Remember when again...

[mrs.tenacious]

I remember having both of those. This thread is certainly bringing back memories of Christmas past.

Reading through both threads, and groom's replies - I think we are one and the same person 

[Greensleeves]

I think I must have had a John Bull Printing Set every Christmas for years.  What fun they were - but of course it didn't take long to lose those rubber letters once they were split apart so within a few weeks printing anything sensible became almost impossible.

I don't think I had one of those typewriters although I did play with ones belonging to my friends.
How about painting by numbers?  I used to love those when I got a bit older.

[groom]

Yes, I had those as well - and of course, as I think we've mentioned elsewhere, the smoker's set. Candy cigarettes and matches, liquorice pipes, chocolate cigars and brown shredded coconut tobacco. Fancy giving that to a seven year old. Then there were the chocolate selection boxes. 

[Treetotal]

GS.....I had paintings by numbers too...and always got a giant paintbox with a colouring book too. ....And dot to dot books as I was always quite arty much to the teasing of my older brother and sister who classed painting and puzzle books boring.
Carol

[Treetotal]

Yes, I had those as well - and of course, as I think we've mentioned elsewhere, the smoker's set. Candy cigarettes and matches, liquorice pipes, chocolate cigars and brown shredded coconut tobacco. Fancy giving that to a seven year old. Then there were the chocolate selection boxes. 

Oh yes....and didn't we love them....a chocolate tool box....it wasn't Christmas without them.....and an orange and sixpence at the bottom of the stocking too.

Carol

[Wiggy]

How about painting by numbers?  I used to love those when I got a bit older.

oh yes I used to love those - and also the ones where you just put water on to bring up the colours - my grandchildren still love those magic books.

Our regular Christmas presents when we were little were a new bucket and spade for the forthcoming beach holiday!  And always a book . . . . . . in our stocking - maybe to try and keep us in bed just that little bit longer.  The stocking usually had peanuts in their shells and an apricot in the toe!  what a mess those peanut shells made!  (and none of us was allergic or anything!)   

[groom]

Our stocking always had a tangerine in the toe (Christmas was the only time we had them), a sugar mouse and a packet of chocolate coins. There was usually a cheap game and a colouring book and pencils - probably for the same reason as you had the book, Wiggy. These were left on our beds to open when we woke up with perhaps one or two other presents. The rest were always left around the Christmas tree in the living room and we opened them together after breakfast.

[Wiggy]

Oh yes - chocolate coins - I'd forgotten about them!!

[Maggie.]

Tangerines tasted so much better back then.  They were fill of pips and always seemed to be individually wrapped in blue tissue paper.  Like Jan says they were only available at Christmas - so were dates.