At Christmas time when I was a boy,

We didn't get much, maybe one or two toys.

We would wake up in the middle of the night,

Me and my three brothers, scrambling for the light.

The presents were at the bottom of each bed,

And we made enough noise to awaken the dead.

A shout could be heard from our Dad,

Keep the noise down, there's a good lad.

We only got a few things, not like kids today,

Like a compendium set, that you could pay with all day.

We would eat our selection boxes all in one go,

Then the orange and apple, till we were fit to blow.

My two sisters were also there,

Putting on make-up and doing their hair.

Their boyfriends were coming to dinner as well,

Which made 10 people including myself.

Dad would have a few beers and Mum maybe a sherry,

All the family were there all happy and merry.

Then it was over, and off to bed we went,

After all the fun and games, and a day well spent.

My husband told me this tale of how it used to be,

Now with families of their own, it is just my husband and me.

Mrs E Atkinson

Halsall Drive, Great Lever