[UruauP]

My mum did the same with the Threepences and Sixpences and I loved cream as well as a young child....but Mum would always tape a Two Shilling coin on the outside bottom of the CLEAR bowls that she served the 'pud' in......so when you got to the bottom and thought that you had got all of the small coins, there amongst the final pieces of pudding and cream was this two shilling piece and so you scraped like billyO to get this coin, only to realise that you had been tricked.....joke was only good for one year, but I remember it really got me going at the time. And tucked away somewhere is still all of those coins that she used. Love you Mum and miss you. XO.

Thank you for sharing

 

[UruauP]

My BEST Christmas Memory

I was 13yrs old and it was just me and my dad. My mum had passed away at Christmas time a year before, she fought long and hard against Cancer. She held on for Christmas that year but died the 29th December. So Christmas took on a sad tone for me. Cast forward 1 year…

We were poor, not much money to go around and not much for presents or anything really. But we had each other. One day just before Christmas I went for a walk and then when I came home, there was a porch full of brown paper sacks (remember when your groceries were back in brown sacks that didn’t have handles? – at least those bags didn’t fall apart like the ‘recycled’ ones we have today LOL)

I couldn’t believe my eyes! There was all sorts of Christmas goodies things I could only dream of – fresh fruit, tinned fruit, pudding, Christmas cake custard, tinned ham – even Christmas crackers! And icecream! I quickly took it all inside put all the refrigerated and frozen stuff in the fridge and freezer and set about trying to find the rightful owner of this grocery load. We didn’t have a phone so I couldn’t call the local Woolies so I ran down to the store and told them the delivery docket number etc and how it had been wrongly delivered. We didn’t have the money for such things – it was simply delivered to the wrong address. The manager assured me he would sort it out and send someone to my home to collect it and deliver to the right person. When I hadn’t heard anything all afternoon I was getting worried so went back to the store to let them know no one had been. The manager then came out to me and told me it was all mine as they had not been able to trace the person who owned the order, And no one had come in to say they hadn’t received their order!

WOW! When my dad came home and found out we had all this food, he nearly cried. We had been facing a bleak Christmas but now we were OK for a few weeks to come. Nothing could bring back my mum, but knowing we had enough food to keep us provided for as well as have a little celebration – was the best Christmas present – I will never know if it was an honest mistake or if some kind person somehow knew of our plight and provided this wonderful array of foods, but either way…thank you!

Interesting, the power of the tangible love Mother's have even when they are not with us. It reminds of me young mother who said 'Yes' to an angle. Her Son became the Reason for this Season. Merry Christmas

 

[starrysnan]

From my daughter's birth, I was unable to nurse her to sleep, yet she would readily sleep with no problem, whether in her bassinet or cot, or simply on a blanket on the floor.

As she grew older, even brushing against her when walking down the hall was too much, and hugs and cuddles were definitely "out of bounds".

A diagnosis of autism helped us to understand her difficulties with touch, especially with people.

So you can only imagine the shock I received on Christmas Day when my then 13 year old daughter walked up to me and gave me a huge hug.

As I stood there with my daughter hugging me for the first time, tears welled in my eyes.

Then she said, "I know you like hugs, although I don't why, so this is my Christmas present for you".
Tears ran down my cheeks as we hugged for several mintues.

To this day, I still get tingles down my spine, and yes, sometimes a few emotional tears escape, when I think about that moment, or when I tell anyone my story.

I'm still amazed by her thoughtfulness in giving me something she knew I would love, even if she didn't understand why, and despite how incredibly difficult that would have been for her to give.

This was, and remains, the most precious gift I have ever received, and a Christmas I will never forget, and as I write this, I have the tears and tingles to prove it.

The most precious gift of all - hoping you and your family have another wonderful Christmas.

 

[June E]

Good Afternoon Everyone, & Thank you for letting me join the Seniors Discount Club.
I’m new here.

My fondest memory of Christmas was as a young girl my Pop always promised me that one day he would buy me a pony or a horse as my friends had horses they rode around the streets & paddocks frequently back when I was young & very nieve.

Each Christmas starting from around three years of age I put out carrots on a plate & water in a large bucket for my horse if Santa was going to grant my wish. Santa was not forgotten either as he was left Christmas fruit cake & a beer.

This promise from my Pop went on & on until I reached the age of a young teenage girl where I was more than ready to receive my horse from Santa & ride like the wind with my friends on their horses.

Every year my Pop stated… “ Go see if Santa left you your pony or horse at the old iron front gates… so off I went every year to see… only to be told each time, see that horse poo on the concrete driveway & I said yes… well Santa keeps leaving your pony or horse but for some reason he keeps getting away”! & to think I fell for this year after year. Thus never ever getting my childhood dream Christmas present.


I never forgave him when I was old enough to realise he was joking & just pulling my leg all those years….
“ Very Cruel”!

