Passing On Traditions And My Childhood Christmas Memories
Christmas for me has always been one of the most exciting times of the year and I have some fantastic childhood christmas memories. Every year my Mother made the effort to save the little she had to buy new toys for my sister and myself and fill our Santa sacks with lovely gifts from Santa.
We never had traditional stockings. In fact, we have always placed a pillow case on the end of our beds and this is a tradition I’ve passed down to my daughter Sylvia. I always remember the fun of choosing which pillow case to use on Christmas Eve and me and my Sister Deborah would stay up for as long as we could in the hope we might spy Father Christmas.
Deborah and I always fell asleep before Santa arrived and Christmas morning was super exciting. We always took our sacks into my parent’s room or the lounge so my mum and dad could watch us discover the wonderful presents they had bought for us.
Christmas has always been and always will be a special time for me and I love the fact I can now be the parent who buys wonderful gifts for my daughter. It’s so exciting seeing Sylvia open her presents and seeing the joy she experiences on Christmas Day.
When I was really young my Mum would take us to the Barnsley Early Learning Centre and leave us to play with the wooden train set at the front of the store whilst she searched for gifts. I loved playing with the train set and remember how excited I was the year we got some new train tracks and trains on Christmas Day. I also remember getting a blue Polly Pocket one year and a fantastic doll which cried real tears. That was an amazing gift and I was so so happy as it’s something my Mother knew I really wanted.
This year I have been looking out for a few lovely gifts for Sylvia. I have a few items safely stored away but this week I’m spending 5 days in London for medical reasons and I will be visiting a few toy stores and taking a good look around whilst I’m there.
So last night, before leaving for London I decided to give Sylvia a really special gift, an early Christmas present which will keep Sylvia busy and happy whilst Mummy is away. It’s going to be a long week.
I gave Sylvia the Early Learning Center Fairy Tale Palace. Sylvia was over the moon. Giving her this gift brought back the memories of how happy I was receiving presents at Christmas and it was fantastic fun to help build the Palace and watch the joy in my daughter’s eyes.
The Fairy Tale Palace is a traditional wooden palace and really easy to build. Sylvia was so excited to build her dolls house and could not wait to play with King and Queen Rosebud.
We built the Palace and before long Sylvia was happy playing with her new toy. I think the palace is really good quality and love that it came with lots of fun accessories.
Once the palace was complete, we moved it into a good spot and Sylvia excitedly began to play. I was really happy to give my daughter this gift and I know it will keep her happy and busy whilst I’m away.
I think creating memories with your kids is an exciting thing. One day I may even get to see my daughter doing the same with her children. I certainly hope so. Christmas sure does bring back the memories of my childhood and the exciting times I had when I was a little girl.
I’d love to know what your favourite Christmas toy was as a child? Mine had to be my tiny tears doll. What was yours?
Disclosure: We were sent the Fairy Tale Palace in return for this review and blog post.
To see the selection of Christmas Gifts available from The Early Learning Centre you can visit their Website, Twitter and Instagram page.
About Angela Milnes
Angela Milnes is a Qualified Early Years Teacher who has specialised in Preschool and Kindergarten teaching. She has a wealth of experience teaching young children and is passionate about kids crafts and having fun as a family. Angela has also taught cooking skills and loves to share both family recipes and easy instant pot recipes here on The Inspiration Edit. Follow her on Pinterest!
Aww that is such a pretty castle and she looks so happy with it! Hope your trip to London went ok xx
Thanks Deborah. She loves her castle.
Such lovely pictures from your childhood. I don’t have any Christmas traditions but I think it’s lovely that the ones you do you have passed down to Sylvia, so sweet. I like that fairytale place so beautiful.
Thanks so much. 🙂 It’s nice to do this and pass down traditions to Sylvia.
I love that you have a special tradition that you had as a child with your family that you are now carrying on with your own daughter. I think is the best part of holidays, passing on family traditions and making special memories.
I agree. Passing down traditions is so important to me. It keeps memories alive.
Oh, your story reminded of the time when my grandparents bought me a Polly Pocket. It was a huge event for me and I remember showing it to all my friends. I played with it for years! I guess it’s the same for your daughter, she will be kept very busy with the Fairy Tale Palace.
Thats awesome. I’m glad you got some fantastic memories from this post.
Christmas traditions really do vary from one family to another, and I think it is nice to make your own with your own little family. I love the early christmas present you have giv en your daughter that is any girls dream present x
They do. I think its great to continue traditions from childhood but also to form your own as a family. Thats what we did.
I wish I had had some more traditions when I was younger but we never really paid much attention to Christmas. My boyfriend on the other hand absolutely loves it, so I’m looking forward to starting our own together!
We have a lot of traditions. I think i might write a post on them. We always try to do service and secret surprises for others at Christmas. It’s always fun!
Christmas memories are the best aren’t they? I remember getting a little tool set as a kid and I would be spending hours “fixing” everything up in the house. I’m not much of a DIY-champion these days, but hey, at least I can say I once was, you know, back in the day.
