Your own 18th birthday present

Pretty sure I didn't get anything significant - I was married with a child by the time I was 18 - my parents probably gave us a food parcel as we were so hard up. For my 21st (1975) they gave me a very fine gold charm bracelet which they added to over the years. I still have it but don't wear it as it catches on clothes. My in-laws gave me a set of second hand silver soup spoons - no I've no idea why either

I was given a set of luggage for my 18th. My parents probably regretted it when I used it a month later to leave home to live on a narrowboat with my then boyfriend, and now DH!

My parents bought me a ring for my 18th in 1982 which I rarely take off. I also had a party. Got engaged on my 21st, so had another ring. I didn't have another party just for me until my 50th almost 3 years ago. My DM and DD got a photo cake from ASDA which had a photo of me cutting the cake at my 18th. One of my friends said that 'you haven't changed a bit'. I could have kissed her!!

For my eigtheenth my parents bought me an opal and diamond ring, which I wear to this day, even though it's had to be enlarged more than a tiny bit!
Fortunately they had the foresight to buy a classic design, and not one of the 'seventies' designs which have dated so badly!

21st, a lovely little gold wrist watch. I wore daily it for at least 30 years but the dial was tiny and numbers tiny gold chips so eventually I needed something easier to see. It's in a bedroom drawer.
Subsequently I had a couple of jazzy Swatches but as my eyesight deteriorated I found their busy dials difficult to read too. For the last 20 years I've had a child's basic Swatch with a small dial which has nice clear numbers!

Gold Jewelry and cash.

I've just remembered that my great aunt bought me a gold watch pendant in the shape of a chianti bottle. The face of the watch was in the base of the bottle. I thought I was the bees knees when I wore that with my really short shift dress and my low heeled, almond toed, sling back shoes or my black patent knee high boots.

It was of course my 21st birthday a suitable time to get engaged.

I was given a gold watch from my mother but no engagement ring which was what all my friends got. In fact during the party BF got off with my best friend and spent the evening somehwere upstairs with her.

Never mind! LIFE got better after that!

My parents bought me a silver charm bracelet which I'm sad to say I lost a few months later. The bought me another for my 19th with an anchor on it to anchor it to me! I still have that one. My sister bought me a large teddy which I'd always wanted. I called him Edison.

I don't remember what my mother gave me at 21, but my younger sister gave am a Jacques Loussier jazz LP. Which was quite a cost for a teenager. And I still had it until a few years ago, when I couldn't play LPs any more.

18 wasn't a significant age in 1958. My parents came up to St Andrews and took me out to lunch. Three years later, at 21, I was given a longed-for record player and an amethyst pendant. The latter is still very precious to me, but what's a record player?

My parents gave me a pair of pyjamas and a pair of slippers for my 18th as I was moving into the nurses home on the eve of my birthday. My sister gave me a travel clock and DH gave me a silver cross on a chain.
I do not recall 21st birthday gifts other than a gold charm bracelet from DH.

21 was the age that counted back in the 1960s. DP gave me an elderly scooter so I could be independent and a ring that had belonged to my grandmother. Other presents that come to mind are a magazine rack and a coffee set of coffee pot and 6 mugs and quite a lot of books, I think from people who asked me what I wanted. My birthday is in August and it was a lovely sunny day and I had a days leave.

I had had a shared birthday party at University in June. My friend and I both had August birthdays and we wanted a celebration with friends before we all graduated and went our separate ways.

Like others, I still have all my 21st birthday cards.

Certainly nothing significant for my 18th. That was in 1955.
I married 3 weeks after my 21st and as the only child of a single (widowed) mother everything went on the very simple wedding.
My H bought me a lovely Antler suitcase to take on honeymoon and I think it is still in the loft. I really treasured it.

18 wasn't anything special for me (1969) so I had to wait until I was 21 by which time it was then 18! So I was given a silver bangle ( they must have been popular) which I was very pleased with.

I was already married on my 21st and received a food mixer from my parents, money and 21 silver threepenny bits from my in-laws. It is my eldest GS's 18th today, not sure whether to pass on 18 of the coins or not. It would mean buying 5 more sets for the other 5 GCs as they come of age.

I don't remember a present for my 18th. I do remember mum and dad taking me out for a meal though.
I can't think of anything significant for my 21st either apart from H and I went wedding ring shopping My birthday is January and we married April. I think as mum and dad paid for most of the wedding it would have only been a small gift.

1974 for me, my parents gave me a gold watch. Still in working order although rarely worn these days.
Meal out with my parents,grandparents, brother, and my then hubby to be (no longer) and his parents and sister.

No eighteenth for me either, in 1964, but for my 21st I was given a gold Swiss watch by my parents and my brother, and a pretty gold bangle by DH. Both the watch and the bangle were stolen in a burglary in the 1980s.

It was the 21st for me that was significant way back when. I had a beautiful necklace with a purple stone of somekind from my inlaws, but sadly i lost that abut 20 years ago and still to this day i am gutted as i loved it very much. My parents bought me a beautiful jewellery box with a dancing ballerina, that too has disappeared over the years i really cant remember what happened to it. When i think about those two items it makes me sad. I still have birthday cards though.

Snap Kitty same birthday, same present!

18 wasn't seen as significant for me. For my 21st my parents gave me crystal jewellery. I treasure it but don't wear it. I might when I get older . We had married a few months before , we had a small,party at home but Mr C was in no financial position for a gift. I didn't mind .

I was given a "kist" for my "trousseau". How quaint that seems now! (for 21st not 18th).

I was given a gold signet ring with my initials engraved and entwined. I still wear it today.