My Christmas Memories – Part Four: Christmas Day
The first sign that Father Christmas had been was when we awoke in the early hours of the morning and moved our feet; we would hear the rustling of paper at the bottom of the bed and then our voices would travel to each other in loud whispers across the landing… “Father Christmas has been!”
We’d scurry to the bottom of our beds to see what delights he had left us in our stockings. One memorable morning we found miniature rattles and blow outs amongst the other trinkets in our red, crepe paper, and net stockings. Oblivious of the hour, we proceeded to play them as loud as we could, heralding Christmas day. At four or five O’clock in the morning, Mum and Dad were not impressed and Father Christmas was told not to put such loud things in our stockings again! Generally, our stockings were filled with miniature toys, such as a yo-yo, bag of marbles, a small farm yard set or any small plastic toys made in Hong Kong; this was in addition to a tangerine.
If we were fortunate, we would also find an Annual at the bottom of our beds. We loved our Annuals. They would keep us quiet for hours, so Mum and Dad loved them too! We had ones like Twinkle, Bunty, Treasure, Look and Learn and Beano.) When we were allowed to get up, we would hurry into our parents’ bedroom and loudly exclaim, “Look what Father Christmas has brought us.” Our parents shared our joy and excitement and with eyes sparkling with anticipation and delight, we would hurry to get dressed and downstairs.
The Living Room was out of bounds, so we would have a hurried breakfast and then sit in order of age up the stairs, impatiently waiting until we were allowed into the lounge, which had become a treasure trove of delights. With our eyes closed and the room in darkness, Mum and Dad would lead us one by one in order of age, (the eldest being first) into the lounge and position us in various places. The presents would be in various positions around the room. When we were all ready, the lights would be switched on and we could open our eyes and begin to eagerly unwrap our presents. Around the age of 5, I found the excitement and anticipation too much… while Mum and Dad were leading my siblings in, I had a quick peek and saw a navy pram with my doll Jane in it with a new outfit on. I was so excited and grinned from ear to ear. Those mornings were very special.
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