Which Christmas would you have again?

[AJPTaylor]

If I could time travel;
Christmas 1974. My Nan and Grandads in London. My parents, grandparents, great grandmothers, great uncle and aunts, both my mum's sisters and my 3 cousins.
Sitting under the dining table with my cousins listening to the grown ups. By the following Christmas, they had emigrated to Australia never to be seen again and shortly after my other Aunt moved to the states.
If you could do one Christmas again, which would you choose?

Christmas with friends in our late twenties. No one had kids. Mix of couples and singles. No pressure just lots of fun.

It isn't that other Christmases haven't been enjoyable but that was by far the most relaxed and pure fun.

Yes, I have had loads of happy Christmases but if I could have one again, it would be that one!

1973
Received a Mary Quant Daisy doll plus costumes
A tea set and nurse uniform.
I sat under the GPlan dining table as my parents watched (I think- Far from the madding crowd).
I also remember eating meringues for the first time.
Strangely my baby brother who would have been approx. 18 months that year doesn't feature in this memory at all.
Whenever I recall my childhood that is my first big memory.

When I was six.

We lived in a quaint Victorian lodge house in a remote hamlet with dark black wood, ornate porches, rooms set with deep bay windows, set heavily with small glass panels. In the sitting-room was a cast iron open fire, coal and logs burning. In the kitchen a fawn-glazed oven set in the wall, in which the turkey, pork and all trimmings were slowly cooked again straight from the wood and coal fire, the heat drawing from under the fire. That oven was amazing for letting bread rise, and for warming baked beans, but that's another story.

In the sitting room in the bay window was a five foot Christmas tree which branches hung over the sofa. Adorning this tree were some lantern lights and I would sit with my face looking into these branches, imagining these lanterns with their round roofs were little houses in the pine forests.

At 7am on Christmas morning we opened the front door and stared down at the deep snow that had fallen overnight and the empty bucket of water, the carrot tops left behind by hungry reindeer who had scoffed the rest, crumbs from the mince pie left by a grateful Santa. At the foot of the steps, some boot prints, reindeer prints, and two tracks of a sleigh which magically stopped at the hedge and then reappeared in the neighbours' gardens (they were in on it too) before eventually disappearing into the woods.

This was the magic of Christmas. It was simply made.

Any with my dad. Except the year my sister got a manual typewriter instead of the Commodore 64 she wanted. She kicked off, dad went ballistic and sat in his glasses and went ballistic again.

It was just like Christmas morning at Lady’s house.

I think I was 4. I remember sitting under the Christmas tree and breathing in the scent of the branches, whilst marvelling at the fairy lights (which had caused my Dad to swear a lot when putting them up). The next day I woke up to a stuffed panda toy (named him Ming) next to the bed, and an amazing train set from Dad next to the tree :) Ah, the years when I wasn't food-obsessed - sweet :)

This might sound weird... but the one where my son cried at bedtime because it was over. He was in year 6 at the time and he was a strong believer.

Christmas 1978. There's a picture of me in my then-fashionable long red tartan party dress with white lacy collar, wearing a silver crown I had made at my playgroup. I remember at the time life could offer nothing more perfect than wearing a long party dress and a silver crown!

Probably 1992, I would have been 8, still a firm believer in FC, and I just remember getting everything in my stocking - way more than I ever thought possible. None of it was big stuff, but this was before the days of picking stuff like felt tips and character pants with the weekly shop - stuff like that was a real treat.

When I think back none of it was big stuff - it was books, drawing stuff, pants, matey bubble bath, a chocolate santa. But my parents didn't have loads of money and stuck fastidiously to just giving gifts at birthday and Christmas, and it just felt like a dream to have loads of new stuff. And my Uncle got me a FunFax and I loved that!

This combined with a week to 10 days of having friends and family round, eating sausage rolls, stilton, drinking coke (only time we had it) , it was just brilliant.