I’m sure Sylvia will remember this early Christmas present for years to come too!
They sure are. i always wanted a post office set as a child but never quite got one…however I bought one for Sylvia instead and that put a smile on my face.
We have quite a few Christmas traditions, some that I did when I was younger and a few new ones we have made as a family. I remember getting a Polly Pocket for Christmas, they were great!
The Polly pocket was super cool when I was a kid. I think it could make a fantastic comeback!
I like you like to keep to traditions. I adore the playset I myself have bought a few of these in the past from the ELC and they are very well built and last well
Thats great to hear. Our Early learning centre toys always last ages. I still have items from when SYlvia was a baby. They are top quality from my own experience.
I always had a pillowcase too! One of my favourite toys was a little soft polar bear!
Oh that sounds really fab! 🙂 We love a soft toy!
Christmas is great with the kids. I can’t remember any favourite toys when I was younger, but I do remember unwrapping a very large box to find a massive beanbag….lol.
Oh that’s cool. I did get a beanbag one year too!
Firstly that dolls house looks great and Sylvia definitely looks like she is loving it. I think my favourite toy as a child was a Sky Dancer, I think that’s what they were called? I played with it all the time! xx
I have never heard of a SKy dancer. I will have to go and look that up.
The fairy tale palace is beautiful and I am sure your daughter is thrilled to have it.
Thanks Nayna. It is lovely.
POLLY POCKETS!!! The original ones that actually fitted in your pockets and you can’t buy anymore! They were amazing! That is literally the first thing I thought of when I saw your question LOL.
Yes, I remember my blue one. it was in the shape of a shell and opened up like one!
I have so many lovely memories of family traditions from Christmasses when I was younger. Definitely hoping to pass them on one day!
Me too! The memories are really special.
I have so many lovely memories of family traditions from Christmasses when I was younger. Definitely hoping to pass them on one day!
That sounds like a fab idea! 🙂
Hope your medical appointments go well hun. She looks delighted by her pressie and I would be too. Plus what a great tradition.
Oh Sylvia is over the moon! 🙂
That fairy tale palace looks lovely. So cute that you used to have pillowcases instead of stockings. Wooden trains remind me of Xmas too.x
Yes, the train track is for some reason a Christmas thing for me. We still use pillow cases lol!
It looks like she enjoyed putting this together. It’s a great gift for a child and I bet she was pleased to get it early. My favourite Christmas gift was a hamster.
Oh wow! Getting a pet fro Christmas must have been amazing!
Great post, and what a nice idea to pass on the same traditions. I think my favourite gift was always Lego!
Oh we had tons of lego and played with it for hours! Lego is fun!
I can’t wait to pass on traditions to my daughter.
It’s a great part of parenting! That’s for sure!
Aww this looks such a lovely palace. We love Christmas, my Mum and Dad always made Christmas special for me so I passed on the excitement of Christmas onto mine 🙂
Yes my mum and dad did the same. I think it’s something they did and I want to do too!
I think it’s so nice to pass on traditions to your kids. Hope everything is okay while you’re in London x
Agreed. Traditions are fab. London is going okay so far!
That’s lovely that you pass your Christmas traditions onto your child, I hope to do the same one day as well x
Thanks. I think Christmas traditions do make it a special time of the year.
Oh wow that is quite a gift and it looks so well made too. I hope your week goes quick x
it is an amazing gift and Sylvia loves it!
My favourite toy when I was a child was probably my Mousetrap game.
I had mousetrap. We loved it!
Oh my goodness! LOVE the old school photos <3
Traditions are so important especially at Christmas keep it feeling special.
That fairy tale palace is AMAZING!!
Great post hun
Charlotte x
Thanks charlotte. I loved these pics too. The memories are special. I was a 1980’s baby.
Oh Angela what a lovely present and I am sure she will cheerish it forever. We never did christmas presents when I was young it was all about spending time together, cooking and eating. I want that kind of tradition when I have kids.
There are so many traditions you can have at Christmas…including toys but also spending time together, helping others and doing good deeds. 🙂 We have lots of fab traditions.
I love Christmas traditions and leaving out a pillow case for Santa. The ELC palace looks really good and it’s nice she can build it herself.
Thanks Lisa. We had fun putting the palace together and working out what all the pieces were for.
Oh I love that you have shared pictures from your childhood! So sweet 🙂
Thanks Harriet 🙂
Oh how lovely! I love sharing Christmas traditions and I tend to put the same things in my childrens stockings as my mum put in ours. That fairy castle looks fab! My girls would love it!
Ditto. My mum taught me well.
I am loving all of the Christmas traditions posts. This one is so precious, thanks for sharing!
🙂 Your welcome. glad you liked the post.
We are doing a combination of both. Traditions from both sided of our family and coming up with our own.
That’s the best way to do it!
I love that different families have different traditions. That castle looks incredible, what a lovely gift! xo
🙂 Me too.
