Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

I didn't come across any crowds either. Not did I have to fight anyone to get either of the 2 I got. All was relatively peaceful when we went to the after-Christmas sales for daughter to use her money to get the boy doll, no more crowds than usual and no fighting and pushing.

I/we just walked up up the shelving and took our time with no-one over our shoulders.

I'm sure there was pushing and shoving and crowds ............. somewhere!!!

Then there was that wrinkly dog that came out either just before or just after the Cabbage Patch dolls, and people were crowding for those.

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

We had some really good locally made Christmas cakes, in that slab format because made in square tins, from Safeway before Sobeys took them over. Dark or light fruit cake, with or without almond paste. We would buy before Christmas and then get some more afterwards when they were often on sale!

OH bought one of the dark fruit cakes about a week ago, but it doesn't seem to be going down very fast. I haven't yet tried it ...... it was milk and gluten (wheat) in it, so I'm hesitant.

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

The Sharpei bobble-head in the car rear-window? Pound Puppies came out right after Cabbage Patch Kids to cash in on the marketing ploy of adopting a toy, but they weren't wrinkly; just floppy. When I was small poring over the Stars and Eaton's Christmas catalogues was a major occupation in December.
Edit: I had to look it up, and I guess I may remember Wrinkles, but I don't think it got near the advertising the big manufacturer's toys had.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...1523f101db.jpg

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

Christmas eve alone. Watching television and drinking some of the Christmas booze while my parents had gone to pusb with their various new partners. It was probably child abuse but I loved it.

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

Lineup for Cabbage Patch Kids at a Canadian Tire store, Christmas 1985:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...6a9713535f.jpg

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

I heard it was crazy when the cabbage patches got released.

I think my mum got me one from the local market in Milton Keynes (no questions asked).

I remember it’s birth certificate said Miranda. I don’t have the doll anymore but I think I kept the birth certificate somewhere in a box back in the UK

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

Thankfully there was nothing at all like that line-up when I went to the downtown Bay all those years ago.

The toy floor was quite empty

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

Not only at Christmas but all year long i miss the UK's exotic cuisine!!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-takeaway.html

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

I did the same thing for my Son in 1998. I queued up for hours outside a bloody toy shop one Christmas to get the last few remaining Teletubbies.

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

There was them and then tamagotchis one year and furbies another

I don’t remember any of the others during the 90s

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

1996 was the year of tickle me elmo, appears to also been craze in Canada, with a Wal-Mart even being sent to hospital after being trampled.

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

I hunted high and low for a Sinclair Spectrum+2 007 action pack - I had to buy it on the 'never never' but the look on his face was worth it!

He's still got it and the original box - apparently worth around £350 now with all the magazines and extra games he has for it, lol. https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/game...07-action-pack

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...aa2c89610a.jpg

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

The Christmas ads, I don't really remember but the 'big production' ones of recent years are all on line anyway.
A few years ago I found a series of pantos that had been on ITV so I had my fill there. Youtube probably but some other streaming site maybe. They were good fun. I reckon I posted about it here.
Yer tis https://britishexpats.com/forum/mapl.../#post12132645
Bah humbug. Worst night of the year for the pub, along with new year's eve. Pub absolutely jampacked. Where I lived there were four pubs all just a few minutes apart and a lot of people would go from one to another, meaning there was a shortage of glasses due to people having one drink and disappearing.
You could barely move; lose a lot of your pint jostling your way back to your seat (if you were lucky) or where you were standing; constantly jostled; people bloody singing; and silly string everywhere...even in your pint. :frown:

Once I got fed up of the pub, I used to go to my mum's. She'd go out to her friends and once I'd wrapped her presents for her grandkids, I had a lovely evening with my whisky and 7up, dry roasted nuts, watching TV of my choice - because it was good in those days - in peace. Making up for the bedlam to come. :lol:


I have just remembered something I used to enjoy that can't be replicated here.

There was a travel company (based at Weston super mare) t hat used to run "shoppers" coaches up to London from Bristol for a fraction of the cost of the train and about the same travel time. Get off at Harrods, get a few things in there and enjoy the food hall. Depending on weather take in a park, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Liberty, Hamleys toy store, Sports fanzine store - can't recall the name, Charing Cross Rd maybe. Regent St and finally Oxford St calling at the Virgin/HMV megastores for stuff you just didn't see in Bristol.

Get the coach back from Hyde Park/Marble Arch. It was always dark late afternoon to take in the lights.

The only bad part was getting out of London but you could miss a bit of traffic if you got the last coach. But a 12 hour day was that bit too long.

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

Buying 3 or 4 broadsheet newspapers to see me over a few days with the various quizzes and things. :thumbup:

Re: What do you miss about Christmas from homeland?
 

Bumper Xmas editions of Radio Times and TV Times - for 2 weeks I was in heaven in a 3 channel world.

The winter Argos catalogue came a close second....