How has Christmas changed in 50 years and what will it be like this year with cost of living pressures?

Every family experiences Christmas differently and, just as Australia has changed over the last 50 years, so has the way the festive season is celebrated.

Here’s a look at how much has changed in recent times and what drove the changes between Christmas 1973 and what we expect this year.

What were the days before Christmas like in 1973?

In 1973, the most dominant type of family was a mother, father and children living in what would probably have been a house they were about to buy or already owned, according to ANU demographer Liz Allen.

“Dad would have been the main breadwinner and mom would have taken on most of the unpaid household work, including childcare,” she said.

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Back then there wasn’t as much annual leave for most workers and holidays, especially abroad, were much less common.

Mahitha Ramakrishna and her husband James Duguid, who live in Ryde in Sydney, used to travel abroad every year during Christmas time.

But this year, with his family facing cost of living pressures, they will travel to Newcastle with his son Gyan Duguid-Rao to visit his family.

“It’s also a kind of holiday that we don’t have to pay for,” Mrs. Ramakrishna said.

Mahitha Ramakrishna and her husband James Duguid have changed their usual Christmas plans due to the cost of living crisis.(Supplied: Mahitha Ramakrishna)

In 1973, most Christmas preparations would normally have been done by mothers, who visited retail stores close to home in the weeks leading up to December 25 to slowly accumulate all the food, toys and treats needed for Christmas. celebrations.

As the traditional religious approach to Christmas waned between the early 1970s and now, economic, technological, cultural and social changes were propelling Christmas towards the spending bonanza it typically is these days.

“Australians say (this year) they will start buying gifts, on average, a couple of months before Christmas,” Dr Allen said.

It’s not just about being prepared.

“People are more savvy about sales, not necessarily post-Christmas sales, but pre-Christmas sales, like Black Friday,” Dr. Allen said.

And for many of us planning to buy Christmas gifts online, the ACCC has warned that online fraud is widespread in the run-up to December 25.

Most people will still go to brick-and-mortar stores to buy their Christmas gifts, but almost half of us will also buy gifts online.(ABC News: John Gunn)

We also used to spend a lot more time sending Christmas cards.

While records do not go back 50 years, Australia Post told the ABC that in 2016, 16.6 million stamps were sold in the run-up to Christmas.

Last year, that number dropped to 6.1 million.

What happened that day?

Spending time with family was more the focus of Christmas in 1973, and children generally received far fewer gifts than those now waiting for them under the tree.

“We could estimate an average expected expenditure of probably about half as much on Christmas gifts for the immediate family in the early 1970s compared to today,” Dr. Allen said.

“It would have focused more on the Christmas experience: getting together, time spent, food, playing with family and kids… seeing extended family.”

Fifty years ago, spending on gifts for the family was about half of what is spent today.(ABC News: Sam Ikin )

The notion of family has changed since 1973 and is no longer just about biological ties.

With families further apart and more people likely to move across the country these days, Christmas is also no longer limited to a single day like it once was.

“Now, due to the arrangements of family and friends and the time afforded to us by the modern (annual) holidays, all of December is dedicated to Christmas,” Dr. Allen said.

The beach has always been a popular place for Christmas holidays in Australia.(ABC News: Kenith PNG)

Ramakrishna, who is Hindu, said that because his son was only 17 months old, Christmas was not yet “a big deal” for him.

She will put up a small tree and buy some gifts for him and his nieces and nephews.

Other family members and friends line up for homemade cookies and hugs, Ramakrishna says.

“In our circle of friends we are all considering how to save money,” he said.

For Ramakrishna and his family, Christmas is not “some great ritual or ceremonial.”

“It’s a holiday to get together with family,” he told ABC.

However, 50 years ago religion, particularly the Christian faith, would have played a larger role in most families’ Christmas celebrations.

Christmas is one of the busiest periods for churches.(ABC News: Lillian Rangiah)

The move away from the religious focus

Churches are still busy at Christmas, but the religious aspects of the holiday (even one that celebrates the birth of Christ) are not, for many people, the focus of the day as they were in 1973.

