What was your favorite Christmas Gift when you were a child?

[Raymond Fries]

Wrapping gifts this week made me think about the gifts I received as a child. I one of my favorite gifts I got was this huge Chemistry set. It was awesome. I spent more time mixing up my own stuff instead of duplicating the documented experiments. Obviously burning up the grass by the back door was not in the book. LOL. It grew back. Whew... Merry Christmas all...

[John Fabre]

Mine were Hotwheels when they first hit the market.

[Rick Moyer]

Funny, as I read this post I thought about Christmas'es past, and I honestly remember less about gifts than experiences. That's probably a very good thing. Anyway, I remember a wind-up rabbit that you shot at with some kind of gun, and I remember a "creepy-crawler" mold that you made ants, and insects, etc. But, really, as I've aged (54 soon) I remember most the gatherings of relatives and how much I miss those who have passed on.

[Jim O'Dell]

My first favorite was the train set my Mom and Dad gave me, errrrr, Santa gave me when I was about 6 years old. A train set. Dad spent most of the night setting it up on a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood in the garage, hinged on one wall so it could be folded up when not in use.
Second was the train set my wife gave me the 2nd or 3rd Christmas we were married. That eventually filled a 10X10 bedroom at the other house, raised about 40" off the ground. Had to crawl under it to get to the middle of the room! I still have all of it. Sadly, I don't know what happened to the one Santa gave me. Probably given away when we moved to Austin TX when I was in the 7th grade. Jim.

[Bruce Page]

My all time was a dark purple Schwinn Stingray with black banana seat and slick rear tire. I spent hours with near boiling water and a rag taking off the OEM decals. Man, it was the coolest bike on two wheels.

[Brian Kent]

Johnny Seven OMA, definitely.

[Dave Lehnert]

Evel knievel stuff. I had this set up.

http://www.plaidstallions.com/evel/evel4.jpg

[Dave Lehnert]

U-drive-it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TRGEgqDZpE

[Dave Lehnert]

The Green Machine. I loved this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsfLb0OqF5s&feature=related

[Tom Winship]

In 1947, I think, I was almost 5 years old and my brother and I got our first bicycles. My folks said that I went in and saw the bicycles under the Christmas tree and said, "Look, Johnny got two bicycles". During the war things were hard to get and most of my toys were "hand-me-downs" and I was so used to this, I didn't think anything new was mine.

Didn't warp my personality I don't guess.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

[Belinda Barfield]

Bring on the Geek Patrol . . . when I was 9 or 10 I got a chemistry set and a microscope. That was an awesome Christmas.

On the other hand I'm sitting here thinking about the fact that Corky is Facebooking on his laptop, and I'm Creeking on the PC and we haven't said more than ten words to each other this morning. I think I'd better get up and do something about that.

[Paul McGaha]

There were these plastic toys. I think they were associated with the tv show secret agent man or mission impossible. A pistol that would fold up into a camera. A rifle that would fold up into a radio. I was probably just the right age for them.

PHM

[Rick Potter]

1954, I was about 12, and had saved up half the money for a metallic green Schwinn Jaguar bike. It was about $70, Mom and dad paid the other half. It was a cool bike. Rode it till I got into high school and someone stole it.

We reported the theft to the police, and naturally nothing happened, till a year or more later. They called and said they recovered a bike. The bike was a green metallic Schwinn Corvette. The Corvette was what they called a 'middleweight' bike with slimmer tires than the Jaguar 'heavyweight'. I told them it was not mine. The officer insisted it must be, and Dad finally told the officer it was mine, and we took it home, where he explained to me that the police probably couldn't find the real owner and were giving it to me because they knew mine was stolen.

Of course, by this time I had a car. I gave the bike to my little brother, who loved it.

Rick Potter

[Greg Peterson]

Rosebud, of course.

[Steve Costa]

Candy Apple Red Schwin Corvette bike with chrome fenders, 3 speed with hand brakes. I guess I was about 10 or 11. Sure wish I had it now as it would be worth a small fortune!!!

[Dennis Peacock]

When I was growing up, it wasn't about gifts and such. We did get toys as kids, but Christmas time was more about family, friends, and fellowship together. Huge dinners with everyone sitting around eating, talking of the old days, and just loving each other. The best present I ever got (birthday) was a Honda Mini-Trail 50. I was 6 years old then and I kept it and rode it from time to time until I sold it...still running and in good shape when I was 18 years old. I started riding motorcycle when I was 5 yrs old and I'm now on motorcycle # 19. :D

[Raymond Fries]

My brother and I had those and they were awesome. Remembered them reading other posts here. Gotta love kids toys!

[Jim Koepke]

I think it was in 1956 or 1957 that one of my brothers and I got portable crystal radios. Of course, they only received AM stations. There wasn't much FM back then. They had a single ear piece instead of a speaker. I kept that radio for years. I can still recall hearing favorites like "West Texas Town of El Paso" and "Maria Elena" while lying in bed and falling to sleep.

Wow, such strong memories that listening now to "Maria Elena" on Youtube is having an effect on me.

jtk

[Bill Cunningham]

I still have the train set I got when I was 6.. But not the transformer to make it run.. I left it plugged in when I had to leave for sunday school, and it over heated, and fused at half speed.. That was almost 60 years ago, I wonder what the train, cars,and three rail tracks are worth today?

[Paul McGaha]

Rosebud, of course.

Greg,

Is Rosebud a doggie?

PHM

[Ted Calver]

Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun....and I did not shoot my eye out :)

[Kevin W Johnson]

I guess my favorite was the radio controlled jeep that i got in the late '70's. I would have been about 9 at the time. I wish I still had it, it developed an electronics issue after a couple years. I could fix it nowadays.....