My grandparents ’ Christmas- from Hungary

Long time ago in the 1950s it was common to have a big snow by Christmas. The parents prepared all the Christmas decoration during the week leading up to Christmas. They pushed a match stick into a wallnut and painted the wallnut shell using silver and gold powder which you could buy during that time, then they let the wallnuts dry so the paint smell would disappear.

They hang biscuits on a thread and tied hangers to the apples' stem. They also bought some 'konzum szaloncukor' (which is a special Christmas tree decoration sweet in Hungary) You could get these in white and red colour only.

Approaching Christmas eve the children got bathed in a basin or tub. Their grandparents opened the door of the tile stove to get more warm air into the room to dry the children as they had no hair driers that time.

The children went to bed and waited there for the call that little Jesus (their grandparents dressed in white sheets) brought the Christmas tree.

CHRISTMAS WAS ALL ABOUT LOVE THERE WERE NO PRESENTS THAT TIME!

Ákos Nagy