I’m sure if he was able to he would have given you one.

 

[Cateyes]

My mum passed in April 1975 when I was just 14. Her last Christmas present to me was very large Humphrey B Bear that I had seen at our local newsagents. She saw my face when I saw it and she put money down on it that day to make sure I got it for Christmas. I was so excited Christmas morning. I still have it in our back room and I'm now 62.

 

[Cateyes]

Oh how lovely to have the special memory of Humprey Bear. I also have a Humprey Bear who was given to me by my husband when our son was born in 1990 premature with heart defect.I am also 62! Humprey was very comforting when my son was away from me in hospital and stayed with my son when he had surgery. Now our son is going to be a Dad next year and Humprey may have a new home. Very excited are my husband and I and our younger son and daughter! My fond memories of a big family Christmas in the bush with lots of relies. A huge table was set up in the garden and a huge feast was served! Lots of music was played on the piano and many singalongs took part. Another funny memory of my Dad stealing pine trees from his neighbours paddock for 6 years...neighbour never said anything! Merry Christmas and happy 2024. Cheers Lesley

 

[anne2162]

My BEST Christmas Memory

I was 13yrs old and it was just me and my dad. My mum had passed away at Christmas time a year before, she fought long and hard against Cancer. She held on for Christmas that year but died the 29th December. So Christmas took on a sad tone for me. Cast forward 1 year…

We were poor, not much money to go around and not much for presents or anything really. But we had each other. One day just before Christmas I went for a walk and then when I came home, there was a porch full of brown paper sacks (remember when your groceries were back in brown sacks that didn’t have handles? – at least those bags didn’t fall apart like the ‘recycled’ ones we have today LOL)

I couldn’t believe my eyes! There was all sorts of Christmas goodies things I could only dream of – fresh fruit, tinned fruit, pudding, Christmas cake custard, tinned ham – even Christmas crackers! And icecream! I quickly took it all inside put all the refrigerated and frozen stuff in the fridge and freezer and set about trying to find the rightful owner of this grocery load. We didn’t have a phone so I couldn’t call the local Woolies so I ran down to the store and told them the delivery docket number etc and how it had been wrongly delivered. We didn’t have the money for such things – it was simply delivered to the wrong address. The manager assured me he would sort it out and send someone to my home to collect it and deliver to the right person. When I hadn’t heard anything all afternoon I was getting worried so went back to the store to let them know no one had been. The manager then came out to me and told me it was all mine as they had not been able to trace the person who owned the order, And no one had come in to say they hadn’t received their order!

WOW! When my dad came home and found out we had all this food, he nearly cried. We had been facing a bleak Christmas but now we were OK for a few weeks to come. Nothing could bring back my mum, but knowing we had enough food to keep us provided for as well as have a little celebration – was the best Christmas present – I will never know if it was an honest mistake or if some kind person somehow knew of our plight and provided this wonderful array of foods, but either way…thank you!

What a beautiful story, I think this kind person deliberately did this just for you

 

[Julie1946]

My heart goes out to you, take care

Much love in my heart for you keep enjoying your Christmas breakfast, he will always be smiling with you

 

[Singomate]

What a fabulous photo sounds like he’s a real character. I’d be treasuring him for sure.

Loves Xmas and Family Happy New Year to you and yours.

 

[goatwhisperer]

My favourite Christmas, well not my favourite, but my most memorable, was in 1982, before I had kids. I was living in Perth at the time but had travelled to Adelaide to spend Christmas with my family.
It was a surprise for my mum, she loved it, for most of the day that is..

We were all pottering around making salads and desserts, we were at my brothers house and he had his usual pig on a spit.
The smell was divine, it went through the whole house and we were getting excited to sit down, relax and enjoy our spoils.
Unfortunately the pig had other plans, simply put it exploded, it sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off, it shook us off our feet.
We didn't know at the time but the butcher hadn't cut the pig so all the fats swirling around inside had no where to go except to work up to explode, like a volcano I guess..
All of a sudden we came to our senses and ran to the back, it was on fire, parts of the house were burning, and very sadly the birds had all died in their avery, if it wasn't for the birds this would have been quite funny, as it is we laugh about it today, it's become a bit infamous, for want of another word..
So the fire brigade quickly turned up and put the house out, after the foam and water had settled there was strips of pig meat hanging everywhere like tinsel, my neice still lives in the house and a year or so ago when they had to get on the roof she said there was still pig fat up there LOL...
In the end, after everyone had calmed down we prepared to sit down to a meal of salads when the fire brigade turned up with a nice big cooked turkey for us. It made our day, heck it made our year, it was awesome and a very unforgetable Christmas..
May the birds rest in peace!

Oh my God! I'm going to have to share your story! I don't know whether to laugh or cry! Its like something you would see on a Griswolds Christmas movie! Lucky none of you were hurt.. Now that is a pigs revenge! Poor birds in the aviary though..

