Childhood Christmas Presents

skogar

Have greatly enjoyed reading the thread about what childhood everyday dishes people remember eating.

My Dad grew up in the late 40s, early 50s in a large family, rationing was still in force and there was little money to spare. He tells how the Christmas presents they received were second hand that might be repaired and repainted by his Dad and that one year the main present to all the children was something that had been lent to the family on a long term loan. :shocked:

I wondered if other forumites who grew up in this or other eras had similar tales to tell. I would love to hear them. I've also realised that my Dad only told me of the presents that they received from their parents and not if the children gave each other presents. I wondered if they did and if so what they were, homemade or otherwise. Please tell.

Linda32

Sometime around 1977 I got a chalk board and easel. I still remember now how my Mum and Dad set it up at the bottom of the bed. I was so excited to play.

I also got a Post Office Counter but I was a little to young to understand it.

gt568

My work colleagues think I'm odd as I give the kids toothpaste as a present.

GreyQueen

My Dad is in his late seventies and recalls one childhood Christmas, probably 1950, when his Dad made him a wooden aeroplane and his sister a doll's cradle. They were very poor. Christmas stockings would feature a tangerine, some nuts, and maybe a very small cheap toy.

There's a 1960s picture of me aged two in front of a Christmas tree clutching a stuffed panda which was my present from Grandma. Other things I can remember were a Tiny Tears doll, books and clothes, and little trinkety things from the stocking.

Oh, and we both got Slinkies one year, they were great.:rotfl:

blackcatsx2

I was so happy when I got Tiny Tears for Christmas and delighted that a neighbour “aunty Joyce” had knitted tiny tears a purple dress and matching knickers. I also got one of the toy baby bottles of milk that when you tilted it the milk seemed to disappear.

Linda32

I've just remembered about a sort of teddy that my Brother got which only had one foot (it was made like that) We called him Bunny One Foot :rotfl:

suki1964

I was a child during the 60's

Very few toys, perhaps dad got hold of a broken up dolls house and he made it up again (I remember me dad actually doing this )


Christmas was always new undies and jammies, a selection box, a game, and a naff plastic stocking that was like a lucky bag? Held things like a blow the ball in the net, a water colouring book etc

We opened santas pressies in the morning. After dinner it was open the pressies under the tree which were from friends and family.

Always an annual like Blue Peter, a lot of home knits , and books

Funny that nowadays, we open our pressies after dinner

They always say we emulate the Christmas of our childhood

elsien

Parent's family had a Christmas stocking which always had a tangerine, nuts and new underwear. I think anything else was made for them.

Hard_Up_Hester

I received a Rosebud doll one year.

skogar

In later years more of our presents were bought ones but earlier on I think more were probably home made. My Dad made us all a fabulous dolls house with windows, little electric lights and wall papered and carpeted with samples. There were even tiny artifical flowers in holed in the window booxes. It's still going strong although there are no flowers left in the window boxes.

gt568 - Yes but what lovely teeth they have. We used to get deodrant in our stockings as teenagers. :rotfl:

Suki - My family do the same stockings in the morning and presents were after lunch and the washing up had been done, dried up and put away. My mum was most insistent on the putting away bit.

Linda - It's always the odd things you remember. We had a relation who used to give us very odd presents but we used to really look forward to them as we never knew what it would be. I'm sure we remember them far better than ones that were much more suitable. We had a chalk board and easel too but I was too young to remember if it was a Christmas present.

Hester - I hadn't heard of the rosebud doll - had to look them up.

Elsien. My Dad always thought that a tangerine and nuts went in a stocking so I'm sure their's were the same, however I'm not sure how easy it woud have been too get hold of the tangerines.

Grey queen - I had a slinky too one year - very exciting.

Black cat - My sister had one of the tiny tears bottles with the milk in.

Sayschezza

I was born 1944. It was usually a few of the following;

Post Office set (cardboard box with pretend stamps, envelopes etc)
Tin of toffees with a twee picture on the front of a puppy or kitten.
Shop with pretend sweets,
Colouring book and crayons.
Box of hankies.
Books