My earliest memory must have been just at Christmas 1937 just before my
2nd birthday. My Dad had been to Chesterfield Market on Christmas Eve and bought me a doll. It was in a box with a paper lace frilling round it. He could not wait until the next morning and woke me up to show me that Santa Claus had been.Shortly after again after he had been to the market. He had bought me a red coat and bonnet, and again he woke me up to try it on.
My next was when I was two and a half. My mother used to take me shopping to the only village shop. I remember seeing up on the top shelf a box that had red paper and Santa Claus's on it. I asked my mother what it was and she told me a child's tea-set. She said that someone had ordered it from Santa the previous year but could not pay for it. That red box intrigued me. However one of my Uncles had visit a few days before and had given me two shillings. My Mum suggested that if I gave my two shillings to the shop -keeper that Santa would bring me the tea-set. So I handed over my coin and lo and behold the tea-set did come to me at Christmas just two weeks before my 3rd birthday. I still have that tea-set. It is in fine china, hand-painted with a small girl feeding rabbits. It just say Foreign on the bottom. There are 6 cups and sauces. 6 plates, a bread and butter plate. Also a teapot, sugar bowl and a cream jug. There is just one chip on the plate but that was there when I got it. Alas the box is no longer around. It just fell apart. By the way the tea-set cost six shillings and sixpence. Old money about
32.1/2 pence decimal coinage. I have had it coming up to 65 years.Sorry to be so long winded. Shirley
In article , Kathy N-V writes