20/12/2010

Christmas Club - Ghostbusters

I've been meaning to write something for ages with a memory of mine for Sian's Christmas Club. I really couldn't decide which memory stood out the most,one from when I was a child or one from when the boys were younger. One Christmas back in the early 1990s, out of all the toys that could be had,all the boys wanted was  a Ghostbuster's Fire Station.Nothing - but nothing else was going to be right. No Ecto car, no Slimer,no Marshmallow man - it had to be the fire station.They had the model men,but desperately had to have the station.
So - that year - what was the one thing that sold out everywhere weeks and weeks before Christmas ? - yep the Ghostbuster's Fire Station, if anyone has boys around the 23-25 age they will probably know what I mean.
We started at the local Toys R  Us - who were supposed to stock tons of everything but of course no luck. We went slightly further afield to Woolworths and John Lewis and various other toy stores. (Internet shopping was not around then).
We asked Nannies and Grandads to look out for one, Sister and Brother in Laws - friends but no one could get one.How on earth could we say that Santa couldn't find one ?? Horror of horrors!
Anyway,about a week before Christmas someone at himself's work said they had some the other side of the river.Off we went one evening all  the way down to Kent and woo hoo we got one.
We were so thrilled to get this bloomin thing - it was tucked safely in the loft and the boys were duly thrilled and excited on Christmas morning. Dad assembled it - they got their men out and a pot of 'ghosty slime'.
They tipped the slime all over the top floor and waited for it to drop through the floors- which it did - slowly,and put the men in the bottom - that was it ,they played with it once - or maybe twice.All that aggro  and they played with it once.....I'll never forget that Christmas !

Probably not a very exciting story, but a real memory for me !

9 comments:

Sarah said...

well done on finding one of these, but isn't that just so typical of children to play once and abandon? Nothing changes even today!

Maria Ontiveros said...

too funny! I know exactly what you mean.
Rinda

Anonymous said...

This has inspired with my Christmas Club story. I was going to go with a completely different one until I read yours - thanks you Denise. xxx

Sian said...

It's a brilliant memory - because it's one every Santa can relate to!! I was holding my breath right through the story til you managed to find one - and I love the fact that you have the photos to prove it. I wish I had made the effort to take more photos of individual toys in the past.

Many, many thanks for CCing your memory Denise. Very much appreciated! I hope you are feeling right up to full strength again now and that you will all have a very merry Christmas.

scrappyjacky said...

I can think of a few expensive toys that were only played with once.....and some very cheap ones that were played with to death.
A great story....definately brought back some memories.

Ruth said...

These are exactly the kind of memories that make Christmas so special for families, don't you think?

humel said...

Oh no!! But yes, I think we can all relate to that - sometimes we can all set our heart on something, be bitterly disappointed if we don't get it, but actually end up disappointed even if we do...

debs14 said...

Oh yes, we can all relate to that! hours of searching for that ONE thing, and then they play with it for a while and discard it! Ours was a Red Power Ranger. I queued for ages outside Toys r Us for that, thinking to myself ' I must be mad' but the look on Js face when he opened it was worth all the waiting.

Miriam said...

This is a brilliant story, I remember the same thing happening to me as it happens to so many families. Santa's have a lot to put up with! Merry Christmas :)