Rationing Christmas

By the 1930s, the British Christmas had settled into a recognisably modern pattern. While domestic service remained a huge employer, only around 5% of households maintained a full-time live-in staff, meaning that the majority of people could be in their own homes for Christmas (or at least part of it). The extensive train network meant travelling to spend Christmas with family was relatively easy, and the family-focused cosy Christmas so heavily promoted by the Victorians was now accepted as the norm. However, there were exceptions. In Scotland Hogmanay remained a more important occasion, and many Scottish households resolutely held out against a festival which still had a whiff of popery – and English hegemony – about it.