Christmas presents in the late 50’s

Those cardboard dolls which you could dress in different outfits by cutting them out and putting them on the body using either tabs, or magnets!!!

Casdon

I’ve just remembered, we didn’t have Lego, we had the Airfix version, which was called Betta Bilda. It had special green roof tiles which made the roof of the building slanted, white bricks and red window frames. Wonder what happened to that?

We had Betta Bilda too!

Ladyleftfieldlover

A second hand bike which I loved. Dad had re-chromed it and added a new saddle and basket.
Bounty and Judy annuals
Tin of tooth cleaning powder - what was that all about. I don’t think I ever used it and never saw it in the shops.
Enid Blyton books
Knickers
Bath salts
Manicure set

We used Gibbs tooth powder as kids-I hated the stuff.

Dolls, annuals, hankies, bath salts,
kitchen set, Lego when it first came out, miniature garden which I loved, Spirograph, paints and crayons, dolls house furniture. Lots of books, Secret Garden, The Borrowers etc. Post Office set, tins of toffees and miniature gem biscuits. I could go on!

I received some pyjamas from an auntie, not in my pillowcase. They were in a blue box, with a baby/ cherub-like child, similar to the Fairy Washing Up fairy, reclining on a hammock-like cloud. They were titled ‘The Land Of Nod’.

Loved that box, can still picture it in my mind. Of course, if I were to see it now, probably nothing as marvellous as my memory of it.

1970’s Xmas gifts bought by me at my school fair every year
Brut after shave dad (poor dad 😂)
Lily of the valley bath cubes, mum (mum didn't even use bath cubes🤦🏼‍♀️😂)
Jackie annual (a bit older) for best friend
Marmalade set (grandparents) those NT ones
Decorated Loose leaf tea caddy for a great aunt
A faux leather writing set for another school friend

I was an only child of two only children so Xmas was not expensive😂

What a great thread! Thanks for the wonderful memories. Many mentions of nighties but I remember a very special one which was when brushed nylon first came in. I had a lemon yellow one which was really electrostatic and lit up the inside of the bed when I moved! Also stuck to your legs and was probably incredibly inflammable.

Clothes for my doll. I recognised the red material from my old trousers and was very confused. A dolls cot. I had caught dad making it in the summer and he said it was a hen house!

Judy annual
Games compendium
Miniature dustpan and brush!
Dolls pram
Musical jewellery box

Callistemon21

Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier!
I had that annual too.

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee the greenest land in the land of the free.
I've been given catch-up lessons

Oh, Casdon, how well I remember Pretty Peach. I was 14 and it was my first bottle of perfume at Christmas. My 2 year old brother held an empty bottle out to me saying 'It was good'. I picked him up, smelled his breath and he had drank all of it. I told my mum and asked if we should take him to hospital. General opinion was he would be fine and there wasn't enough to make him ill. Happy days.

And I forgot to say how much I loved my post office set! When we moved out of London in 2001, I re-created the love of it with an office with a long counter, weighing machine, all the stationery, guillotine etc.

Yes, most of those. But not bicycle-related stuff as I couldn't ride one and still can't. I has PC 49 anuals too.

Might haver been late 40's or early 50's, I had asked Father Christmas specifically for small doll with lots of clothes. I was quite upset he hadn't listened - I got a large baby doll with one set of clothes! Boo Hoo!

I still have my spirograph and etch a sketch in my attic

Dairy milk chocolate machine, satsuma, yoyo and marbles

I got a pogo stick one year- loved it.

Potato head
Compendium of games
Tangerine in the bottom of a stocking.
Toy grocers shop which I loved.
Very detailed memories here, what a lovely read.
My grandmother gave me a good teddy bear one Christmas but my mother threw it out when we moved and I was fifteen. I was upset. He only had one eye, but didn’t deserve that.

A naughty monkey we called Jacko, who featured in all my ‘puppet’ plays for my younger sisters.
We did not have much and I collected all the Christmas cards and after Christmas we played shop with them.
The presents were never wrapped or put into pillowcases but each of us had a chair with the presents laid out.

I remember my younger brother getting a toy gun with a holster - and a supply of caps. Great joy!

TBH I don’t remember any very special Christmas present - certainly nothing like a doll’s house or record player. I do remember dropping very heavy hints about the Telstar record (a 45) - they were 6/8d at the time, but it never appeared. (I still love Telstar!). By then I had an old 2nd hand record player bought with my birthday money - it was £4.

My most special present wasn’t even a birthday or Christmas one, so a huge event when parents were usually skint. During weekend shopping we often walked through an arcade where there was a pet shop, with baby tortoises in the window. (Not allowed now, I know, and quite rightly, but that was then.)

I longed for one, but never asked - we just never asked for things, no point - well aware from very young ages that money was very tight.

But one so memorable day, my father said, ‘Do you really want a tortoise?’ took me in, and bought me one. The shopkeeper put him in a brown paper bag! 😱
He cost 4/6d. Timmy was much loved!

Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier!
I had that annual too.

I asked DH and was told the Davy Crocket book that I also had a copy of and a Davy Crocket hat. Little boys and some girls not mentioning who also got bows and arrows with rubber bungs on the end.
A crow shoot with a pop gun that fired corks.

Casdon

Yes Oopsadaisy1, the John Bull printing set - I loved mine, I used to play with it for hours.
Magic painting books
Dolls cutout outfit books
Post Office sets
Hand knitted or sewn dolls outfits
Jigsaws
Pretty Peach by Avon - we thought we were the bees knees
Beano annual
Wooden animals with elastic inside that you could make move
Newberry fruits from my nana
Those little plastic men with parachutes

Happy days.

We must be the same age ! I loved those cut out dolls with outfits.

I have just remember the walking doll I got when I was 5 . It was quite tall and you have to move it about to make it look as if it was walking . I had it out in our street one day and a girl came over asking to see my little sister .This girl had just moved to our street and this broke the ice between us . 74 years later we still keep in touch .

grannydarkhair

OxfordGran Thank you for starting this thread, it has indeed revived some wonderful memories. I had truly forgotten just how wide a variety of gifts I received as a child, I’m amazed at how many of the things mentioned I had at one time or another.

well thank you for this acknowledgement! I have just been sitting here reading through everyone’s memories, thinking, O yes! I (or my sister) had one of those! and marvelling at the accuracy and detail of peoples vivid recollections and acknowledgements of parents often struggling financially, to make Christmas magical which we would not have known at the time.
I also had a little blubber, remembering, or being reminded of, long forgotten memories, thank you all. X

Juliet27 Anyone remember Pookie books?

Aaw, Pookie .... my first love. Thank you for reminding me.

Also came with little doors and windows for house building. I loved it but no one I speak to remembers mini bricks. Happy days!

I had a set of those mini bricks Shelflife, made of smooth stone with little bay windows and gables to put together. I've no idea what happened to those. Mum was a terror for throwing things out.