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Christmas Presents

C

carolina

master brummie
What Christmas presents can you remember which brought back happy memories. One of my favourites was a cinderella watch in a glass slipper. I can remember a doll which my mom knitted all the clothes for and a pram to go with it, which on Christmas morning you were out in the street walking up down with it and looking at all the other kids who had the same, or a scooter, or a bike (usually second hand). My mom used to give me some money to buy my dad present which was normally 5 woodbines or packet of razor blades. Then my dad used to give me some money to buy mom something, which was normally a couple of bath cubes. The normal oranges, nuts and coins were in our pillowcases. There was nothing like Christmas morning going into our parent's bed to open them up. Dad had been downstairs earlier in the morning and lit the oven for the turkey so you could start to smell it cooking. A cup of tea and biscuits for mom in bed. Oh such happy days, not a lot to compared with today's presents, but still so memorable.
 
My Dad was a carpenter and he made me a 'tip up' wooden lorry about 3' long. I was so happy I took it out into the street and remember there was a 'pea-souper' fog on that Christmas day.
My sister and me aged about 11 went to Lewis's and bought a razor and razor blades for dad and a jig-saw puzzle for mom. It did not take much to please us in those days.
We had real small candles on our Christmas tree and I watched him light them on Christmas evening it looked magical....:peaceful:
 
I wouldn`t say it was my happiest, far from it,but when i was allowed to smoke in the house the first Christmas i had nothng but ciggies of all the family so much for originality ha
 
carolina said:
What Christmas presents can you remember which brought back happy memories. One of my favourites was a cinderella watch in a glass slipper. I can remember a doll which my mom knitted all the clothes for and a pram to go with it, which on Christmas morning you were out in the street walking up down with it and looking at all the other kids who had the same, or a scooter, or a bike (usually second hand). My mom used to give me some money to buy my dad present which was normally 5 woodbines or packet of razor blades. Then my dad used to give me some money to buy mom something, which was normally a couple of bath cubes. The normal oranges, nuts and coins were in our pillowcases. There was nothing like Christmas morning going into our parent's bed to open them up. Dad had been downstairs earlier in the morning and lit the oven for the turkey so you could start to smell it cooking. A cup of tea and biscuits for mom in bed. Oh such happy days, not a lot to compared with today's presents, but still so memorable.
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If I remember correctly the Cinderella watch was sold along side a Hoppalong Cassidy watch, I think they each cost 52/6p which would be £2.62 in todays money. A lot of money in those days!
 
Dad made me a dolls house, I've still got it and a few years ago I completely re-decorated it and made tiny things to go inside. I don't think he realised it would last so long!!!
Mum always made a Christmas stocking with a few nuts, a pencil, a satsuma, and a chocolate Father Christmas.
We used to buy Dad what he called "Wills' Whiffs" which were tiny cigars, Mum had "California Poppy" perfume.
Happy Days.
 
I remember my first wrist watch, an ingersoll with luminous hands. i used to try and and read the time under the bedclothes until it was time to get up.

Like most of my clockwork trains i think i managed to overwind it after a few weeks.
 
rosie how wonderful you still have the dolls house your Dad built what a treasure.

Neville I had a Timex and remember trying to see the luminous hands under the bed clothes...lol
 
Like Carolina I too was lucky enough to have the Timex Cinderella watch in glass slipper. I thought it was truly magical. But to my absolute horror after getting into the bath still wearing it, all the numbers floated off and settled around the centre where the hands joined. Was gutted as it never worked again. My other memorable present was a red tartan umbrella with wooden handle. I adored it. Aah simple pleasures ... Viv.
 
My favorite Xmas present was when Dad made me a model of a WW2 Yank Jeep on his fret saw. This I STILL have complete with string on front to pull along with (Have photo). Dad, every year would hand make something for us kids, What a change to now, Plastics from WalMart etc. Also remember the white pillow case full of goodies at the foot of the bed. John Crump OldBrit with happy memories, Parker, Co USA :encouragement:
 
I can remember having a new bike and promptly falling off it!!! I also remember my "big doll" who I named Dawn - no idea why - she is around 2' tall and originally had long blonde hair,which was replaced with a blonde bubble cut by the Dolls Hospital in Wilton market!!
We had stockings with sweets and novelties in and lots of smallpresents from the family.I can remember getting dad hankies and mom hankies and perfume or dress jewellry.
We used to visit my aunts and great aunts on Boxing day and they always had loads of food and chocolates, my Aunty Win made the best sherry trifle I've ever tasted and the Snowballs she mixed were yummy!
My great aunts wre devout Catholics and their Navity scene was beautiful, a crock one that we were only allowed to touch under supervision.
Christmas was amagical time for me as a child and teenager,but I think too much is spent today, there doesn't seem to be the pleasure in giving small items and memories.
Sue
 
Its the funniest thing but from all those childhood Christmas's and all the presents received I only have one vivid memory, it is dark I have woken up and felt the pillow case at the bottom of the bed with my foot, I creep out in the dark and cold and feel the shapes of the presents in there wrappings, I find the one I have been dreaming of getting, a small squat torch. this is no ordinary torch it has 3 lights red, white, and amber. I unwrap it and turn it on , it is the red lens turning the whole room into a red glow, I unwrap my other presents in this glow my soldiers and things and play in the cold and the red glow. I would be about 8 yr's old,
paul
 
When i was about 7/8 I had always wanted a fancy net ballerina dress and satin shoes. The one Xmas our Mom managed to get one Made for me. The net was as stiff as a board and rubbed blisters on my arms i still wouldn,t leave it off as i loved it so much. She also managed to get some secondhand ballerina shoes from the Newtown Market .On the Xmas morning i had gotten up really early and Mom had got a lovely fire burning and i caught her drying these ballerina shoes that she had obviously washed . I was told that Santa had dropped them off the sleigh and they had got wet in the snow i remember thinking thank god he had noticed that he had dropped them. I danced round like a fairy on a rockcake for days.
 
