Spill the beans... on your happiest childhood Chr...

[MSE Sally]

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


'Tis once again the season to eat, drink and be merry. But we'd like to know what was your most special moment at Christmas (or other winter-time festival) from your childhood? We hope by sharing, you'll spark ideas for a new generation of parents.

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[Tiglath]

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

[vikki_louise]

I remember waking up wondering if Father Christmas had been but I didn't want to open my eyes or seem awake incase he had just landed. I slowly wiggled down the bed and with my feet I felt my stocking was full and I was so excited!

So many happy memories I could go on all day but all the memories are special times spent with my family (like my dad and I decorating the tree and doing a big reveal to my mum) rather than present or expensive treat based. So many parents get caught up in gifts=happiness but happiness is found elsewhere

[Ivrytwr3]

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!)

[Bennifred]

Having extended family all crammed into the house (people sleeping in every nook and cranny - mainly on the floor!) and adults spending time talking to and playing with the children. Fizzy pop!

Receiving the purple plastic handbag that I'd lusted after but had no expectation of ever getting from the Avon book, lol!

[JJ.]

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.

[mrbilbs]

Back in the day late 1970s / early 1980s me, mum and dad and grandparents all used to go and watch a panto on christmas eve then back home to neck end stew and dumplings that had been bubbling away on the stove while we were out. Im amazed the house didnt burn down!
My kids wouldnt go near neck end these days so we have our own tradition and have a big christmas eve lunch at a local restaurant where we meet up with lots of family and friends - its then over to grandmas (my mums) in the evening for supper and games!

[kerri gt]

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.

[themull1]

I got a 'dancing bear' one year, it had elastic under its feet that you slip onto your feet, and it danced with you!! Nearly as big as me!! and one year i got a Sweet April doll set with the doll, highchair, buggy and swing, and a Mary Quant cardboard doll set that you dressed with push out dresses with tabs on them. Happy days!!!

[kingfisherblue]

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.

[missindecisive]

I can't think of one. My Dad always used to spoil it in one way or another and my mum was treading on egg shells, think that's always stayed with me.

[zaksmum]

My darling old dad used to come downstairs early and light the fire...he had a way of doing it by layering firewood and twists of old newspapers and lighting it all with a long match.

He worked all the hours God sent, but was off on Christmas Day.

The memory of coming downstairs on Christmas morning to a freshly lit fire and my dad smoking his special Christmas treat of a single Hamlet cigar, and the smell of his Brylcreem in the air, still brings a lump to my throat.

[islandgirl8]

Originally Posted by JJ.

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.

This made me cry! Thanks for sharing.

[Morganarla]

Mine was when I was about 5 or 6.

I was a massive My Little Pony fan (the original ones, not these crappy things they seem to sell these days).

I walked into the lounge with my little blue dressing gown, and there in front of me, was Father Christmas's gifts.

Over 200 ponies (some duplicates of course), all the buildings, all the accessories, spread all over the lounge floor, the sofa, the armchairs, everywhere.

My Mum snapped a pic of me when I saw the spread, my Dad is behind me, grinning away, and of course my face is a picture.

I was amazed and delighted. I still have every single item, plus other the other ponies I had before this wonderful Christmas.

Many years later, Mum told me of how they had come to get so much stuff. We were very hard up in those years, barely scraping by. Dad was getting up at ridiculously early hours to go to various carboot/scrap sales, to look for things to sell (home business as a car and parts trader), but would also spend time scouring round for My Little Pony's for me.

So he gathered up a few that way, but the bulk of it came from a trader at the Tatton Park American Car Show (we traded as a family every year at the Classic and American) that he and Mum had got chatting to. Somehow (if I remember correctly), they secretly drove to collect all the stuff, the buildings and everything, and hid it from me until Christmas.

Knowing just how much they were struggling at the time, really makes me appreciate this gift so much more. I didn't care that they were secondhand, and that some of the ponies were clearly well loved before me. My little eyes were like dinner plates, and I treated and loved those ponies so much. All their manes and tails are still brushed and braided up in the loft, and I never lost one, not a single one of Majesty's golden horseshoes.

Will never forget it.

[Clara2141]

JJ. - that made me cry - sat at my desk at work. It is a lovely story.

For me it's not something I can remember but a video of my first Christmas. I was born in 1986 before home video cameras were really available, however my uncle ran a production company so he brought his big, over the shoulder camera to video it.

I am the first born on my Dad's side and so it was a big deal for the family. I was 10 months old so could play with the presents including my first doll and cradle and a spinning top and shape sorter. They were all very over excited but I wanted to play with the boxes they came in.

The most important part for me now is that it shows my parents happy and together - they split when I was around 5 years old so I have few memories of them as a happy couple. They were so excited to see me playing with the dolls' cradle they bought me.

Whilst I have shed a tear of two watching it it's a very treasured possession along with my christening video and all the subsequent Christmas videos after that. I cannot thank my Aunt and Uncle for that fantastic gift enough.

Another I can remember is being at my Dad's on Christmas day when I was about 8 years old. I woke at about 1:00 and went to see if "he" had been. I chickened out through and slinked back to our room and hurried back to bed. I then heard my dad's wife at the time come and check on me. That year we were allowed to open our presents at 5:00 before she went to work as a nurse and so had every child's dream of an early morning Christmas.

My mother, who had us in the evening was none too impressed with two over tired children by 17:00 though!

One my my adulthood - three years ago I queued up after a 12 hour night shift to get Bobby Charlton to sign his new book for my Dad (a HUGHE fan). When he opened it he looked said "oh that's nice" and went to put it to one side. When he finally saw the front page he began to cry he loved it so much, made the 3 hour queue after no sleep worth every minute.

Sorry - that's really long....

[debbiesmum]

The year my two sisters and my brother and I all got bikes! Mum and Dad made us go downstairs with our eyes closed (I remember scratching my legs against a jug of holly on the landing!) and the 4 bikes were all lined up in the downstairs bedroom. Oh the joy.
It's very poignant as my Dad died a couple of years later aged only 36.

[debbiesmum]

Happiest memory as an adult was when my husband and I took our daughter, then aged 4, to see Santa in a big store in Glasgow. It was during the week and quiet but she suddenly turned shy in front of Santa.

He asked her name - "Debbie" she replied. "And what age are you and where do yu come from"? She replied "I'm 4 and from xxxxx".

He said to her "Are you the Debbie from xxxxx who was 3 last year"?

I could have kissed him as when we came out Debbie said "Oh he remembered me"!!!!!!!!!!!

He probably said that to every child but he made our daughter feel so special.

[lanavdt]

Originally Posted by islandgirl8

This made me cry! Thanks for sharing.

ALmost set me off too!

[Bmoleary]

My happiest memory is of christmas day evening when all my great aunties & uncles & cousins would come round, to our house with my grandad, mum, dad & sister, we'd play dominoes & sing songs, then out would come the turkey butties, such happy memorable times, will live with me forever!!!

[Bmoleary]

Originally Posted by missindecisive

I can't think of one. My Dad always used to spoil it in one way or another and my mum was treading on egg shells, think that's always stayed with me.

Awe what a shame, how sad. I hope youv'e made up for it since !!