"Merry Blitzmas" Everyone
New Year's Eve hosts a series of celebrations and traditions that we long to keep even in the darkest of times, be it a global pandemic or a world war. In 1940, celebrating the new year came with an added danger in England, the blitz. Britons had been bracing themselves for falling bombs since that autumn. They held their gas masks close and stayed in underground bunkers if they were available. At the same time they were attempting to celebrate some of the most beloved holidays of the season.
In 1940, Britons went forward with Christmas and New Year's even though the Nazis were breathing down their neck and destroying everything they held dear. In spite of the horrific air raids that laid much of industrial England to waste and took tens of thousands of lives the country perservered.
In 1940, the English took to referring to the holiday season as "Blitzmas." They carried on with the spirit of Christmas while trying their best to stay cheery in the face of devastating air attacks from the German military. During this most strange of holiday seasons millions of people spent the night in underground shelters to stay safe from attacks.
By the final weeks of December this kind of living arrangement became so normal that Britons were hosting holiday parties in their shelters. They were singing and dancing, all while staying on the look out for a deadly surprise from the Nazis.
Life during wartime
The photo of two people kissing while wearing gas masks may look over the top, but it's not far from how people were actually living during the blitz. The non-stop attack began in earnest on September 7, 1940 when the Luftwaffe kicked a bombing campaign into high gear to destroy as much of the industrial and manufacturing portions of England as possible. On top of that, the Royal Family lived in London which put a huge target on the area.
The blitz lasted for nearly a year, with more than 71 attacks occurring in London in 267 days. To stay safe people stayed in shelters and took part in "blackouts," the act of covering their windows with heavy curtains to keep planes from seeing any light. At the same time they were rationing and doing everything they could to make sure the military had all of the food and material necessary to defeat the Nazis.
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?
The Royal Family weren't immune to the blitz by any means. During the holiday season they did their best to keep their traditions alive, although they also had to be adapted for the surreal and dangerous era. A Christmas card sent out by King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth showed anything but happy times. The couple posed in front of a portion of Buckingham Palace that was reduced to rubble.
Aside from the depressing Christmas card no one really knows what the Royal Family got up to on Christmas during the blitz. They understandably kept their location hush hush to make sure that the Nazis didn't surprise them in the middle of their family celebration.
Bah Humbug
The Royal Family kept their Blitzmas a muted and secret affair, but the people on the streets of England kept the spirit of the holiday alive, albeit with the flair of a country with a target on its back. Much of the normal holiday traditions were canceled outright. There was no caroling, no big light up decorations adorning the streets (for obvious reasons), and much of the celebrations went underground.
Because of rationing families had to forgo any kind of expensive or lavish meals in favor of what could be cobbled together and prepared in a shelter if necessary. Much like in America, England essentially shuts down during Christmas and New Year's. People are celebrating, they're spending time with their families, and they're taking a much needed break from work. That wasn't the case in 1940. Many workers went back to their jobs on Boxing Day to keep the war effort going. The country rightfully felt that there would be time to relax after the Nazis were defeated.
Christmas goes underground
Even though people had to work through the holiday and keep their celebrations to a minimum for reasons of both price and secrecy, Christmas and New Year's carried on. Even in the face of the most nightmarish of crises people want to celebrate. They want to find joy in the world wherever they can, and that's exactly what Britons did during the blitzkrieg.
The caroling that was banned from the streets of London went into the tunnels and catacombs of the bomb shelters. Performers put on Christmas Pantomimes for families, and they came together to entertain one another and keep each other company. By New Year's Eve people were keeping their gas masks close while they professed wishes for a better year. That wish came true on May 11, 1941, when the Germans moved their focus to Russia. The war wasn't over but the tide was turning.
