Christmas presents when you were young

A shiny new bike.

Not a rusted out old one.
Or a borrowed one that wasnt really the right size.
Or one that I needed to share with someone else.

My memory of my childhood in general is not good.But I do remember that christmas day.

Toys hand made by my father, desk and chair, dolls cot, dolls pram and even a pedal car. A doll dressed by mother in clothes that she knit.

The only thing that I remember for Christmas was an illustrated book of Heidi I read it over and over. Always a stocking with an orange, nuts , pencils and a colouring book, some Plasticine (remember those packs with 5 different colour strips?) I was quite happy with that.

Always an annual. Chicks Own and later The Girl also Rupert. Another year A book of a Thousand Poems. One year a dolls pram, another a tricycle. Almost always a new doll.

Oh yes one year a glorious new paintbox which I adored.

This is bringing back memories! I do remember the strips of Plasticine, and I loved Heidi. Still do. I can remember getting 'Children of the New Forest' from a friend of my parents, who was really miffed when I told her it was too old for me, after she asked me if I liked it. I was always too honest! There was usually the Bunty Annual though, which I loved, especially the doll and clothes on the back which you cut out. I kept all my Bunty clothes for years.

I only remember one Christmas, when I was probably about 10, although I do remember receiving presents - but not associated with any particular time of year, that is strange isn't it? Of course I was a child in the early 1930's when times were hard, and then the war, so perhaps we did not celebrate Christmas so much, or indeed have the cash to do so. Don't think I missed out too much, my friends were probably all in the same position.

An aunt, a teacher, gave me a Dickens novel every year. I never touched them.

My parents gave me a beautiful doll's pram and a doll I named Rosebud. I have no idea how old I was.

I got Heidi as a Sunday School prize for good attendance, anyone else remember that and the annual Sunday School outing.

Christmas presents were usually clothes,books and the obligatory fruit and nuts. I did get a doll that said Mama and wore a pink nylon party dress.

I had a doll dressed as a cowgirl. ' Harriet with a Lariat' The only doll I loved

My earliest memory is waking up to see a dolls red pushchair with a large doll sitting in it. I was three years old the following month.
Oddly I think the next present that sticks in my mind was a hat and mitten set knitted by mum. They were dark red with a white snowflake design I think I was about 7 that year. I got a secondhand bike (reconditioned by dad) one year and a portable Dansetta (sp) recordplayer when I was 10. I nearly wet myself with excitment when I saw that

Christine was your doll about 2ft tall with a walking action ?? The one in my previous post soubds the same.
Forgot to say, I had one or two comic annuals every year and the obligatory colouring book. I still enjoy colouring now

The present that sticks in my mind was a doll's crib when I was about 3 or 4. It was a metal frame with a large sort of right-angled hook affair at the top that was draped in pale pink muslin all over and looked like a crib in a fairy tale. I was sleeping at my London grandma's - my brother and I were right at the top of her tall narrow Edwardian terraced house, practically in the attic, with a tiny window. I remember the light filtering slowly through the grubby net curtains and the ghostly form of the crib gradually appeared at the bottom of my bed. It is a very vivid memory.

It made me look up what that house is now worth - mind-boggling! It is just off Clapham Common. They were not rich, but let some of the rooms to lodgers to cover the cost I guess.

And I remember that I had a stoneware hot water bottle in bed with me!

Luckygirl I think I had one of those. Mine was pink, my sister's blue.

Anyone remember receiving a Compendium of Games? A big box containing tiddlywinks, draughts, snakes and ladders etc as I recall.

I had the walking doll too ninathenana a girl of my age saw me out with my doll and came to speak to me . She said she thought it was my little sister. This girl was new to our neighbourhood and we are still friends . I remember a pink blouse a friend gave me and the books The Swiss Family Robinson and Choldren of The New forrest I loved them both . We had a shop and I opened my presents all by myself . This makes me sad to think of that now though my parents were just downstairs from my bedroom.

Today`s little girls are too old at 9, but when I was 9 the best present was a large "walking" doll. She was beautiful, but I was slightly let down to find that she only walked by pressing her downwards and her legs moved, but still loved her. Our presents were always in a pillowcase, and at the very bottom was always a tangerine and a banana, and we didn`t get chocolate selection boxes, we got Eubank liquorice selection boxes, lovely. A couple of months before Christmas my mother would get brochure with all the annuals in from the newsagent, and we`d each pick out the ones we wanted, and they`d be in our pillowcases on Christmas morning.

I remember the Compendium of Games, but I can't remember how old I was when I got it.

I have one of those stone hot water bottles on a shelf in a spare bedroom. It's stone colour though with a screw top

Friends of the family in Wales sent me a box every December (Combined birthday and Christmas present ) so there was always great excitement when it arrived. It contained lots of little gifts, crayons, pencil cases small ornaments etc and usually something to wear which was always more frivolous than my practical mother would never have bought. - I remember a pretty pale pink cardigan. When I was about 10 they sent a tube of Avon Pretty Peach hand cream with a top in the shape of peach. I think my mum nearly had a fit but I loved it.
I think my best Christmas present ever though was a doll dressed as a bride.

I remember the Rosebud dolls. Mine had black hair with a blue spotty dress and my best friend had the blond haired one with a red spotty dress. The were in a soft plastic with brush able hair! One f
Of the first of this type. Around 1958.

Ah, Avon pretty peach how could I forget !

Because during the war it was difficult to get toys my father often made me something - a desk one year and a dolls house with battery operated lights another. I always had a story book of some sort and a more serious nature or encyclopaedia one. I can remember one year one of my grandmothers giving me a melamine type cup and saucer filled with sweets. I used to get postal orders in with cards at times too.

Remember getting a doll and had played with it for a while when my mum said to me what's that round her waist, ( I thought it was a belt) when I took a good look it was a watch, so lovely extra present, also remember my dad having an accident one year he damaged his hand and was out of work for a long while,he was a docker so while he was doing his physio he made my brother a toy fort, we passed it down to my brothers young son so obviously very well made. Nice memories for me