After Father Christmas had ‘been’ my sister and I used to burst into the front room and run gleefully to our piles of presents. They were always heaped in the same place and the minute the door opened I knew exactly where to head.
Aged six, you’re not capable of showing much restraint so Christmas morning came and I rushed to my pile. As my sister Hannah and I opened our gifts I don’t remember it ever dawning on me Han had some more sizeable and expensive pressies than mine. When gift opening was finished I started to play with my new toys and books.
I remember my Mum mentioned there was one more present for me. Turning on my heels I was met with a dust sheet covering a large object in the bay window. I hurriedly unveiled the present that had been top of my Christmas list; a rather flimsy yellow and white plastic desk complete with animal shaped sellotape dispenser and stamp pads. It was the best gift I ever received. I literally could not believe something I wanted so much was now mine. My grandparents even gave me the matching typewriter.
While we all know Christmas isn’t just about the presents, that year the 25th December was utterly magical. I felt like the luckiest girl alive. I must have been really, really, REALLY good that year.
These days I can’t say I would be as pleased with a plastic desk, though I do love Ikea furniture so I would try my very best to be grateful.
One of my friends gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on Monday so this year we’ve already had a fabulous early Christmas present. There’s nothing quite like the arrival of a loved one to truly put in to perspective what the season is all about. The Sainsbury’s Christmas advert where the Dad came home from Afghanistan got me every single time!
Hearing good news, a simple handmade gift, a handwritten christmas card or something all together more extravagant are all contenders for the title of best gift ever. With just a week to go before the big day what’s the most memorable Christmas present you’ve ever received? Oh and by the way the way the image above obviously isn’t of my parent’s house, it’s taken from Cococerise.
Christmas is just so magical when you are a child and your desk sounds extremely exciting! The Christmas prezzie that sticks in my mind from childhood was a fluorescent pink and bright purple bike complete with those little beads that click clack on the spikes when you ride it. It kind of had a bike hub cap thing on the back wheel with a dolphin on it and it had 6 GEARS! 6 gears was 3 more gears than the current best bike on my road – I was destined to be the coolest kid on the road! RESULT! I literally thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! However, I’m hoping that this year might actually top the pink and purple bike as I currently sit here a day overdue with my first baby – a little boy! I’m very much hoping he decides to make an appearance before Christmas and thus be the very best Christmas gift my husband and I could ever be blessed with! Fingers crossed he doesn’t miss the big day! I can’t wait to meet the little chap!
Oh yes those spikes. They were truly amazing! I’m sure I used to make my parents buy me Shreddies because they used to come with free bead things.
Fingers crossed your little Christmas baby makes an appearance very soon x
I loved the beads on my bike! I definitely forced my parents to buy cereal just for them! My best ever Christmas pressie was a Raleigh Black Magic bicycle. It was beautiful. It had streamers and everything! It was my pride and joy until I outgrew it.
Ermmmm that shoot you linked to………….amazing!!! Why does my house not look this stylish?! haha
As for prezzies my most vivid memory is of the year my brother & I got a swing & slide set in the garden. After opening ALL our prezzies (like you we had no restraint! haha) we were given a tiny box labelled from our grandparents. Inside was a little Sylvannian family swing & slide set with a note telling us to go into the back garden……and there is was! Our very own swing & slide!
Excited was not even the word!
Memories like this remind me why I always have and always will love Christmas! I make it my duty to try my darn hardest to make my gorgeous nieces & nephews experience the same excitement! 🙂
This year one of my nieces is getting a Scalextric – although there is a strong possibility Mr M & I might be more excited about this than her!!! haha xx
Oh Rebecca this is so cute! Genius idea on your Grandparents part using Sylvanian’s as a teaser.
I got an email to say my Niece’s present has gone out of stock. I am absolutely gutted 🙁
Oh no! How terrible!
I know the feeling! We had actually bought the same niece a pair of H&M Hello Kitty hi-tops first. But then saw a pic on FB of her in some new H&M Hello Kitty DMs that were pretty much identical! Poor sis-in-law felt awful when she realised!
