The way we were
With all things 80s in the limelight, it’s time for a festive flashback
We’ve been loving this year’s 1980s throwbacks – from sci-fi epic Stranger Things to Sam Mendes’ nostalgic film Empire of the Light.
The final two episodes of Stranger Things were so popular that Netflix crashed, and when it featured Kate Bush’s song Running up That Hill, the 1985 hit topped the UK charts for three weeks.
Top Gun: Maverick perfected the sequel formula to become 2022’s most successful film at the box office. And Back to the Future: The Musical was an award-winning West End hit.
The jury’s out as to how long it takes for a nostalgia cycle to kick in, with 30-40 years usually assumed to be the point when those in positions of influence relive their youth and create a revival. So with the 1990s waiting in the wings, we’re celebrating a wave of 80s-inspired culture. Roller skates at the ready, as we transport you back to fun, flamboyant and ever-so-cheesy Christmases past.
What were we watching on Christmas Day?
‘Morecambe and Wise!’ we hear you cry. And you’d be right, but only just – their last Christmas Day outing was in 1980 (ITV). We might have been introduced to Spitting Image and The Young Ones in the 80s but festive fare tended to be more traditional. The comedy vacancy was filled by The Two Ronnies, Russ Abbot, with a bit – not a lot – of Paul Daniels’ magic. Once the teenagers had snuck away from the table to watch the Top of the Pops Christmas special, and HM the Queen had addressed the nation, the family would settle in for the big film. Would it be Back to the Future, Superman or Indiana Jones? We had no choice, so we watched together. On one little screen.
What were we wearing?
Assuming you’d set aside your leg warmers and neon workout gear and saved your shell suit for Boxing Day, you might have plumped for a taffeta puffball. Or you’d have emulated Princess Diana in tartan, a lace-collared top, shoulder-padded blazer or cocktail dress. Fast fashion wasn’t a thing and the designer was king. Hair was big, backcombed and hairsprayed into place. And jewellery was outsize.
What were we eating?
The Christmas party table would have included ready salted Golden Wonder crisps and cheesy balls that smelt as if they’d been around since the 1970s. Cheese cubes and pineapple chunks were skewered on cocktail sticks, and served on half a grapefruit, covered in tin foil. Quiche Lorraine and a Gala pie (with an egg in the middle) would have been offset with sandwiches, crusts removed.
And to drink?
Having mercifully moved on from Babycham,
