THE latest ugly reports of ‘Black Friday’ have now confirmed me as a true ‘Christmas bah humbug’.

Christmas should be a time for joy, but over the years it has mostly become a time of misery. We all expect such from the Christmas TV soaps and the same goes for many other people in real life trying to compete with it all.

I feel so sorry for many parents today who without doubt will incur high debts just to fulfil the Christmas of today.

When I was a kid back in the late fifties, Christmas was a lot simpler but to me, held far more magic than it does today. We had little so could really enjoy just that little more around this festive time.

Beales had a traditional Father Christmas who travelled through the town centre en-route to his grotto held at the store.

He sat above a fine coach throwing out sweets to the children and then on arrival, finished off with his appearance above the store balcony with more greetings to the children.

As kids, we used to sneak to the clifftops and grab a pine tree to sneakily get home.

We’d then go out again to collect fir cones to paint and empty cigarette packets to cut up the silver paper inside into strips – all to decorate our free substitute Christmas tree.

Further décor was in the form of paper chains. Licking them all day sent us to bed with such a bad taste in our mouths that lasted for days to come.

Early Christmas morn, we would awake with a paper sack above our pillow.

It was so dark everything seemed to be coloured black.

Most prominent at the bottom of the sack was an apple and an orange, which was instantly devoured.

Other gifts hurriedly ravaged were simple things like colouring books, new pen sets for school. Worst of all was new clothing like socks and handkerchiefs. Can you believe the excitement of getting a liquorice smoking set? It comprised of an edible pipe, cigarettes and matches.

It might seem boring to most kids and parents and could not be repeated today.

That is my point. As kids back then we expected so little so enjoyed just that extra more.

Christmas today has become so commercial, pointlessly expensive and really not that much fun – unlike how it was back in my younger days.

Apart from that, hope you have a Happy Christmas.

Christine Peters, Wellington Road, Bournemouth