Childhood Christmas Memories

Parents gone to mass. Presents opened by us and found my brother got something I wanted. He goaded me and goaded me. I broke up the pressie because of the wind up. Was climbing the stairs with him winding me up with a piece of the present in my hand. He annoyed me so much I threw it down the stairs narrowly missing his head (thankfully) and it went straight through the window beside the door.... needless to say... the wooden spoon came out on Christmas day....

Such good times..;)

I remember being very sick one year the week before Christmas. Hated the medicine but was told that Santy would bring the Sindy ballerina doll if I took it! Lo and behold there she was under the tree on Christmas morning. A lovely memory.

I have a lot of siblings so there was always someone younger who believed once I realised the truth! It prolonged the magic for me.

gypsylee wrote: »

I remember being very sick one year the week before Christmas. Hated the medicine but was told that Santy would bring the Sindy ballerina doll if I took it! Lo and behold there she was under the tree on Christmas morning. A lovely memory.

I have a lot of siblings so there was always someone younger who believed once I realised the truth! It prolonged the magic for me.

I had this Sindy whom I thought was a ballerina, turns out she’s a swan princess. https://picclick.co.uk/1990s-Swan-Princess-Ballerina-Sindy-Doll-with-Clothing-142744470138.html#&gid=1&pid=1

Got reminded by the crayola marker thread. Santa got me this another year. https://en.todocoleccion.net/dresses-spanish-dolls/gran-peluqueria-salon-belleza-sindy-hasbro-ano-1994-descatalogado~x25421798

The bsatard ate half of my selection box

I once saw Santa in my bedroom. In reality, I think I was half asleep and looking at the painting of my parents that was on the wall but I was fully convinced it was Santa. I also saw him when I looked through the keyhole of the sitting room before we went in to see what he had left for us. Turns out it was a white Power Ranger bubble bath on top of the TV.

I remember feeling properly ill with excitement when my Mum would wind us up about Santa's robin and when she heard sleigh bells. I also had wonderful primary school teachers who really got in to it. I loved walking home from school past the vegetable shop which would have wreaths and trees outside then past the butchers which was manic.

I don't have many clear memories of santa, we were sent back to bed a few years as we would wake at 4 or 5am. We heard santa and his wife drunkenly race our toys around the living room one year but were too afraid to go down stairs.

I remember how serious I took leaving out a large bottle of Guinness, a slice of pudding, and carrots for the reindeer. I was always afraid the dog would eat it all.

TRS30 wrote: »

Is that beside the family coat of arms?!!

That was in my grandparents’ house. :pac:

freshpopcorn wrote: »

My earliest memories of Santa growing of waking up one Christmas morning and getting a farm set and another one I got a toy tractor.
I always just got up when I woke and there was never a big thing about getting up really early.
My siblings were a decade older than me. So, I was sort of by myself regarding the Santa buzz in a way.
Then when I got more into it I got stuff such as Play station 1.(Used very little of it).
I got a chemistry set and electronic set one year and I loved them.(I didn't go on to love science in secondary school.)
Dustin the turkey was another hit.
Funnily enough I often loved the little gift in my stocking.
I loved the night Christmas Eve having a bath with special bubble bath/bombs, new clothes, preparing the Christmas table for him and lighting the Christmas candles.(I generally had a cold).

I'm unsure of my last Santa Christmas tough.
I remember one year I was unsure and I looked out the door and whatever way the sky looked I was certain I saw an image of his sleigh in the sky.
However the bubble burst on a Christmas morning when there was an issue with something and my brother mentioned something along the lines of receipt.
I was a child who got a long time out of it tough. The magic of it meant so much to me, I really looked forward to it.

Like yourself, my siblings were 10, 11 and 13 years older than me. Think Santa last visited me when I was 10.
I do remember looking out my parents' window one year when I was 3 and expecting to see him on his way.
He never let me down. What a guy.
Enjoying it all over again with my own kids now.

Posy wrote: »

Toto worried a lot as a child that Santa's sleigh wouldn't clear the moat.

That and whether he’d be able to find the chimney amongst the turrets.

Growing up in the late 70s and 80s Christmas was the best time of the year full of magic and wonder.
Christmas Eve was always the same sacred ritual in our household; trip to Granny and Grandad whose patience must have been severely tested by over active children full of chat about Santa and what he might bring, followed by midnight mass that was always more bearable than usual thanks to the wonderful carols that gave the old cold church a sense of warmth and communal joy. You always remember people just being that bit more friendly and happy at Christmas.
Travelling home in the car we would excitedly look up to the dark sky to see if Santa was flying about and on more than one occasion convinced ourselves we saw or heard him high above. Before bed we’d leave out a mince pie and a glass of beer (Smithwicks or Guinness) and a carrot for rudolf. Quality street in the real metal tin always wrapped in Christmas paper would be opened and we’d be allowed a few before bed. Always loved the green triangle and long gold chocolate toffee!!
Sharing a room with my brother we would try to stay awake as long as we could with the aspiration to sneak up on Santa but every year we inevitably failed in our task and fell asleep. Still the excitement would mean sleep was short lived and by 5am one of us would wake the other and we’d collectively or in turn call our parents a thousand times to be allowed up,but being routinely ignored or eventually shouted back at increasing intensity to go back asleep or Santa won’t come. By about half six and their resistance broken we would be allowed up. Dad would always have to go first and gently open the sitting room door just in case Santa was still there and of course to add to the theatre he’d pause just long enough till we were dancing giddy with nervous excitement to ask if Santa was gone and if he’d left an toys before opening the door to reveal the black shiny bin bags full with whatever we had asked for and somethings we hadn’t.

Now I do the same for my kids although beer is now milk but I always insist on opening the door first just in case!!... being a parent really makes you appreciative the efforts your own made especially in more difficult times but for that one day you never felt poor. And to them for creating wonderful traditions and memories that are some of my most cherished.

First of all the excitement of going to see Santa at the shopping centre in Town. A decent sized house was constructed outside Quinnsworth and there was such excitement about going to see him. You went into the first room where the elf took your details (and money but we never noticed that!). Then into the next room which was kinda dark with a Christmas tree lit up. Santa would ask you what you wanted for Christmas, if you were a good boy/girl this year and he would check with our Mammy if this was true! He would then tell us we had to be in bed early Christmas Eve and to leave out a slice of cake for his and a carrot for the reindeer. We were given a lucky bag and out the door back into the shopping centre and reality.


It used to be such a magical and exciting thing to visit Santa - at the shopping centre! By the time it came to bringing my son to see Santa, it was Santa sitting on a big chair in the middle of the shopping centre, posing for a quick photo and giving you some "reindeer food". It didn't seem as exciting and I don't think he was mad pushed about it either. He's now a teenager and I think times have changed again - a friend of mine has smallies and she said there's special Santa evens around the country that are expensive and book up well in advance.