.”

Merry Christmas to all our looking backers. Thank you for another year of wonderful stories!