Oh, just had a memory of lying under the Christmas tree as a small child and looking up through the branches at the lights and thinking it was magical

Christmas 1983. I got a bank account book with £50 in, a 2nd hand bike and loads of stuff that I loved and I knew we'd be seeing my best friend the day after boxing day. Her family had moved to a different part of the city, so we didn't get to see each other every day like we used to.

She died in a house fire that Boxing night.

Any with my mum and dad still alive.

Any from when I was a late teen. It was all about the socialising and we had a lovely group of friends that always wanted to go to the pub! It was a given! Not like now! Didn't especially enjoy child Xmas', my dad was often away at work and my mum would get very stressed! It was all about the presents which felt a bit empty.

drinking coke (only time we had it)

Ooh, yes. The excitement of the milkman delivering the Christmas fizzy drinks! They were strictly for Christmas and birthdays in my childhood.

This is going to sound very odd, but bear with me. The year after my dad died. DSis and I were in our 20s. We went back to our family home in London, to all travel to our oldest family friends in East Anglia. The car broke down on the M11, a passing police car pulled us off the motorway and let us sit with them waiting for the AA truck.

DM only had “get you home” AAcover, but the AA man persuaded his manager to upgrade us (“I’ve got Mrs Bike and her children....) as we were looking at the prospect of being towed back to a cold, empty, foodless house on Christmas Eve.

The AA truck then broke down. We had fried egg sandwhiches at Cambridge services and watched Cliffhanger with the lone New Zealander on duty whilst we waited for the next AA truck.

Having left south London at lunchtime, we got to our friends’ very remote cottage at midnight. I have never felt more relieved, and more thankful to see familiar faces. That first Christmas without dad, we were shown so much kindness and compassion from the Police, the AA, the guy in the services, and not least our most long-standing family friends. 25 years later, they still are. No one other than them knew we were recently bereaved, but, well. love really was all around.

BikeRunSki** I can see why you remember that so fondly

1993. Best one ever and the last good one I was voluntarily involved in. All was calm, sensible, even-tempered and good-humoured for days. Christmas Eve 1994 was just awful and it set the template for the following days. I haven't celebrated Christmas since then.

Last Christmas. I loved it. This Christmas will be a sad one.

This one is heading to be the best one yet. None of my childhood ones were great and a lot of other ones were extremely lonely as a single mum. This is our 5th Christmas together and even though it doesn't always go smoothly it's always better than the last.

Any of my childhood Christmases with my brother.

He died aged 19 and I miss him more than I can say.

Early 1980s all my family still alive and together, actually makes me feel a bit sad thinking about it

Ds's first christmas. Before my mums dementia was apparent, and the last year she managed presents. Then we went to the PIL on boxing day and DHs nan was still alive and she was so lovely and it was a house full of people.

Even though I had some great Christmases as a child I'd go back to 2011. It was at my mum and step dad's house and we spent Boxing Day at my dads. A couple of my family members succumbed to alcohol over the years after so Christmas wasn't the same after and two of them have died now. because of this sibling in law has moved on and is no longer close.

We played games, watched films and sang karaoke until the early hours.

This year we're staying at home with the children who are young and find it magical.

1995..when everyone was still alive

If I can’t have 1995..I’d like 2008 , me and my second husbands first Christmas.
So in love...been dating 6months.
I went to his house Christmas Eve...we wrapped presents together...left everything all sorted..
Got up early next morning ( he had dogs , I had a cat ) to dash back home and get on with cooking dinner, which my boyfriend ( laterfiance, husband) did.

What made it so magical...is he wonderfully took everything in his stride...it was so peaceful
I was normally wrapping prezzies at 1 am..., frazzled...instead..we did them between us ...till about 10pm and let my son go out while we babysat his child for him.

It was lovely...

Then everyone came round about 12 ish...and had a fabulous dinner a real family Christmas.

By new year ( we let my son go out again)...he’d met his new partner... and just a few months later ...he’d moved in with his son to her house and her son 👍