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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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When I was a kid neither birthdays nor Christmas was all that exciting as far as gifts. There were 9 of us kids, and while my father made a good salary he didn’t like to spend it on us. Up until about age 15, we would get taken to the toy store and could buy something costing up to $3, which later went up to $5. At age 15 it was no gift, but dinner at the restaurant of our choice
within his price range. I usually chose the Mexican restaurant.
For Christmas I remember myself and my older brother getting a pair of pajamas and a Hardy Boys book, sometimes socks every year.
My parents were very generous with gifts. We had problems in other areas but not this area. We mostly got toys, some clothes. The clothes weren't as exciting. Most of the gifts were things they knew we wanted. I can remember twice when that was different though. I really wanted trolls but my folks refused to buy them because they thought they were too ugly. My Mom really didn't like troll dolls. The other time was I asked for years for a microscope. They thought I'd just look at it once or twice I guess and that would be it. Well one year they finally got it and it was a nice one. Used it to win the science fair at our school.
Remembering me and my brothers couldn't wait for the Sears catalog to arrive at Christmas. We would pour over it and dream about what we'd like. Probably my favorite thing I ever got though was my Easy Bake Oven.
Obviously it's far different than for me and kids today where we got things like electronics, video games, etc. But for you, what kinds of gifts did you get? And not sure if you felt different, but I know how disappointing it was when I'd open up a present just to get clothes lol.
A large stuffed blue poodle that I hugged on a lot. (My sister's was pink.)
Roller skates
A large doll named Mitzi. I loved her and carried her everywhere.
An Elvis and a Shirley Temple 45 record. I listened to them over and over.
Barbie's friend, Midge. (my older sister got Barbie. Younger sis got Skipper)
We didn't get a lot of gifts, compared with middle class kids these days. Looking back, we got the toys we got only because my grandparents paid for it, I'm sure. My parents were struggling financially back then.
We usually got 1-3 toys each, depending on the cost and how much money we had that year, and of course Grandma always sent cotton underwear and pajamas :^(
Usually our toys were things like Lincoln Logs, or board games that we could share. Other times it was stuffed animals, Tinker Toys, a chemistry set, horse figurines, etc. Sometimes one of us would get a bike if that was in the budget, but usually just one bike in the family per year. I remember one year I was too big for my old bike (the one that had training wheels which were long since removed). My mom got a used sting-ray, and my big brothers took it all apart and repainted it my favorite color (metallic green, still a favorite), and put new hand grips and streamers, and cleaned and shined up the banana seat and sissy bar. I was so excited to get my "new" bike. It was all she could afford, and that was okay by me! One year when my brother was 17, he got 4 new tires for his Chevy hot rod that he'd built. THAT was hard to wrap! I never liked dolls, other than Barbie and Skipper, and we got the dream house, and the Corvette for them one year. My older sister would play Barbie, and I would be Skipper.
The BEST BEST BEST Christmas present I ever got (well, it was for me and my 2 sisters) was a huge plastic bag filled with costume jewelry that my grandma had picked up here and there at yard sales, flea markets and such. This was in the early 60's, so I imagine some or most of that jewelry was from the 40's and 50's. I LOVED it.
One of the items of jewelry was a plastic bracelet/bangle, surrounded by little purple rhinestones. I can recall running through the yard, holding my arm up in the air, watching the rhinestones sparkle in the sun. I was 4. LOL
as a child - we got candy cane, and book of lifesavers in our stocking and small toys too. Always nightgown or bathrobe and underwear and socks - and one larger item that we had circled in the sears Christmas Catalog. Like a bike or roller skates.
As a teen - a blouse or sweater and underwear and socks - candy and small gifts like earrings or a necklace in the stocking. Usually body wash or spray and for me books.
Although my parents were typical average middle class suburbanites with no more money than any of the other families on our block (and less than some whose fathers worked for one of the aerospace companies who were major employers here during the fifies and sixties), I was aware that I got more 'stuff' than my friends/playmates did. That was because I was the only "only child" in my neighborhood; all the other families had between two and four children.
Those other kids also had extended families with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc which we did not have. My dad had two younger brothers, neither of whom ever had children and one was killed in the war; my mom had two brothers with one child each but they all lived out of state and I only met them twice in my life. So there were no nephews, nieces or cousins that my parents had to buy gifts for; just me. My maternal grandparents were dead and my paternal ones moved to Florida when I was still in grade school and we only saw them once a year when we went there on vacation. The end result was that the only person my parents needed to spend money on was me -- a state of affairs that was just fine with me, thankyouverymuch
I remember saying to a co-worker when I was in my twenties, when she was talking about how many kids she wanted to have, "You say 'spoiled only child' as if that's a bad thing -- there ain't nuthin' bad about it"
Although my parents were typical average middle class suburbanites with no more money than any of the other families on our block (and less than some whose fathers worked for one of the aerospace companies who were major employers here during the fifies and sixties), I was aware that I got more 'stuff' than my friends/playmates did. That was because I was the only "only child" in my neighborhood; all the other families had between two and four children.
Those other kids also had extended families with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc which we did not have. My dad had two younger brothers, neither of whom ever had children and one was killed in the war; my mom had two brothers with one child each but they all lived out of state and I only met them twice in my life. So there were no nephews, nieces or cousins that my parents had to buy gifts for; just me. My maternal grandparents were dead and my paternal ones moved to Florida when I was still in grade school and we only saw them once a year when we went there on vacation. The end result was that the only person my parents needed to spend money on was me -- a state of affairs that was just fine with me, thankyouverymuch
I remember saying to a co-worker when I was in my twenties, when she was talking about how many kids she wanted to have, "You say 'spoiled only child' as if that's a bad thing -- there ain't nuthin' bad about it"
I'm curious where you grew up? We grew up on "the Space Coast" in Florida. My dad worked for RCA. I was the oldest. I never thought we were 'rich' or well off, but reading some of these posts about Christmas presents...there were 5 of us kids, and we always had nice Christmases. We all got 3 or 4 gifts, and we all got 1 'big' gift.
Makes me wonder if maybe we were better off than I thought.
I was pretty small when I received an electric train. WW2 started right after that and there was no metal available for making toys, so a lot were made of wood. Plastics came along after the war ended.
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