The Castle looks fantastic. I absolutely loved the early learning center toys as they were so educational which i always placed importance on. Sylvia will love it. On the early learning website their are other families to collect,which would go with the castle.
It is fantastic and yes they are great quality toys…and so educational too!
What a fun tradition of leaving the pillow case at the end of your bed! I love that! It’s fun sharing traditions with our kids!
I agree and that’s why it’s always important to have extra pillow cases lol.
How great! I like to pass on my traditions too. That palace looks fabulous!
That’s cool to hear.
The castle is just lovely, but what I really love is all those Christmas traditions, family time is what Christmas is all about.
Thanks. Traditions are fab and I can’t wait to celebrate with my daughter.
Traditions are so important! Love that you’re passing it on =)
Me too!
I loved reading this. I have so many childhood memories of Christmas that I hope to pass along to my children. xx
It’s a great thing to be able to do.
What a heart warming post. I’m really interested in readin others Christmas traditions. And yours left such an impact on my life.
Thanks. I’m glad its made a difference. What a lovely thing to say.
Growing up we read the story in the bible ever year and we had stockings. My husband and I haven’t really started any traditions yet.
Yes we have always done that too. Reading the nativity story before we opened our gifts.
I like the idea of passing on traditions, I think it is such a nice thought and something I hope to be able to do one day.
Yes it is a lovely thing to do.
I loved reading all about your memories, and then I saw the picture of your daughters face! She looks absolutely over the moon with her early gift and I am sure she will get hours of enjoyment playing with it xx
Sylvia was over the moon!
It’s so lovely that you’ve still got those old Christmas photos!! I remember Polly Pocket and probably would’ve cried if I’d got one of them too!
Lol. Mine was blue and I loved it.
Christmas seems the perfect time to create and share traditions. We too have some and are now sharing them with my granddaughter.
I agree. It is a good time to strengthen the family too!
Gosh I remember Early Learning Centre toys from when I was little! Such great traditions, I’m sure she’ll love that present! actually Mousetrap and my Dollhouse that my Dad made for me were my favourite toys/ games as a child!
Mousetrap was a fun game!
There’s nothing like keeping the traditions alive by passing them on to your kids! That’s so awesome and it’s a lovely story as well. I hope it goes on for generations!
I agree. Keeping traditions alive is really important to me.
I really love christmas traditions. I will never to forget this traditions this is memorable. This is really great article.
These is really good traditions. You looks so having fun with your family. I love Christmas tradition especially for holidays season.
Thanks. 🙂
Awww. How magical! Great post… I love the vintage toys and photos..
Thanks michelle. I loved those toys too!
The idea of putting something together as a family is always lovely! It builds a strong bond and it makes great memories as well! I love that you’re passing on traditions!
I agree, making something together does build a bond!
What a lovely post you got here Angela. I love Christmas too. Your childhood memories are so cute.
Thanks Stella. I have so many fab memories.
Aw Such great traditions!!
Thanks Amanda
SUch lovely memories and great images of your childhoos. Having traditions and passing them on to our kids is just so fantastic.
I could not agree more. Traditions are so important to me.
What a stunning toy, Eliza would adore that palace. Hope it gets many hours of playtime
It is beautiful. Sylvia is so so blessed.
Our family traditions are one of the most important things to us about Christmas. It’s all about being together with family. And a little bit about pumpkin pie 🙂
OOH PUMPKIN PIE! We have pavlova at Christmas.
The only tradition was singing ‘why are we waiting, whhhy are we waiting’ when the christmas pudding was ready to come out. I would continue to do it but my in-laws might not appreciate it lol x
ha ha! We HAVE SUNG THAT BEFORE.
I love how you are passing traditions! I think traditions are an important part of a family, specially in the holidays!
Thanks Nicole. 🙂
What a lovely Princess castle, I can see what it would have made her so happy. I think we really try and pass on the magic of Christmas to our children, and memorable toys like this is one way of doing it
She was so happy Zena. Toys at Christmas make it even more fun!
looks like she love it! what I remember is when I was a kid when I smell oranges and cinnamon I knew that Christmas is really close:D
Oh I remember oranges with cloves in them! I cant remember what they were called.
I love that you had pillow cases instead of stockings 🙂 Christmas traditions are so special.
Yes traditions are great. I agree.
I loved looking at your Christmas pics – they could have been my own! You don’t realise how much even the trimmings have changed over the years until you look back at old pictures do you?!
I think it’s great how you’re passing traditions. I do the same with my two 🙂
Louise x
It’s nice to look back on the good memories and yes decorations have changed a lot!
Passing on traditions is always so much fun. Once you do it with them then it can definitely move on to another.
I agree. It’s an important part of family and christmas for me.
Awwww adorableness overload! such awesome family history and culture shared here. Love how fun you’ve made it all. Passing on traditions can be a bore but you make it enjoyable
I guess really choose the traditions we want to pass onto children. We had a really great time thanks.