But all worked out in the end! However much I love a good Hello Kitty gift, Scalextric will definitely be a better !! haha
Will keep my fingers crossed for you xx
Playing with a scalextric on christmas day will be ace.
The company I ordered from are sending me a suitable replacement to the super duper fabulous retro roller boots I ordered. Let’s hope it really is suitable!
When I was little…the most gorgeous rocking horse. Santa had put it at the end of my bed but I ran out of the room in such a state of excitement I didn’t see it, despite it being about 3 times the size of me. Was amazing! When I was a young teen….a pair of black and a pair of white Silhouette boots (classy) – I loved them both when I saw them in Faith and couldn’t decide which pair. When I opened a box there was a white and black one, so my parents acted out the ‘oh no, they put one of each on, we’ll have to take it back, which colour do you want to keep?’ until another box was produced with the other two. I was SO excited. The ultimate ‘grown up’ shoes and I had two. Ah, Christmas is so magical. Loving both posts on RMS today. Making me feel all emotional! x
I love they gave you one of each Sian!
OK, slightly long winded but we always used to put out stocking on christmas eve. one year my mum is all ‘right, time to put our your pillow cases’ which was totally confusing. she said it in such a convincing way that we basically thought that we were the ones going mad and that maybe we did always put pillow cases out not stocking (plus we reasoned that you could fit more presents in a pillow case).
The next morning we all had new pillows as a present and she’d hidden our stocking presents all over the house in colour coded wrapping paper for each sister. best ruse ever.
Mums are very good at being sneaky aren’t they Claire? x
Seriously wish I got as excited now as I did as a kid and so glad I’ve got the girls to get excited with now. Concerned Molly may be disappointed though as she’s asked for a puppy. I said no so she said a unicorn would do! I pretty much loved every present as a kid but I do remember the year I got roller boots and a new bright red sony walkman was pretty ace. I think my most random was that one year my Nanny gave me a pair of frilly tennis knickers in a rather large size. I didn’t play tennis and was only 10 years old!!! My stepdad is fab at trying to get us all excited about presents and always plans a little surprise. One year he recorded a mini episode of 24 (elaborate I know!) and we had to solve clues which took about 2 hours! Resulted in a trip to New York so was worth the time and effort. Think he blew the budget though as the next year we got a canal barge trip! xx
Wow, he filmed his own episode of 24 first. Utterly amazing!
It is the little presents that stand out for me from when I was little. My grandma bought me those plastic jewellery sets that always broke before New Year, the Happy Families card game that I played so many times, and books that kept me quiet for hours. The big gifts ended in disappointment… I remember going for a bike ride and thinking I was really cool peddling really fast through a big puddle only to fall off the bike in the middle of it. And my super cool roller blades rubbed my leg so deeply I still have a scar now. These days I am happy with a lovely smelling bubble bath set.
Ahh Happy Families. I loved that game. Your gifts from your grandma sound lovely Claire x
I had that desk! I also got an electric typewriter one year. I think I used up the ink pad within about a week. it was a brilliant present.
I also loved the Magical Theatre I got when I was about 8, it had a working spotlight and little magnetic characters to move on the stage. I believe it is still in the loft just waiting for another wannabe playwright to take an interest.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Magical Theatre Kathryn – this sounds immense! x
My best ever present was a Sindy doll’s house when I was about 5 or 6. I loved it! X
Oooh you lucky thing Emma. I loved all the Sindy and Barbie extras x
I think a Sindy house was the best present ever! I played with it to death and loved all the furniture – a fridge with egggs, pizza slice, can of coke, wine (hmmm not a great diet for Sindy), four poster bed, a kitchen unit where actual water would appear (sometimes). What makes is hearing the story of my parents and Gran and Grandad up the night before trying to build it. My Grandad sitting with his whisky advising my parents what to do and my Gran sitting putting miniture clothes onto the individual hangers and in Sindy’s wardrobe! Some effort 🙂
The funniest thing a friend told me she asked for Christmas was a photocopier!!! She was 9. A photocopier – mega LOLs. Her parents didn’t get her one thankfully.
I laughed out loud at the photocopier comment Lynn. That is brilliant.
The story of your Sindy house being built is so cute too! x