Most memorable childhood Christmas present!

[Redlinerobert]

I had to find a picture of it, man! it brings me back

Fishingbuds, this is for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0mpc1vcIFM&feature=related

[CanalStalkin]

First bike, 5 years old, said it was from Santa but I knew better because we didn't have a chimney

I was always told he came through the keyhole, we didn't have a chimney either lol.

[FishingBuds]

I had to find a picture of it, man! it brings me back

Fishingbuds, this is for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0mpc1vcIFM&feature=related

Dang, I remember that first commercial.

LOL I can't count the" I DARE YOU"S" because of him

[Tokyo Tony]

Diamondback Viper Feather Weight BMX when I was 7.

Ruger 10/22 when I was 11.

And as a big kid, the first Christmas I spent with my girl she gave me a Powell 734C, Chronarch B, Lowrance X96, and a 3:16 Armageddon. I decided to keep her. ;D

One of my best friends in our "Biker Gang" lol had that bike. Sweet bike. Another had a Robinson (forget the exact kind), there were a couple others, and mine was a Schwinn XS .1. Awesome freaking bike, and I rode the hell out of it, doing jumps, racing, etc., all around the neighborhood. I must have been 10 or so. Probably the most memorable gift ever.

I went to the bike store with my parents about two weeks before Christmas, so I had to live those two weeks knowing the bike was in the house, but had to wait. One night my friends and I snuck out and I rode it around, and had a great time. I don't think my parents ever found out about that.

I'll never forget that "cold" December 25 morning (about 55 degrees in Miami - freezing!), riding from my house to my friend's house to spend the day riding around. Awesome day.

I even brought it to college with me and used it to get around campus. Unfortunately, some piece of crap d-bag stole it, and probably dumped it somewhere. I hope he burns.

[fishfordollars]

A set of darts. I could not wait to stick one into a wall socket to see what would happen.

[Catt]

It was either 1958 or 59 I don't remember exactly but construction work was slow and my dad wasn't working 40 hours but I wanted a toy army rifle real bad so my dad being a carpenter built me one out of wood on a lathe and band saw.

I also have vivid memories of Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song on a 45 record 

[Jimzee]

I would have to say my jon boat when I was 12.  Dad had it hid around to the side of my grandmother's house, I remember walking outside and seeing it, just sheer excitement.

I still fish out of that same jon boat today.

[FishingBuds]

A set of darts. I could not wait to stick one into a wall socket to see what would happen.

do you remember the REAL outside yard dart sets?? the ones that had steel tips?

LOL ;D man them things were so wrong to have as a kid,lol. There would be about 5 or so of us friends playing with them and some smarty pants would yell "every man for himself" or something like that and throw one of those baby's up in the air and we'd all scatter so none of us ended up spiked in the head

God, that was so stupid :

[.dsaavedra.]

A set of darts. I could not wait to stick one into a wall socket to see what would happen.

do you remember the REAL outside yard dart sets?? the ones that had steel tips?

LOL ;D man them things were so wrong to have as a kid,lol. There would be about 5 or so of us friends playing with them and some smarty pants would yell "every man for himself" or something like that and throw one of those baby's up in the air and we'd all scatter so none of us ended up spiked in the head

God, that was so stupid :

lol they were banned in 1988! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_darts

[bilgerat]

A set of darts. I could not wait to stick one into a wall socket to see what would happen.

do you remember the REAL outside yard dart sets?? the ones that had steel tips?

LOL ;D man them things were so wrong to have as a kid,lol. There would be about 5 or so of us friends playing with them and some smarty pants would yell "every man for himself" or something like that and throw one of those baby's up in the air and we'd all scatter so none of us ended up spiked in the head

God, that was so stupid :

;D That's a whole other thread right there "Stupid things you did as a kid that should have killed you"

[.dsaavedra.]

A set of darts. I could not wait to stick one into a wall socket to see what would happen.

do you remember the REAL outside yard dart sets?? the ones that had steel tips?

LOL ;D man them things were so wrong to have as a kid,lol. There would be about 5 or so of us friends playing with them and some smarty pants would yell "every man for himself" or something like that and throw one of those baby's up in the air and we'd all scatter so none of us ended up spiked in the head

God, that was so stupid :

;D That's a whole other thread right there "Stupid things you did as a kid that should have killed you"

start it

[Fisher of Men]

Guys,

This is great stuff. I really enjoy reading your posts. Here are a few comments:

- Those Evil Knevil commercials really take me back. My brother got the dragster the same year I got the stunt cycle. I got the stunt stadium the following spring for my birthday.

