We moved to Canada when I was 11 years old (my birthday was on the boat coming over). We were still dressed as English boys, namely all of us except the baby had short pants. I remember standing on the deck in wind and rain and our legs literally turning blue. I also remember that they did roughly the same back in Blighty. I really wonder how a nation who was at the forefront of technology at the time, and which had an empire upon which the sun never set could be so, well, stupid at choosing clothing for their children. We arrived in Montreal on June 15, 1963

Canada

It was summer when we arrived in Canada, so our short pants sufficed for the time being. We soon learned that boys did not need a blazer and tie for going grocery shopping. Canadians were, at least at that time, much more practical. My mum, being a thrifty soul, started thinking about winter as soon as we got settled in our rented house. We were next door to a family with five boys, and I still keep in touch at Christmas with two of them. They had already lived in Canada for 10 years, and so they helped my parents fit into what was quite a different climate and culture than Britain. The neighbour's boys all had sweaters from Mary Maxim, so my mum immediately started knitting sweaters, hats, mitts, and snowpants for us. The adage "they'll grow into it" was widely applied, partly because things shrink in washing, and partly because of the work of making new clothing could be postponed for maybe another year. The neighbour boys had different patterns on each of their sweaters. My mum (perhaps to avoid arguments, or so she could spot us from a distance) made ours identical except for size. They had reindeer and trees. I don't know if it was a Mary Maxim pattern, but we had knitted pants just like the neighbours, which were blue/white mixed together in specks, and shaped like bib-top overalls. I remember that they were great when it was clear and cold, but snow stuck to the wool when the weather was warmer. If it was wet, there were waterproof pants that went on overtop of the knitted ones.

United States

Norway

I also noticed that HBC needed more information on Norway, and I know a bit about that because my daughter and two grandsons live there now. In contrast to the British way of dressing boys for summer in a cold and wet climate, the Norwegians seem to have long ago mastered the art of dressing children warmly. They have always dressed kids in "ullbukse", which translates to "wool pants". These are worn by themselves if the weather is cool, or under snowsuits if the weather is cold. But they are always worn in fall and winter, it seems. They are often knitted by mums and grans, always out of pure wool, but are also available commercially in sizes up to age 11. See the best examples at www.nostebarn.no and click on the button that relates to "2-16 ar", then find "ullribb-bukser". I really envy Norwegian kids in their warm clothing!