When the party was over, we were each given a little bag containing an apple and an orange.
I used to attend Priory Infant and Junior School, Tynemouth, starting when I was five (the enrolling year for children then), and we had Christmas parties.
I can remember one occasion, very, very shortly before Christmas, when I was six years old, we had the party on the last day of term, before breaking up for the Christmas festivities. When the party was over, we were each given a little bag containing an apple and an orange.
After that, I also remember coming home by myself and trudging through snow. If any young child these days had the same circumstances everyone would shout “Oh they shouldn’t be allowed to do that!” But I always arrived safely home.