-I forgot about Stretch Armstrong. I think it has been re-released since the mid-seventies when I first got mine. The newer one had a different (more animated) face than the old. My brother got (I guess) his nemesis; some kind of green guy (not Hulk). Yes, we ended up cutting mine open to find some kind of pancake syrup-like stuff inside.

Keep 'em coming guys!!

[Long Mike]

My earliest memory of Christmas day was that Santa left me an all metal great big fire truck.  My fondest memory was a .22 rifle, and Dad taking out to teach me to shoot it.  My worst memory was that my parents were too drunk to go shopping, so handed me a $20 bill instead.

[bilgerat]

My earliest memory of Christmas day was that Santa left me an all metal great big fire truck. My fondest memory was a .22 rifle, and Dad taking out to teach me to shoot it. My worst memory was that my parents were too drunk to go shopping, so handed me a $20 bill instead.

That brings back another good Christmas memory - Tonka Trucks. When they were made entirely of metal.

[1inStripes]

My first tackle box.  I guess I was 7 and it was smaller red and metal. Had some hooks, sinkers, floaters and a jointed floating Rapala in it that I still have today. 

[Fisher of Men]

My earliest memory of Christmas day was that Santa left me an all metal great big fire truck. My fondest memory was a .22 rifle, and Dad taking out to teach me to shoot it. My worst memory was that my parents were too drunk to go shopping, so handed me a $20 bill instead.

That brings back another good Christmas memory - Tonka Trucks. When they were made entirely of metal.

Yes, in a day when quality mattered. I had the big dumptruck, loader, and road grader. We moved ALOT of dirt with those things. I was so stupid, too. At about age 11 or 12, my cousin and I decided to wreck them all (running them into each other and eventually with a mini-sledge).

Anyone remember the Tonka Winnebago's ? My brother and I each got one of those one year, too.

[firefightn15]

The Winnebagos, yup.  Mine was off white with green lettering.  Metal with a plastic hinged lid, right?  Used to drive it like I stole it.

[farmpond1]

My brother and I each got our own SST cars (the ones with the wheel in the center that you got spinning with a plastic strip).  His SST was lighter and faster but mine was a cool purple chrome color and much heavier.  Mine always "won" if we raced them toward each other in our basement.

[farmpond1]

I can think of a few.

The grand prize winner was a 1/24th(? think huge cars) scale slot car race set complete with a high banked oval! Oh we were the talk of the town fo rmonths. I think the thing took up at least 1 if not 2 4x8 sheets of plywood. I heard that thing was so cool that my uncle and parents stayed up all night playing with it. When morning came and they took us to the basement to see it the cars were still warm!

A couple of others come to mind:

Photo Electric football

Monday night football

Some nice huge Tonka firetrucks all heavy guage metal.

We were not exactly well to do so the sacrifice that my parents made must have been extrordinary.

I remember well into my adulthood my mother telling me that on a daily basis she waited for all of us to eat and ate what was left. She said many a night she was pretty hungry after dinner.

We as kids had no idea that this was happening.

Your parents sound like great folks.  How many siblings did/do you have?

[GLADES]

Memorable presents from early childhood:

A Big wheel

Red Ryder rifle

Hot Wheel cars with the "super charger". It would keep your cars shooting around the track

Youth years:

My first knife and fishing pole

My 3 spd bicycle with the "banana seat" and the T shifter on the rupture bar.

Estes rockets

Teen years:

Atari tennis and pong game

Cool jeans and terry cloth dress shirts to attract the chicks

[roadwarrior]

My first fishing "pole" and later, my first shotgun.

Merry Christmas!

[firefightn15]

My first fishing "pole" and later, my first shotgun.

Merry Christmas!

Didn't you say that your favorite was the brand new football helmet?  You know, the leather one. ;D

[FishingBuds]

My earliest memory of Christmas day was that Santa left me an all metal great big fire truck. My fondest memory was a .22 rifle, and Dad taking out to teach me to shoot it. My worst memory was that my parents were too drunk to go shopping, so handed me a $20 bill instead.

That brings back another good Christmas memory - Tonka Trucks. When they were made entirely of metal.

Yes, in a day when quality mattered. I had the big dumptruck, loader, and road grader. We moved ALOT of dirt with those things. I was so stupid, too. At about age 11 or 12, my cousin and I decided to wreck them all (running them into each other and eventually with a mini-sledge).

Anyone remember the Tonka Winnebago's ? My brother and I each got one of those one year, too.

Don't forget the Tonka Blazer! It came with a winch and the fella Duke with the cowboy hat and a jack because of the coolest and latest high tech feature of them all--you could change the tires!