Favourite Christmas Present When a Youngster
Discussion
What was yours?
We've just been watching "Christmas in the 1970's" on TV, and have been chatting about it.
Mrs O mentioned Spirograph was hers. I remember venturing downstairs on certain Christmas mornings to a Raleigh Grifter (in blue) / Vectrex console / a Panasonic all-in-one Hi-Fi all of which I loved. But one that really sticks with me was getting this:-
I was about 13 at the time, and I must have spent most of the day playing it. Loved that thing.
We've just been watching "Christmas in the 1970's" on TV, and have been chatting about it.
Mrs O mentioned Spirograph was hers. I remember venturing downstairs on certain Christmas mornings to a Raleigh Grifter (in blue) / Vectrex console / a Panasonic all-in-one Hi-Fi all of which I loved. But one that really sticks with me was getting this:-
I was about 13 at the time, and I must have spent most of the day playing it. Loved that thing.
It’s a joint thing for me.
First one was a PS2. I’d been talking about it all year but my parents said they couldn’t afford it so pick something cheaper. I picked a tv with a built in vhs player and expected to get that. On Christmas Day there was a big box which when unwrapped was a tv box, open up the box and there was a PS2 box at the bottom. The complete surprise was the best thing for me. I’m sure there’s a video of me going completely mental when I saw it.
Second was a remote control car which needed to be completely assembled. Spent the day putting it together with my dad which was rare as on Christmas Day he usually spent a lot of his day making dinner. A funny story is it was very nearly squashed seconds into the first use. We lived opposite a big field where I was going to test it with my dad. In my eagerness to get it going I turned it on before crossing the usually very quiet residential road. Unfortunately we’d make a slight error on build so when turned on it just shot across the road on its own with the throttle stuck open narrowly missing the wheels of a passing car!
First one was a PS2. I’d been talking about it all year but my parents said they couldn’t afford it so pick something cheaper. I picked a tv with a built in vhs player and expected to get that. On Christmas Day there was a big box which when unwrapped was a tv box, open up the box and there was a PS2 box at the bottom. The complete surprise was the best thing for me. I’m sure there’s a video of me going completely mental when I saw it.
Second was a remote control car which needed to be completely assembled. Spent the day putting it together with my dad which was rare as on Christmas Day he usually spent a lot of his day making dinner. A funny story is it was very nearly squashed seconds into the first use. We lived opposite a big field where I was going to test it with my dad. In my eagerness to get it going I turned it on before crossing the usually very quiet residential road. Unfortunately we’d make a slight error on build so when turned on it just shot across the road on its own with the throttle stuck open narrowly missing the wheels of a passing car!
Gosh so many and we were so fickle... so each Christmas... was a new favourite...
Chronologically..
Corgi Dennis Simon Snorkel Xmas
Deployable stabiliser jacks, tinted glass... This was my ultimate fire engine at age 7 or something. Soundly beating my brother's Dinky Merryweather, even though that could squirt water
Raleigh Grifter
My first 'two wheeler'. Our mother kept us on embarassing plus size three wheelers until she thought we were spatially aware enough to take on two wheels, she was probably right. Well before the onset of the BMX, I was utterly thrilled to receive this. Enormous fun bombing round the byways of Northumberland
Action Man
Even at 10 I thought playing with man dolly's was a bit weird, but my younger brothers received Action men Capture Copters and and training towers etc etc So I sort of got into it for a while. Great memories recreating various SAS raids.
Meccano
Clearly Lego came first but my father, as an engineer thought we should graduate to nuts and bolts. My first set being this.. my brothers simultaneously received the Highway set and the Space Set that Christmas...I was not allowed to use the German decals
Meccano- Motorised
So the next Christmas came....
Mamod-Steam Power!
So the next Christmas came.... now I was trusted with fire! Combined with Meccano
Chronologically..
Corgi Dennis Simon Snorkel Xmas
Deployable stabiliser jacks, tinted glass... This was my ultimate fire engine at age 7 or something. Soundly beating my brother's Dinky Merryweather, even though that could squirt water
Raleigh Grifter
My first 'two wheeler'. Our mother kept us on embarassing plus size three wheelers until she thought we were spatially aware enough to take on two wheels, she was probably right. Well before the onset of the BMX, I was utterly thrilled to receive this. Enormous fun bombing round the byways of Northumberland
Action Man
Even at 10 I thought playing with man dolly's was a bit weird, but my younger brothers received Action men Capture Copters and and training towers etc etc So I sort of got into it for a while. Great memories recreating various SAS raids.
Meccano
Clearly Lego came first but my father, as an engineer thought we should graduate to nuts and bolts. My first set being this.. my brothers simultaneously received the Highway set and the Space Set that Christmas...I was not allowed to use the German decals
Meccano- Motorised
So the next Christmas came....
Mamod-Steam Power!
So the next Christmas came.... now I was trusted with fire! Combined with Meccano
cherryowen said:
What was yours?
We've just been watching "Christmas in the 1970's" on TV, and have been chatting about it.
Mrs O mentioned Spirograph was hers. I remember venturing downstairs on certain Christmas mornings to a Raleigh Grifter (in blue) / Vectrex console / a Panasonic all-in-one Hi-Fi all of which I loved. But one that really sticks with me was getting this:-
I was about 13 at the time, and I must have spent most of the day playing it. Loved that thing.
I had one of these and played it to death for years. The plug socket on it got loose and it was held in with sellotape in the end!We've just been watching "Christmas in the 1970's" on TV, and have been chatting about it.
Mrs O mentioned Spirograph was hers. I remember venturing downstairs on certain Christmas mornings to a Raleigh Grifter (in blue) / Vectrex console / a Panasonic all-in-one Hi-Fi all of which I loved. But one that really sticks with me was getting this:-
I was about 13 at the time, and I must have spent most of the day playing it. Loved that thing.
If anyone wants a treat, get along to Hanbury Hall at this time of year in Worcestershire, old NT place. It was never used as a Christmas house until the 70s/80s so it’s a done up at this time of year for Christmas then. Decorations, food, presents, music - it’s superb!
I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it but it will have been late 80s when Transformers was getting really big and it was like a life size meccano set that bolted together using plastic panels (probably 30cm sq) and plastic nuts/bolts to make all sorts of models, buildings etc.
I loved it!
Second was a medievel castle lego set with knights and horses - I believe that most of the set is still somewhere at my parents house in a duffle bag (mixed amougst other vintage 80s and 90s sets)
I loved it!
Second was a medievel castle lego set with knights and horses - I believe that most of the set is still somewhere at my parents house in a duffle bag (mixed amougst other vintage 80s and 90s sets)
I'd have been in Raleigh Burner/Lizard erax5tuu said:
I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it but it will have been late 80s when Transformers was getting really big and it was like a life size meccano set that bolted together using plastic panels (probably 30cm sq) and plastic nuts/bolts to make all sorts of models, buildings etc.
I loved it!
Second was a medievel castle lego set with knights and horses - I believe that most of the set is still somewhere at my parents house in a duffle bag (mixed amougst other vintage 80s and 90s sets)
Was it MetroPlex? I had this in the 80s as my main present, it was frigging hugh!I loved it!
Second was a medievel castle lego set with knights and horses - I believe that most of the set is still somewhere at my parents house in a duffle bag (mixed amougst other vintage 80s and 90s sets)
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