Christmas football was originally rooted in a wider tradition of communal entertainments on the 25th. While for the Victorian middle class, Christmas was a festival of the home, for the workers, who lived in cramped, overcrowded housing, getting out was often more important. Football, pantomimes, informal gatherings, community rituals and traditions all provided people with opportunities to socialize and enjoy the day off from work.
By the interwar period, people were noting how the festival was becoming more private than public. This was evident in reduced transport services, cinema showings and the like. Football held out longer. This was partly about men escaping domestic life for a few hours. But, by the 1950s, games on Xmas day seemed out of sorts with the wider festival. In that decade, there were greater expectations of men at home. Homes had also become more comfortable thanks to better furnishings, new housing stock, slum clearances and more affordable fuel. There was also more entertainment at home thanks to tv. Thus the idea of escaping family for a few hours was less desirable. Indeed, football attendances in general were falling during the 1950s.
But the real killer for Christmas day football was transport. Falling demand for Christmas day travel (thanks to the festival becoming more home based) and the desire of transport workers for a day off, meant rail and bus services were being curtailed. This made it difficult for both fans and players to get to games. The result was 1957 was the last time there was a full league fixture list in England on Christmas day.
By Christmas Day 1959, there were just two games scheduled in the Football League. This was down to requests from clubs but the uncertainty around what fans wanted was evident in one game kicking off at 11am and the other at 3pm. Reflecting on the change, the Lancashire Evening Post stated “Thank travel difficulties, religious grounds, the family Christmas, the Queen’s speech, [and] TV among other reasons for this [development].”
Players were certainly happy with the change. Although their contracts traditionally allowed them to refuse to play on Christmas day for religious reasons, few ever exercised this. But the change gave them a welcome chance to spend the day with their families
Martin Johnes 