The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on December 20, 2015, 12:35:53 am
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... best ever Christmas present when you were a child?
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My 1St drum kit!
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a second hand bike.
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A Trumpet ( proper one ) seemed to have disappeared by Easter.......
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My dolly, Susan
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Wumphs. He was a large brown and white dog pajama case.
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sit on train
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a table tennis set that went on the dining table! We played many tournaments on wet days.
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A donkey
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a table tennis set that went on the dining table! We played many tournaments on wet days.
We had one of those, great fun!
A donkey
I'm envious
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An electric train set.
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The outline of a dancing ballerina to stick on the wall.
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A wigwam. I rushed into mum and dads bedroom to say thank you for the presents that had been at the bottom of my bed and I was stopped in my tracks by this wigwam erected in their bedroom and it was for ME
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I've been thinking about this, having read the thread talking about what people spend on kids' presents these days.
If I think hard I can probably recall things like a bicycle, before that a Tri-ang scooter, that sort of thing, all of which I thoroughly appreciated and used a lot. I was a huge fan of Britain's farm animals, used to save up pocket money to buy animals and ask for money to put towards things like the farm base and buildings for birthdays and Christmas. Sis & I both loved Lego, too, and often used to ask for, and get, Lego. I loved making the gardens with all the little plants.
Oh, and I had an enormous collection of cuddly toys - hated dolls but loved toy dogs, bears and so on - so would usually ask for another each Christmas. Always to add to the collection, they were all very loved.
We'd be given board games - we loved Monopoly, Totopoly, Risk, Cluedo, etc. They'd be used all year, of course. If we hadn't used last year's game very much, it would be one of the presents that would go off to Dr Barnado's before Christmas. We had to send a few things off - at least one each - every year, so that the boys and girls there could have some presents and to make room for our new ones.
Spirograph provided hours and hours of entertainment for years. Nice packs of playing cards were often in our stockings, and they got lots of use too.
Painting by Numbers was always popular - again, hours of entertainment and a nice(ish) picture to enjoy thereafter. (Mine had always to be or include an animal, or I wasn't interested.)
Jigsaws ditto.
But of all the presents I was given as a child, two stick out in my memory the most.
'Zippie', a pyjama case that was a cuddly cat/bear type thing. I'd been told I had to save up the money myself. In fact I got halfway there, my grandmother put the other half and I got him for Christmas.
One of my aunts bought me two packs of crayons. They were Daley Rowney and I'd never had crayons I enjoyed using so much. I wasn't much of an artist, but they were so nice to use I did more colouring and sketching than I'd ever done before.
We were pretty well off, Dad was a Captain of Industry, but our presents weren't expensive. Looking back, I value them by the amount of entertainment they afforded, not by what they cost.
I begged for a pony every year, of course, but no such luck - or I'd have had a much shorter answer. :D
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I guess i have never been materialistic, this may sound ungrateful, i did have a chopper bike one year, but it didn't mean a thing, mum and dad where either working all the time, or arguing,
my dear old nan did knit me a jumper which i truly loved…until the 1st wash when it shrunk ;D
i still maintain, the best present was a drawing from my sister annie…i know it was a load of scribbles, but it was special
i think this year will have me getting the best present ever. all our children and grand children are coming down on the 27th…..now thats a present :thumbsup:
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My all-time favourite and, in fact, the only one I remember getting was a very old Remington typrewriter with a white blob on the T key (so I had to learn where it was) when I was about 14. My auntie, uncle and three cousins were staying so, with my brothers and me, that made six children. The other five ignored their presents and queued up to have a go on my typewriter.
My mum remembers the year that my younger brother, aged about 12, was desperate for a bike for Christmas and there was no way the budget would run to it. One day my mum saw a secondhand bike for a couple of pounds in a shop. It was very rusty but she told my dad who went to have a look, saw that the frame was sound so bought it. They spent evening after evening, once we were in bed, sanding it down, replacing spokes and painting it. Christmas morning my brother rushed into the sitting room when we were told we could get our presents and stopped dead. He was not at all demonstrative but he yelled, "Yabba Dabba Doo!" at the top of his voice and threw himself at my mum, wrapping his arms AND legs round her. She says that that reaction made all the late nights and sore fingers worth it.
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I don't remember many gifts but one was a farmyard set to build a barn and stables from flat pieces. Came with sheep and a cow, and 2 horses, can't recall hens but maybe they were too small for wee ones to play with. Definitely a treasure at the time and obviously a good choice as I already had the dream!
This year I have recently found a wee cleaning job which is going to make a difference to my likelihood of hanging on a bit longer both financially and emotionally. To be chosen for something and just wanted around is enough right now to brighten a very dark and depressing time. No wrapping or ribbons but the best I can think of in a very long time? A year ago I couldn't have physically managed it either, so it is also a reminder of the one thing that's gone well this year. I plan to mull myself some wine later and drink it all to celebrate the news.
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Oh, now Susan the dolly came to mind first but Sally reminded me of Britains farm animals. I LOVED them - don't really rememebr getting them for Christmas but I always got to pick one (one, mind) from JB Rae's shop in Primrose Street in Alloa, after I had been to the dentist. I also saved up birthday and Christmas money to buy them.
My cousin, who's eight years older than me, had masses of them including machinery and a bale elevator. I was hugely envious, especially since he didn't play with them anymore.
Also Fuzzy Felts. I loved them. I had the Jungle and the Farm and a horsey one. Spent hours. And Lego.
I DID construct a Lego windmill yesterday evening. Oh, the luxury of having bricks shaped as roof tiles. Kids today don't know they're born ::)
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I DID construct a Lego windmill yesterday evening. Oh, the luxury of having bricks shaped as roof tiles. Kids today don't know they're born ::)
I KNOW! My second cousin (cousin's daughter) visits regularly, and last time we played with some Lego kits (as well as doing a bit of knitting - she's coming on really well.) All the bits and pieces to make up service vehicles and personnel and so on .. what fun!
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Lego must be one of the few toys that have stood the test of time (other than dolls and toy cars/trains). My brother had one of the early sets - red or white bricks and a green base and that was it. That must have been in the late 50s/early 60s. When I see what my grandchildren have in the way of Lego and think back, I am amazed.
Just googled it and Lego was first brought out in 1932 so earlier than I thought, but not until 1960 in UK. http://www.lego.com/en-gb/aboutus/lego-group/the_lego_history (http://www.lego.com/en-gb/aboutus/lego-group/the_lego_history)