h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The firm my dad worked for put on a Christmas party each year for the children of its employees. There was usually food and black and white comedy films - the Three Stooges (who I never really liked), or Charlie Chaplin. Then there were games and we would troop in in age groups, divided into boys and girls and go to see Father Christmas to receive presents. Some were quite decent, as I remember.

The firm also had a works outing and paid for one parent and one child to go to Blackpool each year and to see the Circus at the Tower Ballroom. In those days, it had Reginald Dixon on the organ and Charlie Caroli as the main clown. Charlie Caroli was the 'auguste' and did a lot of slapstick, eg decorating scenes, and there was another clown in a spangly costume, white face and pointy hat, who was a marvellous instrumentalist. He played trumpet really well. There were animal acts with elephants and cages would be brought into the ring for lions and tigers. At the end of the evening, down would go the floor and the ring would fill with water for a specacular water scene.

Speaking of holidays, our town would close down (well, the factories would close) for a week and most people went on holiday at the same time. Different towns had different holiday weeks. We always thought the weather saved up rain for them.