When I was little, we used to always ask for one “big” gift, and then several other smaller gifts that we’d like to have. Our parents would then pass along the smaller gift list to other relatives who wanted ideas of what types of things we were interested in. It worked well for us, and I do the same for my children each holiday season. I have a few gifts that I received that were truly memorable. I remember getting my first Barbie doll, and then having an older girl I looked up to pass down her entire collection to me. I literally spent HOURS playing with those Barbie dolls, and the older ones were among my favorite and treasured items.
Another Christmas, I woke up to find my grandparents in the living room. My younger brother had asthma and had suffered an attack in the middle of the night. My parents had to rush him to the emergency room, and my grandparents came to stay with me. When I came into the living room, I was ecstatic to find a beautiful 3 story doll house waiting for me. I also loved the year that the Cabbage Patch Kids came out, in 1982! I can imagine my parents and grandparents hunting through store after store to find me the doll I really, really wanted. I don’t know what happened to the doll, but I DO still have the certificate that came with her. When we moved across the country, I saw it in a box!
As I got older, my gifts were more about clothes and things that teenagers like. I recall the year I got a combination record player and cassette tape player that held TWO tapes so you could record! I also remember the year my brother and I got our first television sets for our bedrooms!
I remember thinking it was so much fun to get up early and hit the sales on Black Friday. My grandmother liked to give us cash for our gifts, and we could go shopping for what we wanted. I’d spend hours scouring the sales at the mall to stretch those dollars as far as possible, and then wrap them and take them to her house at Christmas, and she’d be thrilled to watch me open them and see what goodies I’d found 🙂 Once I was in high school, and started working at the mall, the Black Friday sales took on another feeling. It’s considerably different when you are the salesperson working the sales, haha! I’d still go shopping after I got off work, to see what goodies I could find. Nowadays I prefer to do my Black Friday shopping online from the comfort of my home though 🙂
What is your favourite gift that you’ve ever received for the holidays?
Sherry Compton says
My daughter loves the Cabbage Patch Dolls too. She didn’t get one right when they came out but did get one at Christmas. Her love for them took off. When found her one with her birthday finally. To this day she will still check out the Cabbage Patches to see the new ones. Very memorable.
Marysa says
Wow.. a cassette tape player.. now that brings me back!
Katherine Riley says
I don’t go Black Friday shopping but my son loves to go so I give him my list!!!
Betty C says
I’m from a much older generation than most of your readers. My father was a sharecropper in Arkansas and we didn’t have very much at all. My favorite Christmas gift was a desk my dad made for me.
Cheryl says
My favorite gift was my first bicycle.
Amanda Bernard says
We never celebrated Christmas, but the most memorable gift I ever received was a stuffed Zeddy bear from Zellers. I had mentioned many times that I really wanted that bear, and my parents got him for me. I was SO thrilled. I kept that bear until I was almost 20 years old!
Angela Asbell says
I remember my cabbage patch kid with the hair. I was so excited when I got her. I would cut her hair in styles that I wanted. Memories!!!!!!!!
Susan Broughton says
As a child I had such great Christmases and gifts then as you get older it didn’t feel the same as before. When you have kids the greatness comes back with all the fun gifts you share. So gifts are fun at different times of your life.
Nena Sinclair says
My favorite gift that I received for Christmas as a child was an Easy Bake Oven!
Rena (An Ordinary Housewife) says
I’m not sure what happened to my Cabbage Patch dolls either. Maybe my mom still has them!
Bridget A says
I loved Cabbage patch dolls. My sister and I each had one growing up!
Bonnie @WEMAKE7 says
I loved Cabbage patch dolls. They had a few different ones out when I was little. I can’t remember which one I got though.
Angie B. says
Scary thing about your brother. Hope everything turned out alright there! I got a cabbage patch doll one year too. She looked almost like me!
Marysa says
I remember when Cabbage Patch dolls came out and how popular they were!
Kendra says
I loved my cabbage patch doll!!!
Heather Pfingsten says
Barbie Dolls and Cabbage Patch Kid Dolls … we would have been such great friends. I remember when times were simpler and I really miss them. Thank you for sharing your memories with us!
Kristin says
I still have my first, original Cabbage Patch Doll and love that I have been able to keep her after all these years.
Holly S. says
I’ve had so many great gifts throughout the years. I had a red-headed Cabbage Patch doll too! But I think my favorite gifts were inexpensive wind-up Smurfs. I loved the Smurfs so much that I carried those little toys around wherever I went! Thanks for the memories! I’ll be attending an event in my town this weekend.
Andrea Smith says
I love Cabbage Patch kids. We had one from a thrift store and it was my favorite.
Kathryn says
Yes, Cabbage Patch Dolls. I am a redhead and my Mom found me one with red hair, that was special!
lisalia says
Great post, I think Cabbage Patch Dolls were the hit back in the day for a lot of us. I bet attending the Walmart Hottest Store event will be so nice.
Justine Caraway says
I loved my Cabbage Patch Kid! Thanks for sharing the memories.
Angela Christopher says
Cabbage Patch was one of my favorites as a kid! I wonder if I still have them somewhere! That is so neat you saw one of the certificates!
Erinn S says
Cabbage Patch were all the rage. I had Harriet with red hair!