I don't remember much about presents at all, except one doll I had, with auburn hair, dressed in lemon knitted clothes. The one present I was given that my parents would NEVER forget (but I don't remember it) was one made by my father in the evenings after work.

My grandfather had been doing some decorating and I was apparently totally fascinated with the blow-lamp he used to burn off the old paint with. I, of course, wanted a blow-lamp for Christmas. I was close on three.

My father made one out of an empty Nescafe tin (the shallow one) complete with plunger that worked. He was very proud of it! On Christmas morning, however, I opened my present and was delighted - until of course, I found that it did not have flames coming out of it! I think my father was quite upset, as I had a bit of a paddy over the lack of fire. I doubt he ever made anything for me again, but my liking for tools has never abated!
 
me too pete, as they never had hardly any money, but always gave us kids (4) great christmas's. Thanks mom and dad.
paul
 
Paul and Pete, you both sum up what Christmas is about, not the quality or quantity but the thought behind the gifts, so hard earned by our families.
Thanks for reminding us!! and thanks to my mom and dad and relatives who I know chipped in to help!
Sue
 
I have so many happy memories of Christmas. We always had family round Grandma would help Mom with dinner and depending how much sherry they had depended on how good the dinner was lol. One of my favourite Christmas presents was my doll Susan who I had when I was 7.

Wendy_aged_7.jpg
 
Lovely photo Wendy.
58 years ago my sister and I both had dolls ,like Susan, for Christmas
Mine a brunette called Lynette and Norma called hers Valerie, she still has Valerie.
 
Thank you Paul and Lyn. I had a wonderful childhood and Christmas was the best ever. My mother always threw herself into Christmas. I remember stirring the Christmas cake to make a wish. Making paper chains collecting holly in Sutton Park. Mom would make beautiful table decorations an art she learned at Four Oaks Townswoman's Guild. The following Christmas I had the most beautiful coach built pram in dusky pink...I nearly exploded with joy!! Susan loved it...lol
 
One of my most memorable Christmas mornings was in 1942 or 1943 when there appeared a tatty carton crammed full of old Hornby 0-gauge clockiwork railway bits - locos, rolling stock, track and signals. Such treasures were of course wholly unavailable new, then, as the factories were all engaged on the manufacture of far less innocent equipment. And anyway it would have cost a fortune. So my father had no doubt pursued an advert in the "Mail" and penetrated some unknown part of the city to negotiate the purchase of these objects of desire.

They remained one of my most prized possessions for the next 68 years, despite becoming much the worse for wear and, as every lad of my generation will recall, eventually being superseded by even more desirable objects, Hornby Dublo. Until just last month in fact when the urgent need to declutter forced me to harden my heart and pass them to new ownership.

As I played with these things in the dark wartime days I often wondered - and still do in fact - who the original owner was and what he was doing at that moment. I hope he survived.

Chris
 
There are some lovely stories carolina. I love your story Chris and found it quite moving that you always wondered who the original owner of your treasured train was. I wish I still had Susan :(
 
Another couple of my favourite presents were a lovely jewellery box which was musical and had a ballerina turning inside when you opened the lid i was mad on anything that had a ballerina on it. Another was a sewing box which had satin inside . I Thought they were beautiful, infact when i married i left the sewing box at home as Mom had it full of buttons as she always used to take the buttons off things before throwing them away . She still had the box full of buttons until she passed away in 2002 so my sewing box is 50 years old now and full of memories.
 
The present I remember most vividly was a little pedal go-kart in the shape of Noddy's car. It was a tiny little thing really but at the time I could fit in it and I thought it was huge!
Had many a fun hour playing in that car :) Apparently though, when I first got it I was far more interested in the box in which it had come than the car itself! There's grateful!
 
I also remember having a manicure set, probably didnt realise though what all the parts were for, but I had it for many years. I also had a blue purse with a plastic cover and inside the cover was a 1d. In the end temptation proved too great and I split open the plastic and got the penny out.
 
Birminghamster, your post reminded me of when my son was about 2/3 years old, his father insisted we bought him a pedal car as he had always wanted one as a child but due to the war etc., never got one. It was a lovely car white with red seats, had lights, a horn, the works and cost £7.10s in 1961 which was nearly a week's wages. Our son ignored the car completely and had such fun crawling in and out of the large cardboard box. When he went outside with it eventually, the little girl next door but one drove it and he pushed her doll and pram!!!! Luckily he grew up straight.
 
We bought my son a yellow ride-along horse from Mothercare, the wheels could flip up to make a rocking -horse. He was terrified of it. There again he preferred the box!!
rosie.
 
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