Spill the beans... on your happiest childhood Christmas memory

Getting to eat a whole box of mint Matchmakers instead of a proper breakfast - it felt very very naughty.

taping a digital watch to my and setting it for about 2am!!

Creeping down the stairs with my brother and hearing dad shout "Get back to bed!" as the stair squeaked!

I was sooooooooo excited that it was Xmas and Santa had been - i felt like an 8 year old child even though i was 22!!!

(just kidding - but i did tape a watch to my head!)

I apologise in advance, this might turn into a long post.

I'm going back a fair few years here, to the mid 70's when I was but a young girl.

In the many weeks leading up to this Christmas, my mom and I would gaze longingly at all the new foil decorations that seemed to be in abundance in Woolworths Christmas section. They were all shiny and glittery and were so new. My mom said one day we'd have some, but not this year......

Christmas was nearly upon us, and our house was about as festive as a gnat bite. Mom and dad had brought out the boxes of decorations from the loft, but on close inspection it was decided that the rolls of crepe paper streamers were just too tatty to hang that year. So, all we had was a small Christmas tree, with half the amount of decorations on it than we'd normally have.

Christmas Eve, off to bed I went, an excited little girl, scrunching my eyes up tightly; and wishing myself to sleep.

I don't know what time I woke on Christmas morn, but it was still dark. I can remember creeping downstairs, to see if Santa had been. Halfway down the stairs I stopped, (not sitting like Kermit) but curious as to what the glow was that was emitting through the glazed door of the hall into the lounge. I'll never forget the sight that greeted me when I opened the door. Bless my mom and dad, god knows how much they must have gone without, and how long they'd saved for. But the lounge looked spectacular. New, glistening decorations adorned the room, hanging prettily from corner to corner and draped over pictures, were some of the decorations that I'd gazed at over the previous weeks. Gone was the small tree, replaced by one that towered over me, shiny new baubles hanging amongst ones we'd had for years. Fairy lights twinking, smiling at me. Do you know, I can't for the life of me remember what presents I had that year, but I will never, ever forget that Christmas. I don't think I stopped looking at the tree all day... Just wonderful. I just wish I could tell my parents now, just how much that Christmas meant to me. God bless em.

Thank you Mom and Dad, for such a wonderful, wonderful memory. Merry Christmas.

JJ. that's a lovely memory.

I recall my parents used to take my by train up to London to see the lights down Oxford Street and Regent Street. As a treat we'd go into Hamleys and I'd get to play with all the new toys being released for Xmas. Unbeknown to me my mum or dad would sneak off and purchase one of two items that I'd really been interested in and I'd find them in my stocking or under the tree on xmas day. It's not so much 'getting the item' that I remember, but the feeling of surprise and realising that my parents had secretly picked the items for me that I really recall.

Christmas 1998 - my daughter, then aged 7, went to see Father Christmas. When he asked what she wanted, she said that she wanted her brother to get better. He had been born in April of that year and was given four hours to live. He survived, but was still poorly.

Fourteen years later, my daughter still loves her little brother very much, and he adores her. He still has major disabilities - he has Down's Syndrome and was also born with several rare abnormalities of the digestive system which required surgery the day he was born - but he is a happy young man. I also have a younger son, and we are, on the whole, a happy family, looking forward to Christmas.