EAST LANCASHIRE’S oldest woman asked her favourite Christmases during her 106 years have often been the simplest.

Mary Lord, of Rishton, urged people to remember the ‘true meaning’ of Christmas and said modern celebrations put too much emphasis on gifts.

The great-grandmother, who turns 106 on Wednesday, has lived through two world wars and remembers the days before cars, radio and television really changed life forever.

After experiencing more than a century of East Lancashire Christmases, she said modern celebrations favoured commercialism over the religious festival she grew up with.

Mrs Lord said in her earliest years Christmas dinner consisted of chicken, not turkey and she was lucky to get fruit, pencils or ribbons as gifts.

She said: “Sometimes we would even get an onion in our stocking! When I tell my grandchildren that they don’t believe me but we did.

“We would never go out on special outings or anything, everything was about being at home. I have always loved quiet Christmases and you would go round to the neighbours’ too. People were closer then and it would be nice to see more of that today.

“It seems to me now that people think it is the end of the world if they haven’t spent a lot of money and it didn’t used to be like that at all. We don’t celebrate Christmas to give presents, people forget why it is there.”

Rishton-born Mary began part-time work aged just 12 at Victoria Mill before becoming a full-time spinner at 13. Marrying James Lord, who worked at one of the Co-ops in Great Harwood in 1936, the couple had only one child Doreen, who died seven years ago.

Mrs Lord, whose father died in World War One, said people should count their blessings as long as they were together.

Planning to spend Christmas at her grandson’s home, she said: “I couldn’t say what my favourite Christmas has been. They all become mingled in your memory.

"The saddest were during the war because my father was away. Some of the happiest Christmases were when my daughter and husband were alive.

"Christmas was different when my family was complete and people should remember that one of the most important things is to be together and to remember the true meaning of Christmas.”