Christmas in Belfast

Christmas in Belfast at the height of 'The Troubles'. Not the most wonderful time of year.

Traditional holiday activities and images - Santa on his sleigh, the tree outside City Hall, a children's choir - are punctuated by reminders that not all is as it should be. British Army jeeps prowl the streets and shoppers make small talk as they have their bags searched at security checkpoints.

The film concludes with interviews with religious representatives of the Catholic and Protestant communities. Despite the difficulties that are apparent, they sound a note of optimism and envisage better times ahead. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.