NOSTALGIA: Christmas in Boston, 1976

Here, in the picture that accompanied those words, is a scene from a festive party at the Elmwood Playgroup, in Boston, all those years ago.

Also from this week in 1976 ...

- “The spirit of Christmas flowed out of the purses of Boston housewives and into the tills of the town’s traders in a shopping boom that gave some businesses record sales,” The Standard reported.

At Oldrids in four weeks there had been a 180 per cent sale increase in the electrical department. They had also sold out of cards over a week before the 25th and almost cleared their stock of toys.

The Post Office reported a 3.7 per cent increase in the number of cards in circulation on last year, handing 937,000 from December 1 to 21.

“You wouldn’t believe there was a money shortage,” said Philip King, manager of Sally Morland.

“Money seems no object,” said local butcher Mr H. Dawson. “Everyone seems to have gone mad spending.”

- After 29 weeks in Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital, four-year-old Louise Rowe was all set to go home for Christmas, but then she slipped and broke her leg just a few days before her parents were due to take her home.

While Louise, of High Street, Gosberton, missed Christmas at home, she did get a special visit from Santa.