Favourite Christmas/birthday presents

A transistor radio that my parents gave me the year they were first introduced. It was the relatively the most expensive gift they ever gave me.

My father was in the army and stationed in the far east and my sister and I were in England at boarding school and spent most holidays with our grand parents, only going home in the summer. Then the rules suddenly changed and we were flown home for Christmas at very short notice. My parents were so delighted they bought us the radios, which they knew we coveted and which were much cheaper where they were. I had that radio for years, all the way through Sixth Form, University and it was still in use after I married several years after that. Even when it broke it was some years before I could bring myself to throw it away. I am still a compulsive radio listener. Every so often this time of year the memory of that Christmas comes back the shock and delight at being flown home at a weeks notice and the present that far exceeded my wildest dreams.

When I was about 4, I was desperate for a black doll. This was during the war, and toys were hard to come by, but somehow or other, my mother found me the longed-for doll and made some very pretty clothes for it. And on Christmas morning, there it was sitting at the end of my bed in a pink dress.
On a more mundane note, in my first year of teaching, my prize present was an electric blanket. Great for the chilly winter of Dundee.

Gosh that brought back a memory Annobel - I had a black doll called Susan! Isn't it strange how the memory retains things like the names of dolls you owned 50 odd years ago - yet fails when you get to the supermarket and realise you have left the list at home! I also had a blond doll called Margaret with long plaits!

My grandmother bought my sister and me 'Cinderella' Timex watches one Christmas; each watch was accompanied by a pottery Cinderella figurine which was given to us and then promptly confiscated to my grandmother's china cabinet - and we were never allowed to touch them again. We were absolutely thrilled to own a watch though.

I had a black doll too - surely that must have been quite unusual back in 1940's or early 50's, although I don't remember her name.

I ended up in the supermarket one day with a couple of letters in my hand and realised that I had posted my shopping list . . . .

grannyactivist I still have my Cinderella figurine !

Unfortunately I lost the watch whilst swimming. I was scared stiff of telling my mum

Hello, Nina!
My iPad is most definitely the best, best birthday present ever; it was so unexpected. My three children had clubbed to gather to buy it for my 65th birthday, which I thought we didn't need to celebrate.! They obviously did, bless them.

I had a black doll, like a Sindy but long before she was invented. My mother had knitted her a whole wardrobe of clothes and I was thrilled.My favourite outfit was an ice skating one with a muff. Looking back she must have been quite creative because she did not have a knitting pattern.

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Grannyactivist you just triggered a memory. Did anyone else have the Cinderella and Prince Charming wind-up toy? They looked so romantic as they waltzed in circles. A timely reminder to get to the panto site where C and Prince C are about to reappear. I'm Wicked Stepmum so must be off.