What was your favourite thing about Christmas as a child?

[ellentree]

Mine were:

Getting the radio times and highlighting everything I wanted to watch.

Decorating the tree and putting the presents around it while checking the labels to see which were for me!

Christmas Eve sitting in front of the fire with my sister watching tv while our parents did last minute preparation, then opening a present after midnight mass (a teenage happy memory).

As a younger child, being allowed the portable tv in my room on Christmas Eve so I could watch early morning cartoons and not wake anyone. And the best thing, finding my filled stocking (I don't recall remembering Father Christmas, so my memories are knowing it was my parents) and feeling everything in it before going into my parents' room to open it! I never unwrapped anything but used to feel all the gifts!

I also loved handing out the gifts from around the tree.

I still love Christmas, and having young children makes it even more amazing! We stay at home every year so we can do Christmas our way and pass down our happy memories to make new traditions with them.

On a couple of occasions, the big present was too big to wrap, so our parents blindfolded us instead. We were then led to the gift for a big reveal. One year it was bikes, and another year, for Quadro: a construction kit (popular in the 1980s) which could be used to build all sorts of models such as a climbing frame, a slide, a house. My parents said it was one of the best toys they ever bought.

@FreeGlib our house too

Aaw, @Ken1976 - that’s so moving

The people. My parents used to invite random people around for dinner who would otherwise be alone, we always had a house full.

Leaving a tray out for Father Christmas.
The food!
Making decorations.

Father Christmas, aka Nan, always used to give us an annual or hard backed book which would be on our bed along with a box of Malteses. I'd wake up and put my feet down the bed and feel the weight of the book and knew FC had been (what knowing it was from my Nan at the same time! 🤔)

My godfather worked at Ford in Degenham , ever year they had a big party for the children but first we were all bused up to London to the palladium pantomime, it was just such a wonderful day, then back loads of food then Santa would come and you would get a present , not rubbish a good present, I got Timex princess watch one year!!

Also I loved it when my mum and dad use to take me to London to see the lights!! But before we went we would go to Bearmans department store in Leytonstone as they had the best Santa’s grotto, then we would have afternoon tea in the restaurant, then up west on the train to see the lights.

If I could go back to one moment in time it would be to one of the 1970’s Christmas days spent with my grandparents.

Just the lights on the tree, the tinsel, the gas fire on and my Gran highlighting what she wanted to watch in the Radio Times. Eating matchmakers and giggling with my sister and my little baby cousin.

I just remember feeling so safe and loved.

Lovely post OP and so many really moving stories here.