WITH only two days until December 25, we take a look back to the Christmas of 1953, when families were determined to be merry — even though food rationing was still in force.

With no supermarkets at the time and few fridges and freezers, families bought fresh poultry, often locally reared, and as Christmas approached police and special constables intensified their watch on local farms to prevent turkey rustling.

It resulted in 2,700 birds being stolen, the smallest number since 1944.

Sadly an outbreak of fowl pest in Trawden meant 5,000 birds destined for the Christmas table had to be destroyed.

Around East Lancashire fresh turkeys from the butcher cost 5s 6d a lb, while pheasants, English hares and wild duck were also available.

In Burnley a third of the town’s ration was pork and the rest made up of beef and lamb, while there were plenty of cock chickens, at 5s a lb, one of the most popular choices at the time.

In Accrington, the 2s 2d meat ration was being rigor-ously enforced, while in Blackburn butchers had beef but little lamb.

The first consignment of Jaffas were 3s a lb, with traditional sprouts 4d a lb and carrots 2½d.

Did you know that in the fifties, factories in Accrington and Blackburn turned out around 10 million Christmas cards each year — more than anywhere in the world?

The workers, mostly women, were either gold gummers, spraying the gold margins with a paint stray; ribbon twisters or tassle tiers. Gummers-up, on the other hand, pasted in the greeting slips.

It was a happy Christmas in Accrington that year, as the Employment Exchange reported full employment in the town.

Eight years after the end of the war, shelves were reported to be groaning under the weight of more and better goods and traders predicted the best-ever shopping rush.

Many folk used to save in Christmas clubs run through the year, while it was reported cotton workers had £250,000 to spend, with bonuses paid in the run up to December 25.

That year, the first citizen of Blackburn, Coun R Weir, had nine engagements on Christmas Day, visiting hospitals, orphanage and alms houses, while the Mayor of Burnley Coun H Hudson, was out on his rounds by 8.30am.

Bacup’s mayor, Ald Herbert Lund led the carol singing round the tree in St James Square, which continued long after it had all officially ended.

Whalley parish church was floodlit for the first time, while the arrival of electricity and television to Bowland meant a change to the tradition of parties round the piano..

In Blackburn the Majestic cinema was open on Christmas Day, while the Vic in Burnley staged the novelty pantomime The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.In those days, football was then played on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with teams facing each other home, then away.

Blackburn had games against Doncaster Rovers, who then led the 2nd division, Burnley played local rivals Preston and Accrington had bad tempered matches with Halifax.

In the true spirit of Christmas, Blackburn Ragged School made up 100 beribboned baskets which were delivered to the sick and infirm by superintendent minister the Rev P Royston-Bishop.