What is the BEST Christmas present you've ever received?

[ArblemarchTFruitbat]

Inspired by the 'worst' present thread, would anyone like to share their happier present-unwrapping moments?

Mine would have to be the train set I received when I was four. Not electric but it was a really elaborate one with tracks that you could put together in an infinite number of ways, and came with little trains to push around. I loved trains (still do) and I was over the moon!

There's a picture of me playing with it wearing my 70s long party dress (which always made me feel like a princess even though I was a very plain child) and a silver paper crown and it sums up the joy of childhood Christmases for me.

@sashh

On a similar thread a few years ago someone said, "Dove soap", she was in a woman's refuge and had very little with her.

Since then I have sent small presents to my local refuge, usually make up, last year and this they have not been able to accept presents so I've made donations, but the poster who got the soap inspired me and if you are on this thread, thank you.

Anyway, my best present, I was 10 and got an electronics set. I loved it and built circuits for years.

Including an alarm to tell me if someone was coming up stairs and I needed to put the light out.

Oh gosh. Love this. Am doing food bank advent calendar will do this too. Thank you

This is going to sound very virtue signally but the best Christmas present I've had (as an adult) was a women's latrine in Uganda! It was one of those charity gifts but it was a nice feeling, knowing that some women and girls could have a pee in peace.

12:10prettyteapotsplease

prettyteapotsplease Floral Garden was my best Christmas present too! I used to save up my pocket money to buy lots of extras like the ornamental pond and the greenhouse.
I thought I'd try and buy some for nostalgic reasons but it costs a fortune on ebay!

@N0RKS

What is so wonderful about this thread is that the BEST presents are not expensive or showy or designer nonsense, but things that mean something, or are made with love.

Spot. On.

As a kid, the best present I ever got was a bike, we were poor so it was a secondhand one that my Dad did up for me, but that didn't bother me, I loved it so much and 40+ years later I can still remember riding around the neighbourhood on it on Christmas Day.

My DH got me a KitchenAid stand mixer about six years ago, I had always wanted one as I'm a mad keen baker, but had never really been able to justify the cost. It was such a huge, exciting surprise, I'm not a crier but I cried! And I've used it almost daily since.

Actually I want to change my mind, I said it ws a Tiny Tears and I did love her but I remember my best present ever being a Spirograph set, I loved it and played with it for hours!!

mum and dad always got great presents like a Polaroid camera then later another film camera no digital then but there was one present that I have never forgotten and loved dearly.
I wanted a Drs set but beyond there budget (the gifts above my parents worked lots of overtime for) but mum made me one that was just perfect and better than any commercial one.
She covered a big box with plain lining paper then drew a big red cross on. she filled the box with lots of medical style bits; an old sheet cut into rolled up bandages, empty bottles from various medicines washed out of course! all sorts of wonderful things that I played with constantly

@Pumpkinsonparade

I had Tiny Tears And Teen Tiny Tears And even Teeny Weeny Tiny Tears!! I bloody loved them!!

I got a Tiny Tears when I was nearly 3, the Christmas that my sister was born. I used to copy my mum breastfeeding with her!!

My mum got an old chest of drawers, mahogany with Queen Anne legs. She removed the doors, adding in wooden walls to make a four roomed doll’s house. She painstakingly made all the furniture including little chests of drawers made out of fablon covered matchboxes with little brass handles, hand wound tiny wire coat hangers and hand stitched bedding made on an ancient Singer sewing machine. My big brother wired up gorgeous little working lights throughout and I thought it was absolutely magical.

@Onlyabean
It certainly sounds magical.

Virtual Reality headset, without a doubt. I love tech and always dreamed as a kid that this kind of thing would be available in my lifetime. It has also helped me to improve my social anxiety as I use social apps to speak to people and make friends, which I find easier virtually than in real life.

As a kid, one of my favourite presents was a video of The Little Mermaid. I still remember that feeling I had when I opened it.

@labazslovesliving

mum and dad always got great presents like a Polaroid camera then later another film camera no digital then but there was one present that I have never forgotten and loved dearly. I wanted a Drs set but beyond there budget (the gifts above my parents worked lots of overtime for) but mum made me one that was just perfect and better than any commercial one. She covered a big box with plain lining paper then drew a big red cross on. she filled the box with lots of medical style bits; an old sheet cut into rolled up bandages, empty bottles from various medicines washed out of course! all sorts of wonderful things that I played with constantly

What a lovely story, @labazslovesliving!

My little pony lulaby nursery

Grown up - Kitchen aid mixer.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads

When I was about 9 I got the Homepride man baking set. 40 years on I still use his hat as a colander.

I had one like that. Only it wasn't a homepride man, it was a different man with lots of different colours, I think the bowl was yellow. Never been able to find a photo of it.

Mine was a puppy when I was 8. Probably not a good idea in a lot of circumstances but it worked for my family's and was the beginning of my lifelong love of dogs .
Another one I was absolutely thrilled with was having my bedroom completely redecorated - new bed, furniture, carpet, everything. It was a really girly room and I never wanted to come out . Can't imagine my own DC would think of this sort of thing as a present .