26 sleeps to go!
According to today’s papers, Lego is the most popular toy boys and girls are asking Santa Claus to bring them for Christmas this year.
Poor aul Santy, this is the busiest time of the year for him – he has so much to think of over the next month. He makes so many dreams come true on Christmas morning but he doesn’t always get it right; he’s only human, after all.
Have a look at some of the best and worst Christmas presents the Early Breakfast listeners can remember:
- “Paula Santa once brought me a home AND away Man United strips. I am and always was a Spurs fan. Still, he almost got it right.”
- “Wasn’t a Santa present but the worst I ever got was last year - expired chocolate. It was on Christmas day, from an aunt who was a chronic re-gifter!”
- “Hi Paula the present I remember from Christmas was my little red bicycle with the fat wheels. Cycling round the kitchen and daddy came up and sent us all back to bed. The lady down the road arrived up looking for milk when she saw the light on. It was probably around 6 in the morning. I think she was just wanted to feel the spirit of Christmas. I made her a Santa from the cardboard in the loo roll, and cotton wool. She was a lovely lady. Still makes me smile thinking about it!” - Grainne
- “The worst present I've ever got was a big huge black sack I was told that it was solar powered and when it fills with air it would lift me off the ground. I ran outside to see if it worked when I took it out from the box and went to try it - it was full of holes so that was my worst ever present!” - Martin, Kildare.
- “Paula... good morning. For three years in a row I got Dove gift sets from my brother for Christmas and my birthday. My birthday is Stephen’s Day, so I'd get a big basket of Dove for Christmas and the a smaller basket the day after! He must have thought I smelled!” - Aisling.
- “Paula I opened a pressie from my auntie and I said yes a Walkman!. She said no... it's a pencil-case. Devo!”
- “Hi Paula, the worst present I got when I was small was a toy plastic watch... and me wanting a real watch!” - Angela
- “When I was younger, Santy brought me Stretch Armstrong. The best present I ever got! I used to tie him to the tree and throw darts at him and watch the jelly run out of him!” - Tony from Tullow
- “Paula my dad got me a remote controlled plane and then when we went to fly it he said I've been dying to use it since I got it, do you mind if I have first go? He went to land it so I could have a go and smashed it into a bin... I never got my turn!”
- “Paula. Worst present was Dunnes St. Bernard PJs and a selection box from my godmother. The PJs were for age 7-8.... I was 15! You’re never too old for selection box though, that’s when selection boxes had old school full sized bars!” - Gordon
- “Good morning Paula. The best Christmas present I got was a tool set. Well Jaysus there wasn't a thing in my room I didn't take apart to have a look inside it. It was the best!”
- “Paula, I wanted a Raleigh Bomber for Christmas in 1983. My das got me a Racer instead and couldn’t hide my disappointment and told my dad it was the wrong bike! Mam told me years later that dad was on dole and spent most of the Christmas dough on the bike! We laugh about it now!”
- “Morning Paula....my worst Christmas present was the year my older brother gave me a shoe-box covered in festive wrapping paper...I opened it to discover it was empty. He helpfully explained that it must have been an Action Man deserter!!” - Sean in Tralee.
- “Hi Paula.. I got a kettle last year from a now ex boyfriend... He couldn't understand why I wasn't really excited about it!”
- “Singing lessons for xmas... talk about subtle!” - Annette
- “One Christma, I got my then-girlfriend a pair of fluffy warm PJs. Only thing is, I mistook the size of the PJs for what I thought was the age they were for. She was 22 at the time. And nowhere near a 22 size!” - Matt
- “Hi Paula. I got a blue and red tricycle when I was 6 and it was my pride and joy. It had big wheels and a bin on the back that I could carry my pals in. I went to Sunday mass with my Da and came home to be told the bike was a write off. One of our neighbours asked if her son could use it when I was out. He rode it head first into a brick wall. I was gutted. In mid-fifties now and still gutted!” - Chris, Kildare.
- “I got one of those nerf guns that fired foam arrows. Xmas morning my cousins showed up, I put the unopened box under my bed as the cousins were known for leaving a trail of destruction wherever they went. After they left I went to get the gun only to find the arrows scattered all over the room broken and bent, never even got to use it. Bleepin bleepers!” - Wes
- “Morning Sweetpea. I remember Santy bringing me a remote control car but forgot to include batteries. Pure torture in an age when no shops opened until the day after Stephen's day!” Paul in Maynooth
- “Set of A-team figures Christmas 1983 - best present ever!”
- “Paula, my Mammy as a little girl once got a tennis racket and no ball... maybe I'll get her a tennis ball for this Christmas!” - Dave Dublin
- “Morning Paula, in the 80s me and my 16 year old brother both got tickets to spend Christmas with our cousins in Leeds . No mass whatsoever, and my brother got the best present ever - an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic. Good present in the 80s!” – Mike in Cork
- “Paula, I begged my mother for a pair of Nike in 1992. Never had anything branded in my life. She got me Nicks from Shaws dept store!” – Padraic in Limerick
- “Paula, my first Christmas with my wife and splashed out on a necklace, bracket and earrings. Spent a lot of money and the reaction was awful. Really bad. I was insulted and couldn't see the issue, well at least not until her MOTHER said she'd love them and they were gorgeous lol. Fiona was 24 at the time and I bought her pensioner jewellery lol!” - Niall in Tipp
- “Hi Paula, my godmother got me a 20euro diesel voucher from local garage and a set of pots and pans. My family laugh about it to this day...!”
- “My mother, who was busy preparing for Christmas, sent my father to town to buy a baby doll for my sister who was only 2. He proudly arrived home with a doll the size of a toddler which totally freaked out my sister, who cried anytime the doll was near her! They did eventually bond and today at age 50 that doll has pride of place in her own daughter’s home!”
- “My wife got me biker boots a couple of years ago - best ever but when I tried them on I found tickets to the Foos at Slane! She's a legend!” - Colin
- “One Christmas my brother and I each got tape-playing devices but no tapes. I was the height of coolness playing my father's Makem and Clancy tapes on my new walkman as I strolled around the neighbourhood!”
