Isn't Lego better when it's just thousands of random bits and you create something of your own? There's no challenge to putting together pre-prepared sets.

My speciality was a massive 2-storey spaceship complete with rear and lower docking bays (with opening doors and docking craft), swivelling gun turrets, working landing gear and flight deck with opening canopy, seats and control panel. Took me years to perfect. That, and a huge castle with working drawbridge.

As for kids' Xmas presents, don't get me going. Seems to me most parents go down the "quantity, not quality" route and overwhelm their little dears with more stuff than they can handle. One of the saddest sights for me at a family Xmas recently was the spoilt kid looking very bored and a bit baffled with opening [iyet another[/i frigging present.

Not a fan, or can't get hold of one?

Quote Cronus="Cronus"Isn't Lego better when it's just thousands of random bits and you create something of your own? There's no challenge to putting together pre-prepared sets. My speciality was a massive 2-storey spaceship complete with rear and lower docking bays (with opening doors and docking craft), swivelling gun turrets, working landing gear and flight deck with opening canopy, seats and control panel. Took me years to perfect. That, and a huge castle with working drawbridge. As for kids' Xmas presents, don't get me going. Seems to me most parents go down the "quantity, not quality" route and overwhelm their little dears with more stuff than they can handle. One of the saddest sights for me at a family Xmas recently was the spoilt kid looking very bored and a bit baffled with opening [iyet another[/i frigging present.'" I agree with most of this. Quantity can very quickly spoil a kid. I never got that many presents but I usually got one good present every year that I was really excited about, and a few little other things. I can still remember some of my Christmases as a kid by the 'big' present I got: 1986 - Crossbows and Catapults 1987 - can't remember 1988 - Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs 1989 - Full six books of the Narnia series 1990 - A pair of binoculars and Meccano set 1991 - A cricket bat (Duncan Fearnley Graeme Hick 405) Regarding Lego it seems that in Europe Lego sales have done well in the recent economic climate because their sets have long 'play value' (kids dont get bored with them). Germany is the biggest market share not surprisingly. www.economist.com/node/21538206

Quote Cronus="Cronus"Isn't Lego better when it's just thousands of random bits and you create something of your own? There's no challenge to putting together pre-prepared sets. My speciality was a massive 2-storey spaceship complete with rear and lower docking bays (with opening doors and docking craft), swivelling gun turrets, working landing gear and flight deck with opening canopy, seats and control panel. Took me years to perfect. That, and a huge castle with working drawbridge. As for kids' Xmas presents, don't get me going. Seems to me most parents go down the "quantity, not quality" route and overwhelm their little dears with more stuff than they can handle. One of the saddest sights for me at a family Xmas recently was the spoilt kid looking very bored and a bit baffled with opening [iyet another[/i frigging present.'" I agree with most of this. Quantity can very quickly spoil a kid. I never got that many presents but I usually got one good present every year that I was really excited about, and a few little other things. I can still remember some of my Christmases as a kid by the 'big' present I got: 1986 - Crossbows and Catapults 1987 - can't remember 1988 - Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs 1989 - Full six books of the Narnia series 1990 - A pair of binoculars and Meccano set 1991 - A cricket bat (Duncan Fearnley Graeme Hick 405) Regarding Lego it seems that in Europe Lego sales have done well in the recent economic climate because their sets have long 'play value' (kids dont get bored with them). Germany is the biggest market share not surprisingly. www.economist.com/node/21538206

I remember a few years ago on here, someone (I can't remember who) posted a picture of their living room on Christmas morning. They had, if I remember correctly, two small children. The room was half full of wrapped presents, piled high – the sort of sight that made you shake your head in disbelief.

That was an extreme (I hope) example, but it's difficult to comprehend what the parents really thought they were achieving – other than, possibly, building up a big credit card bill/debt.

In a way you can see it as an illustration of the way in which consumerism has convinced us that we need so many things.


Oh – and Lego was absolutely brilliant.

For my daughter's first Christmas (10 months old), I struggled with buying a suitable present, especially knowing that grandparents, aunts etc would be loading her with toys & "stuff". I eventually went to see a friend who was a children's book illustrator and bought two of his originals, from which the lithos were made. These I had framed and they still adorn her walls to this day.

Has other uses too...

Thats just made me wince.

That soup, looks good that, t'other half would like that. Will I get away with (and please don't think any less of me for the up coming heresy) [size=85a stock cube?[/size



Oh, I agree, but I'm at least twenty five years out of practice.

Oh, midweek and unplanned fodder sees stock cubes allowed.



My sister and I had a big box of basic Lego – a wooden box with sliding lid and plastic trays inside – that was then handed on to my niece. I also had – because I won (Weetabix springs to mind) a Lego castle. It was before the really fancy ones you have today, so it was mostly basic bricks.

I got <i>so</i> many hours pleasure out of Lego – it would rate very highly in any nostalgic discussion of toys; possibly even top. And I admit that I look at displays of some of the modern kits and I wouldn't half love an excuse to get one, sit down and put a complex one together.

I had the same set, it was the biggest one you could buy at the time and consisted only of bricks of various sizes in two colours, (red and white), some grey "base's" and some window frames.

It's not that unusual for kids to get big piles of presents at Christmas. Most kids I know get a big pile of wrapped goodies. Sometimes it's over the top, but sometimes it's not. We often had big piles of gifts when we came downstairs on Christmas morning when i was younger and it was amazing. We had nothing through the year and my Mum saved hard for us to get the same (parcel height wise) as everyone else. Alright our pile including things like a new coat, new shoes and new underwear alongside toys and books which most people's didn't, but for one day we weren't the poor family in the street. We were the same.

It's alright having principles and sticking to them, but sometimes kids just want to be the same. Christmas was our turn. We appreciated every single parcel and I think that is what is important. The three of us sat in a circle and my Mum watched (usually in tears) as we each opened one gift at a time. It took hours as we'd get sidetracked by my brother's new car or my new shoes. It was wonderful though and made up for the birthdays when we had no electric never mind presents and the school trips that there was no way we could go on.

It's the ungratefulness that is the biggest problem with kids getting loads now imo. I have a friend whose brat cribbed on Christmas day that he "only" got 6 parcels. He got a Wii, various games and gubbins and £100 football boots. I'd have taken the lot of the wee sod, but he's used to getting 4 or 5 things each weekend when they are out so to him 6 parcels was 'hardly anything'.

Amazing what you can find via the intertubes! This is the one: