Egypt4u

My youngest grandchild is 6 11/12, 7 next month.

When I was his age WWII had been going for over two years, My father was in the Royal Engineers in North Africa and we had not seen him for a long time. We did receive a small wooden crate from him which contained about 20 tangerine oranges, something the war department or some charity arranged. We also received a greeting card from him. These were photo reduced to about postcard size, his writing was therefore very small, and on the card was a seasonal cartoon. He had a buddy who was a great cartoonist and he would embelish any letter with something humerous.

Christmas presents were quite basic. Usually a Rupert Bear Annual, some paints and a painting book and a few small items in a sock. In the toe of the sock would be one of the tangerines. How Christmas has changed.

My aforementioned grandson is an only child and special for reasons that are irrelevant here but, suffice to say, his gift pile varies beyond belief from my own at his age. Three gifts that particularly caught my attention are, the mini ipad pre-loaded with apps appropriate for young children and suitably blocked against any uncontrolled internet use. He has had an old ipad with a cracked screen for some time and is adept at using it.

Two 'toys' that really caught my attention were a Minniom and a Mip. These are both electronic robot type toys which, underneath, use some quite sophisticated electronics.

The Minnion is something that responds to voice commands, it rolls around and falls over but manages to get to its feet again. It gets frustrated but then farts and laughs hilariously at his achievement. Here is a short vid:


The Mip is an amazing little robot that runs on just two wheels. Louis can control it from his ipad and it will dance to any music but most amazingly it gan carry a full can of drink and (mostly) avoid any object in its path. I am sure Horus will agree that there must be a pretty strong gyro or counterbalance inside somewhere. Here is another short vid:


Just a few examples of how toys have changed since my day.

Happy New Year All

Christmas has definitely changed since my day. I would typically get 1 pair of new flannel pajamas, new top and new pair of slacks. I'd get, from Scotland, a copy of "Oor Wullie" or "The Broons" (whichever was printed that year) and usually a board game I had to share with my brother. I don't really remember associating the games to a specific year but - Chinese Checkers, Crokino, Dominoes and then one year it was Monopoly (hate that game). We'd put out by our bedroom door one of my father's work stockings and would get a tangerine orange in the toe and a tin of pop on top of that plus a 'book' of Life savers candy. It was always exciting to actually get to open the sock first even though I'm sure I knew what was in it.

When my daughters were little they got quite a few clothes as I always knit and sewed through the year and usually tried to make them several stuffy toys. Kinda wish we still had a few of them now. They'd also each get a doll (and I'd make lots of clothes for them). I was also a believer in giving them toys they could build and make stuff out of so they'd get blocks, lego, Spirograph and always a few books. We'd put out stockings - red stylized ones I'd sewn and they still got the orange in the toe, tin of pop, book box of life savers and then usually something small for their hair or earrings or a bracelet.

Now the twins are into electronics. Each got a Kindle (the children's one so parents can do all the controls and load on apps etc), plus the theme this year was star wars so light sabers were flashing around along with R2D2s, C3POs, Darth Vaders, Storm Troopers etc. The granddaughter's gifts were more traditional - dolls, lace up cards, books - but she is only 2 yrs 8 months.

What is significantly different is the VOLUME of presents the twins and sister get. They have mom/dad, me plus another set of grandparents plus 3 sets of married Aunts and Uncles and 1 cousin to say nothing of the exchange that happens between their mom and a couple of her friends. Suffice to say they get more in 1 Christmas than I probably ever got in a decade!

Must say though the twins have never, to my knowledge, complained about any gift they got. They've always seemed very appreciative and do get quite excited about anything.

Bottom line - Christmases have definitely changed. We still hang stockings but they're not my dad's work socks.

My grandaughter is 7 and her major present from her parents was a laptop! Not a toy, I hasten to add. I had a chuckle to myself when my son said he might have to use it occasionally until they get a new one for themselves, whereupon she stated that she would charge him £1 every time he did! When I was a kid, our Christmas presents depended on what other children had finished with and donated to the local church. Usually a book.

I was always into cowboys & Indjuns toy soldiers, guns and I was in my element. The best present was one my dad made me, it was a model fort with towers and a drawbridge and it all stored away in a box base. He had spent many weeks in his shed making it and it looked like real sandstone on the outside because he had coated all the parts by dusting dried sand on the top of varnish to create the effect, he was very good with his hands and could make most things, I treasured that model fort and would play with it for hours on end.

I'm thinking back now and I don't ever remember getting a present I really really wanted. I got presents but they were things I needed vs things I wanted.

My kids always had more fun with the cardboard boxes that their presents came in rather than the gifts themselves. Hours of fun hiding in them dragging each other round in them. I swore one year I would buy nothing but an assortment of boxes for them.

Same here Carrie

When I think back and I have been today I was super excited to see the Christmas parade that went through out town, then my father would take us of an evening into the big city so we could find something for Christmas for my mother. We started to have family visits and then had to tromp around through my Grandfather's farm to find a Christmas tree that we cut down and hauled home. Not sure 'why' it had to sit outside overnight but it did and then it was a big production for my dad to bring in a huge cement thing with a hole in the middle that the tree fit into. Another full night of decorating the Christmas tree and I spent hours with a needle and thread stringing popcorn together, adding the occasional red cranberry and then cutting out strips and strips of coloured paper making paper chains to go around the tree and pin to the tops of door frames. Cutting out snow flakes was also more than a pastime and the snow flakes we'd tape to the window.

My entire point is that way back when we did lots more than we do now. Now the tree is artificial and can be put up in less than 5 minutes where it was a full day and probably 5 mile hike to get a tree before. We'd come back half froze, covered in snow but we'd definitely have a prize tree (that invariably shed all its needles all over as it dried out in the house). We did lots more outside and the weather always obliged giving us a white Christmas

And don't forget that lovely smell of Pine that premeated the house from the tree, that smell can always trigger in me those same sort of memories LLL.

Definitely! The tree smell was everywhere in the house. Was nice.