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Best children's books for Christmas - win over £200 worth of gorgeous gifts

(176 Posts)
CariGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 28-Nov-17 11:05:06

What was the best Christmas gift you ever received as a child? Big or small, a surprise or something you'd always longed for... Tell us all about it and you will be entered into the draw to win over £250 of books for children of all ages. Which, with the festive season just around the corner, would definitely make you a VERY popular gran/granddad/mum/dad/aunt/uncle/neighbour/ friend* etc

(*delete as applicable!)

You can find details of all the wonderful books plus terms and conditions etc right here. The draw will be made at midday on 13 December.

Atqui Fri 01-Dec-17 15:52:13

I don't recall many childhood Christmases ( ?) , but I remember pointing out a doll I liked at a Christmas fair in the village hall.Imwent back to look again and it had gone. Big disappointment but no prizes for guessing who had bought it .

joannapiano Fri 01-Dec-17 18:07:09

An auntie bought me the set of "Little Women" books (Little Women, Good Wives, Jo's Boys), when I was ten.
I read them over and over.

NannyRose Fri 01-Dec-17 20:08:13

My favourite present was a dolls house which my parents had made from a wooden orange box, the kind that had 2 sections. They decorated it with offcuts of wallpaper and carpeted it. My grandparents made the furniture - I loved my dolls house, and my family for all the thought and love that went into that present!

MOOON5 Fri 01-Dec-17 20:52:34

The very best book I received as a child was Black Beauty.....and this has become one of my 10 year old son's favourite books too.

hamisha Fri 01-Dec-17 23:48:19

My Raleigh Commando bike was an absolute favourite and gave me significant freedom as a 12 year old boy to get on my bike and ride around the local park with my friends.

MummyBtothree Sat 02-Dec-17 08:16:20

A lovely doll with dark hair that I named 'Susie', in fact I think I've still got her somewhere in the loft!.

sadpasty Sat 02-Dec-17 10:03:38

My first bike was a total and simply amaze surprise from my wonderful grandad - just thinking about it even now makes me both smile and cry in equal measure

vee Sat 02-Dec-17 10:31:15

My roller skates! I must have been about 7. I lived on them, often got into trouble in the corner shop for 'damaging their floor's (I never did!) went everywhere in them and would have slept in them if it was possible! smile

Bevleek Sat 02-Dec-17 21:09:35

My first Barbie, with House and accessories. I was over the moon and thought i must have been a really good girl to receive something so brilliant. I had hours of fun smile

Marionp1 Sat 02-Dec-17 22:42:40

My favourite present was a woven cane sewing basket made for me by my dear Dad, it must have taken hours and hours to make.

Laine21 Sat 02-Dec-17 23:49:04

My 'uncle' Jimmy, was a friend of my parents, he was in the army and stationed in Germany. One year he brought me a tiny wooden chalet money box and a cuckoo clock, I was 5 years old, the cuckoo clock was magical, especially when the little wooden cuckoo popped out. I'm now 59, and I still have both of them.

Wizzyh Sun 03-Dec-17 08:44:32

My godmother brought me a large doll wearing ice skates from Canada. I think she was the image of a Canadian ice skater. Seemed so exotic and I adored her

Nana3 Sun 03-Dec-17 09:45:03

It's hard to choose between roller skates with rubber wheels after the old metal ones and my first 2 wheeler bike (second hand). I'll choose the bike as I have lovely memories of Dad teaching me to ride it on a snowy Christmas Day.

Hilltopgran Sun 03-Dec-17 14:02:12

The present I remember best was from my Godmother and was two red leather bound books, one of the tales of Hans Christian Anderson, the other Grimms Fairy tales. My favourite story was The Princess and the Pea.

Holly42 Sun 03-Dec-17 14:22:35

I always loved to receive a Post Office Set. My presents were usually books as money was very tight.

farmgal Sun 03-Dec-17 19:30:27

I had always wanted a teddy bear .My Mum must have thought I was too old at six but fortunately my aunt didn't and got me a lovely plush one with glass eyes and a tummy squeak. I'm now nearly 68 and my granddaughter has him. His head is loose, he's a bit bald and doesn't squeak but she loves him as much as I did.

Nandalot Sun 03-Dec-17 20:09:19

A wooden dolls house that my brother, much older than me, made in woodwork class. The front of the house opened out and the front of the roof hinges open. It was a complete surprise.

supermum83 Sun 03-Dec-17 21:44:55

My best Christmas gift was a Doll, who I called Jennifer after my Grandmother! I loved her and she came everywhere with me... She is still in my Mum's house smile xx

Nonnie Mon 04-Dec-17 11:14:54

Can I have two?

George Cansdale's Zoo book when I was seven. I loved it despite the snake pictures giving me nightmares

The expensive bar of chocolate and a 2/6 piece (That's 12 1/2p in decimal money) which our posh relatives gave us every year.

MamaCaz Mon 04-Dec-17 11:29:44

Definitely my roller skates. They didn't work well in the thin layer of snow that was lying when I first tried them out, but I went on to get what felt like many years of use out of them. I can't recommend walking a dog in them though - it was ok until he gave chase to a cat (or a rabbit - I no longer remember which). No, actually, that was great too! grin

Jalima1108 Mon 04-Dec-17 12:50:25

My teddy bear.
Most children have teddy bears as presents when they are born but I suppose, being born at the end of WW2 there weren't many teddies to be found.

Teddy arrived when I was five - I can still remember the first time I saw him in his box. I called him Bobby and I have him still although he needs to go to the Bear Hospital for some tlc. He hasn't said much for years either because he needs a new growl.

AJL123 Mon 04-Dec-17 12:58:47

My sister and I both received Tiny Tears dolls one Christmas and we named them Helen and Sharon. My grandmother had knitted them beautiful little dresses with jackets in pink and blue- I still have Helen somewhere in the attic.

lemongrove Tue 05-Dec-17 09:18:47

Like many others of the same era, money was very tight at that time, so I was delighted to receive a brown leather satchel for taking to and from my new grammar school.
It had that wonderful new leather scent, and whenever I go into a shop selling leather goods now, it takes me back to that school satchel and my delight and pride in it.

fourormore Tue 05-Dec-17 16:26:04

Not altogether sure it was my favourite Christmas present ever but having had an 'interesting' childhood I remember feeling that I needed to 'keep in with' Dad's current girlfriend - how sad is that for a kid of about 8 or 9 years old?
Her present to me was wrapped and under the tree. She had used cheap paper through which I could see that it was a post office set.
Whenever anyone asked what I would like for Christmas I mentioned that I would really like a post office set sad
Must have been very obvious to the adults but I didn't see it at the time!

alison13 Tue 05-Dec-17 17:31:58

A tiny tears doll. I used to carry her everywhere, in the house, in the garden, to the shops. I would dress her up in knitted pants and dresses. Good practise for when I had my own children