I’m dreaming of an early 90s Christmas

[jacqattacq]

I’m a child of the 80s (born in 77) so am usually nostalgic for those days at christmas time, but for some reason I’m suddenly craving the christmases of my teens:

Shopping with my mates in the newly opened shopping centre and going for a Burger King (FANCY compared to McDonalds back then because it was a novelty), deliberating over which Body Shop gift basket to buy my mum - white musk, dewberry or go rogue and get ananya?

Will my BFF buy me Tribe perfume for Christmas or a Purple Ronnie mug? When is the One Foot in the Grave Christmas special on? Will my dad let me have some Babycham? (Still a thing in the 90s) Can I convince my mum to put up the tacky foil garland decorations instead of all the new Victorian themed stuff that she bought last year when she decided it was all too dated?

Will the sound of christmas morning be a Now album or the Smash Hits compilation? There’s bound to be one of those in my stocking. And will my festive makeup look be created with Miners eyeshadow or the lurid M&S palette that everyone had back then? (Heather Shimmer lipsticks was non negotiable).

Read through your OP too quick initially and felt horror that you'd not mentioned Body Shop Dewberry.

All is good, I re-read as I felt I had to have missed it, or it's absence would be suggestive if a fraudster!!

On a tangent. I'm never too sure if I should class myself as a 80s or 90s child. As a teenager in the 90s that is the decade I have the more significant memories in. But i was an actually child in the 80s. (Born slightly before you OP.)

I class myself as a child of the 80s because all the actual childhood stuff happened then, but a teenager of the 90s. When you look back, although there was still a lot of crossover between those two decades, they were really quite different from each other weren’t they?

And never fear, I could never leave out Dewberry from such a thread. Sacrilege.

I think I'll get my best friend a bottle exclamat!on from Superdrug and angle for a Rimmel Amethyst Shimmer lipstick. Yes an hour or so daubing perfume on at Bodyshop perfume counter, come away smelling like a sweet shop. I'll buy s few albums on cassette at Our Price or Woolworths. And lunch at Mac Donalds.

I have the fondest memories of coming downstairs on Christmas morning 1993 wearing my favourite black crushed velvet Miss Selfridge babydoll dress and my brand new DM boots with purple laces. And then going back upstairs to try out my stocking filler 17 eyeshadow pallet. I thought I was the bees’ knees.

(^ I was 13)

90s me is going out tonight and the hair will feature twist-in jewels

I'm really pleased with the Cocteau Twins CD I got for Christmas. Now to copy it onto a cassette so I can play it on my new Aiwa Walkman that has auto-reverse and three different bass levels.

Ohhh 90s Christmases were THE best

Crystal Maze, Channel 4 on Christmas Eve night.

I remember the year I got a multicoloured double-cassette player and the latest Now! cassettes to go with it. I would've actually listened to the entire cassette without skipping (or fast-forwarding in those days) as it was such a treat to get an entire 'album' as such.

Also born late 70s.

I’m more nostalgic for Christmas of the mid-late 80s (Hope Mum has remembered the cheesy footballs! Will I ever get a Mr Frosty? etc.)....but I do have strikingly similar memories of the 90s, too .

I, too, had a black, crushed velvet (indecently short) Christmas Day dress! My DSiS was the Dewberry & Heather Shimmer girl, though. I was rocking red lipstick and Impulse body spray (the dark pink one), it a bit later, Dior Poison (first proper perfume...so grown up!).

Christmas TV was so much more fun, then, wasn’t it? Not much choice, so you really looked forward to the Christmas specials and TOTP.

I do recall new years tv being way better. It involved a lot of looking back on the year over various topics.

But a great be yes to so many things mentioned. I'd totally forgotten about Explanation. Impulse body spray was big, still around today, but not quite as noticeable.

AllYeFaithful

My very best Christmases were between 1978 and 1985. The early 90s Christmases had a certain something about them, though.

Ypsilanti, are you me???

Ah those were the days. I was super stoked to get an Umbro backpack, take that and party cd and impulse gift set one year 🤣

remember when Charlie perfume came back?!?

Peak Christmas for me was 1984 (I was 9), but I appreciate an early 90s Christmas as well. In some ways they were probably the most fun, as I was old enough to go out drinking on Christmas Eve etc, which was such a good laugh. It would definitely have involved a crushed velvet dress, also a velvet hat from Miss Selfridge, DMs and too many Southern Comfort and lemonades (boak).

Cheers and happy Christmas, fellow-90s MNers.

PS those hair jewels take me back!!! Had totally forgotten about them.

I remember getting bollocked one year for refusing to remove my velvet floppy hat with fabric roses on the front in the house. Wtf mother? It went perfectly with my crushed velvet mini slip dress (it appears that this was quite the thing).

I also remember shopping for an outfit for a Christmas disco in River Island...but back when River Island was really classy and actually good. It was full of silk and velvet, low lighting and 1920s music. River Island as it is now is horrible and tacky but back then it was gorgeous. (And their decoupage style carrier bags made the best PE kit bags ever).

I'm still wearing Exclamation perfume

I remember getting doc martens in 1992, best present ever. Simpler days, no bloody phones and tablets, instead being moaned at by your father for using the house phone sitting on the stairs (remember how much calls cost ....)

BDAC it came back with loads of different versions didn’t it? I remember getting the white one in a gift set of mini perfumes one Christmas and accidentally spilling it down myself before going to a party just after new year. I had a bit of a horrible incident with a boy that night and to this day I can’t stand the smell of it because it brings back bad memories.

Oh my god yes, the velvet dresses! Teamed with a mood ring and my red dms. Also those tops with the poppers - like leotards. An absolute nightmare if you needed the loo. A splash of Charlie red perfume when I wanted a change from dewberry...

Ahhhh yes the good old days.

Elizabeth Duke at Argos was ultra sophisticated. Ratners was common as muck. I got one of the rings with the two hands clasped. I think it was £4.99.

Everyone would go to blackbush market to try on leather jackets and the lucky ones would actually get to buy one.

C&A was still alive and well.

Lulu V Anais Anais.

erictheguineapig

Those tops with the poppers were the worst for going to the loo but the BEST when boys were trying to feel you up but you didn’t want them too. They couldn’t work out how to get into them. Like a stretchy Lycra chastity belt.

I also seem to remember my best mate and I spending far too much time looking at the Christmas gift sets (satin lavender bags in the shape of umbrellas covered in lace and other such tat) in Littlewoods and C&A. The choice of things to buy for presents is now so much better but I kind of miss the shite.

they did have their advantages!!

I can still remember how crunchy my hair used to be with all the mousse I put in it back then - rendering the tube of hot oil I'd used when I was washing it completely useless.

I was in the Body Shop the other day, was surprised that it wasn't busy, remember it always being mobbed before Christmas. I actually asked about Ananya perfume! Alas they don't have it anymore. Don't think they have Dewberry either but have White Musk, comes in different strengths now. Always found it a bit too strong for me. Also loved Heather Shimmer lipstick.