“People may have Christian views, but not necessarily practice Christianity and celebrate Christmas as they did before,” Dr. Allen said.

The number of Chinese-born Christian Australians has increased over the past decade.(Supplied: Xiaofeng Hou)

Bucking the trend in the wider community, the number of Chinese-born Australians who are Christians (mostly Catholic) has increased over the last three censuses (2011-2021).

Xiaofeng Hou was introduced to Christianity by friends in 2000, after arriving in Melbourne from Beijing the previous year.

Xiaofeng Hou (center) said Christmas was a time to share joy and help other people. (Supplied: Xiaofeng Hou)

After two years of confinement due to COVID-19, last year it organized a Christmas Eve concert.

“Many friends who had never heard Christian hymns before were reluctant to leave after the concert, expressing their surprise at how beautiful and moving these hymns were,” he said.

“The atmosphere was filled with peace, love, warmth and harmony. When we sang Silent Night, in addition to the candles, the entire audience turned on the flashlights on their phones.”

How has the Christmas party changed?

By 1973, a much more European notion of Christmas was prevalent throughout Australia.

The big lunch or dinner used to be a roast, and seafood was not as popular as it is today.

Generally, most of the work of preparing the family party, decorating, and overall success of the day was done by women.

“(It was) a hot meal that Mom, or the women in the family, would slave over for hours while the children played with the presents they had just opened after Mom obediently wrapped them,” Dr. Allen said.

Eating is still an important part of the Christmas celebration, but what’s on the table has changed.(Pixabay)

Family meals were often more formal, with parents strictly controlling language at the table and ensuring that children were respectful of older generations.

“Then dinner is over, the kids go play…the dads then lie down on the couch and unbuckle a notch in their belt to accommodate the big giant feast,” Dr. Allen said.

“Then the women of the family cleaned up and then prepared for the next day, Boxing Day.”

Dr Allen said that in 2023 men are likely to play a larger role in Christmas work.

Perhaps that helps explain why one of the things that has changed dramatically is the amount of alcohol that goes along with the Christmas party.

“Australians now consume much less alcohol than they did in the ’70s, so while alcohol can still feature in celebrations, it’s not what it was in the ’70s,” Dr Allen said.

Mrs. Ramakrishna and her family usually have a big Christmas lunch, but this year she won’t be the host.

“It’s very expensive, as you can imagine,” Ramakrishna told ABC.

“I’ll probably help with all the cooking and stuff, but I won’t buy any of the ingredients… and we’re lucky that that happens because (my extended family) is in a position to be able to afford it.”

How do cost-of-living pressures affect plans?

Despite the cost of living crisis, Dr Allen said it looked like Australians, on average, were going to spend more than last year.

Xueli Zhao and her church friends organized donations so that families in need would not be left without Christmas gifts this year.(Supplied)

The reason for this is a change in the type of day that Christmas is now.

“We’ve gone from more emotional experiences to experiences that are gifts,” Dr. Allen said.

Marketing and messaging about what makes a good Christmas has helped drive the change, which Dr. Allen said has made life more stressful for low- and middle-income people with children.

Dr. Allen says data from a recent Monash University survey shows that, on average, Australians will spend 13 per cent more than in 2022.

“Despite the increase that could be attributed to inflation, the data suggests that people are spending more on more people,” Dr. Allen said.

This year, some parents will sacrifice things as gifts for their friends and partners.

Mrs. Ramakrishna and her husband will not buy whatever gift they want this year.

Instead, they’ll use their regular gift budget to buy what they need: a new vacuum cleaner.

Dr Zhao has had her gift budget reduced due to the cost of living pressures many people face heading into Christmas.(Supplied)

Xueli Zhao is a community group leader for Chinese elders at a Richmond tavern in Melbourne.

He said he had felt the impact of the rising cost of living, as had his fellow parishioners.

Dr Zhou, originally from Shanghai, told ABC that they had organized donations for families in need so that children would receive Christmas gifts that their parents might not be able to afford.

You also need to think a little more about what to get your great-granddaughter for Christmas due to rising costs.

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