 

[BobR]

This year is probably my most difficult Christmas. My wife passed away 13th November after a 11 week cancer diagnosis. We were expecting to her living to Christmas and were determined to have a whole family celebration of her life with her present on 26th November but that turned out to be after her funeral. WE had the Christmas tree up in OCtober with it decorated with all the names of our 30 grandchildren and great grandchildren, except the one born in July,
My wife had a heart sewn with their name on it and it was always hung on the Christmas tree, however she was never well enough to do the final one. We met over 65 years ago and dthey were the best years although some were obviously better than others. Trying to find things todo with my life and try to find further purpose for it now, although I have a deep belief and understanding of our purpose is to live so that we can be with our Heavenly parents again. My wife and I were sealed together for time and all eternity in 1970, ten years after we were married for time so it is a matter f enduring to the end when we will be reunited.

 

[PattiB]

I love Christmas and when I was a young child I used to get so excited about Christmas that I made myself so sick. I remember one Christmas Eve I was really bad and I ended up sleeping on my mums lap all night, in the living room. I woke early hours in the morning and I said to mum I wonder if Santa has been, she said go and have a peek, so I slid the sliding door open a little and peeked into the lounge room, low and behold there were presents galore. How did Santa get the presents in without waking us mum? because of the Christmas magic she replied. I hugged her tight and went back to sleep until it was time to wake up. This will be my first Christmas without my mum, she past away May 29, and this memory such a beautiful memory has just brought me to tears.

I still miss my mum at Christmas even though she’s been gone 20 years. The first one is always hard but I still had my dad which helped. Now they have both gone so nothing is quite the same. I hope you made it through Christmas Day okay. Unfortunately you will have a lot of “firsts“ for awhile.

 

[Oaklegs]

I just watched an episode of Heartbeat on TV. It was about a Christmas pageant and it brought such memories back.
My last Christmas in England was in 1963, I was 10 years old and we were as poor as church mice. A strike by the Post Office had, not an isolated event, brought the country to a standstill. Mum and dad had ordered their Christmas presents from a mail order company but it didn't seem that anything would arrive before Christmas.
Christmas morning the strike was averted and staff from the Royal Mail worked right through that Christmas period to get things through. 6am the door bell rang and all of the packages arrived. I still remember mum and dad crying and hugging each other as the parcels were unloaded.
Christmas that year was special. It was a white Christmas and I remember walking my black Labrador, Major, wearing my genuine vinyl gloves and wearing my Faux fur anorak, with my transistor six radio - from my uncle Ron - feeling like I was the King of the world. I guess we walked the streets until we were almost frozen.
The next Christmas we were frying in a Hostel in Australia - but that is another story.......

In January 1970 we left from Cambridge railway station which was covered in snow and two days later we were living in a Nissan hut in Melbourne as ten pound poms and the temperature was 104 degrees F. You can google my story it and it is 'Memoirs of a ten pound pom' via Walthamstow memories.

 

[Janet g]

Mm this year we did the secret Santa thing and my youngest sister did a sly wink and pat on a gift so her grandson knew which 1 to pick ME being ME I picked it and got told don’t have that one it’s for Jayden haha so much for being a secret haha

 

[Lei]

I remember Christmas when I was young. My mother would put lots of things in a pillowcase. I was told the night before to not get up till after santa came but I was always up very early wanting to see what santa had left Ken Stubbs

Please explain. Who is Ken Stubbs?

 

[Lei]

I don’t get it

Me either

 

[Suzanne rose]

Once upon a time when I was a wee child in the 1900s; I was waiting for Santa. It was the year I was going to finally meet Saint Nick. So I stayed up all night to my parents saying to me that it was Christmas Eve not Christmas so I tired to say up again but was so tired I fell asleep and as I woke finally on that real Christmas day with cookie crumbs all over me, and cotton balls beard tickling my nose from the side of the half drunk glass of milk. As I was basically covered in the food from Santa I was running around telling everyone I was Santas food and he had to come back for me. I think I was about 6-7 years old. And for some reason that Christmas has stayed with me all these years. I got my whole family involved in a family backyard cricket match that year...

Sadly I haven't had to time to celebrate Christmas for the past two years as it's getting to hard for me to visit the family house for Christmas and I'm am over everyone saying I'm dying from this blood and bone cancer. And how I see it is that we all die one day in the end so doesn't matter however you leave these plains. Just remember to enjoy every day with meaning because you never know when it's your last Christmas.
So many blessings from me to you and your families for a beautiful Christmas 2023

I was smiling then crying and smiling again . Thank you for sharing this story . I can see you are a very positive and courageous person and I wish you nothing but the best for 2024

 

[Suzanne rose]

Please explain. Who is Ken Stubbs?

Maybe it's the person who wrote this. I'm now curious as well