what is your fondest memories of  christmas                                                                                                                                                                              

when I worked for the AA and told Santa he didnt have 'home start' lol
bah humbug lol                                                                                                                                                                             

only kidding folks|!!                                                                                                                                                                               

  Christmas 1985, my son's first Christmas age 4 months.   Christmas 2009, my mum's last Christmas, altho we didn't know it would be.   We (mum, me, sis Mags and Lindsay, another niece) gathered at my niece's Tracey's home. Tracey did us a lovely meal and put on a few party games, we all had a giggle, it was a lovely memory to look back on                                                                                                                                                                                 

Being a kid and not been able to sleep the night before and hanging up my stocking. Just like to say I have stopped wearing stockings as I got older lol.
                                                                                                                                                                             

so you say Gizzmo we believe you (not)                                                                                                                                                                                

Waking up early one Christmas morning, flinging my bedroom door open to run down to see if Santa had been and promptly falling over my Christmas presents that had been left out side my bedroom door! 

To this day I don't know why mum and dad put them there lol, I've always assumed they were drunk and couldn't be bothered to put them under the tree!                                                                                                                                                                              

The orange wrapped in tissue paper. (Only those of us at a certain age will appreciate that one!!)                                                                                                                                                                             

I remember the orange.   Did you get the nuts too?                                                                                                                                                                                

Oooh Alice my orange was always in a stocking!  Yes and the nuts!                                                                                                                                                                             

Lol Alice   an artificial christmas tree that bore a remarkable resemblance to a load of bog brushes stuck together                                                                                                                                                                              

did you get the lump of coal for good luck                                                                                                                                                                               

To this day I still have a piece of coal in the house! A cat made from bits of coal and an actual piece of coal that I found in the garden. The land my house is built on used to be a coal yard!!!!

Loving the image of the bog brush tree Minnie! lol

I was just thinking about the lump of coal and I think we got that on New Years Eve in Manchester   Lying in bed on New Years Eve when I was little and listening to all the hooters and sirens going off on the ships moored up in Manchester docks....yes, I know it was a bloody long time ago but the docks used to be full of ships!                                                                                                                                                                             

I remember the tissue wrapped orange too  also used to get sugar mice , nuts and a handfull of shiny 2p pieces                                                                                                                                                                              

chipping a tooth on a hexagonal threepenny bit in the xmas pud                                                                                                                                                                              

going rutting one nite finding presents  and playing with them
mum tell me the sater would not bring them now (i thout ye rite)
xmass day moning no presses o wat a lovly day that was (never went ruting again still dont)
geting the presseys on boxing day my mum was not that meen lol
o i was adout 9 -10 at the time

 i was a cheky kid thou
unlike now shy quiet and retiring

Yes Mini , the coal is new year here , open the back door to let the old year out, the front door to let the new year in & the 1st person over the threshold (supposed to be a dark haired person) has to bring in bread, Salt & coal ... I believe that dates back to 'olden days' all symbols of luck bread so the household were kept fed, salt for wealth & coal for heating ... the Scots also include a 'nip' too , tho what thats lucky for I dont know  lol 

Christmas I remember the Orange in the toe of my Xmas stocking & the nuts with them , then looking high & low for dad's hammer lol                                                                                                                                                                             

  ...the Scots also include a 'nip' too , tho what thats lucky for I dont know lol   Shell, it's so they don't freeze in Scotland, that's why they drink so much, to keep warm Christmas aint the same for me as it was when my son was a child. I loved watching his surprised look, on Christmas morning, when he opened his pressies.