Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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| Image by Tumisu from Pixabay |
What seems like barely more than three weeks since it began, yet another year is careening towards its end.
But is that what's on your mind?
Or are there other concerns that tug at your attention strings? Concerns that have become scratches that must be itched?
Are there questions that refuse to leave your mind? And answers that can be withheld from the world for no longer?
If so, you've come to the right place - because it's a Tuesday and it's the second half of the month.
And that can only mean one thing.
The pulse-pounding return of the feature in which you The Reader get to decide just what should be the day's topic for debate.
It could be drawn from any field of human endeavour. Or even non-human endeavour. It may even be drawn from the field of indeterminate non-endeavour.
It simply doesn't matter.
All that matters is the comments section awaits below, is free of charge and at your disposal.
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18 comments:
List your 3 favorite memories of comics/pop culture/toys from when you were a kid, during the holiday season!
Charles 47
Charlie - I like it. Very simple & very specific!
1.) Dinky FV102 Striker
2.) Captain Britain Annual 1978
3.) Superheroes card game
Phillip
If Charlie doesn't mind, can I ask a second Christmas-related question...
Real tree, fake tree or no tree? Any other kinds of Xmas decorations can be discussed!
Charlie -
Good one!
1) A stack of Titan 2000AD reprints for Christmas 1982. About eight of them. It was magic.
2) Does Lego count? Lego every year throughout the 1970s.
3) A Starbird spaceship toy that made noises for Christmas 1979 or 1980.
Colin -
That’s a tough one. A real tree for less plastic, for sure. But sustainability and all that. I got a little one in a pot this year and I’m going to try to keep it alive and plant it. Fingers crossed.
Colin - No tree. But, in childhood, definitely a real tree (before "the green issue, the ozone layer", to quote the Fast Show's "Rubbish!")
Phillip
Charlie’s Favs:
- Marvel’s / Stan’s book Origins of Marvel Comics. (Read and reread and reread…)
- Cornelius Ryan Trilogy box set of 3 WW2 battles in Europe.
- Hot Wheels!
I prefer real trees but more often put up the plastic due to convenience. (Nothing like a barrel full of dried-out, prickly pine needles!)
Charlie and Colin, thanks for the topics.
Favourite Christmassy comic book memory:
Getting Origins of Marvel Comics, Son of Origins of Marvel Comics and Bring on the Bad Guys, one Christmas and experiencing the beginnings of my favourite heroes, all in one go.
Favourite Christmassy toy memory:
Whenever I got Lego for Christmas but, also, getting a Space:1999 Dinky Eagle Transporter, one Christmas.
Favourite Christmassy pop culture memory:
Quatermass and the Pit being broadcast by the BBC on Christmas Day 1973. Ever since then, I've never been able to lose the conviction that that makes it a Christmas movie.
Colin, fake tree. Putting an actual real tree in a living room seems like total madness.
Comics:
One Christmas I got Steranko’s HISTORY OF COMICS Vol. 2, Stan’s ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS and that first MARVEL CALENDAR (1975). That was a whole lot of nerdy goodness. If I’m supposed to pick just one of those — ugh, it’s a toss-up but I’m leaning toward the Steranko.
Toy:
One year I got 4 Aurora Monster Kits — Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man and The Mummy. Again, if I have to pick just one, I’ll go with Frankenstein.
Pop Culture:
My younger brother and I shared a room and one year we got a small b/w television for Xmas. One of the local stations began reruns of DARK SHADOWS (starting with Barnabas’ resurrection) on Christmas Day — watching the first 5 or so episodes of that series is a treasured Holiday memory.
Bonus Question:
We had one of those odd silvery aluminum trees when I was a kid. When the Missus and I were first married we had real trees for four or five years, and even though they were beautiful (and smelled AMAZING) they were always a pain in the ass, so we switched to fake and never looked back. We’ve had the same tree for probably 25 years now, and it still looks fine.
b.t.
To answer Charlie's question:
COMICS: When I discovered Marvel in late 1974 I stopped reading DC Thomson's comics but I continued getting DC Thomson annuals such as The Beezer, Topper and Beano for several more years.
TOY: Not exactly a toy but for Christmas 1977 I got an air-hockey table which was fantastic fun and very popular whenever the neighbours' kids came to my house!
POP CULTURE: I'll say the Advent Crown on Blue Peter. For our American friends, Blue Peter was a twice-weekly TV show containing items of interest to children and every year at Christmas the presenters made an "Advent Crown" which was a contraption constructed out of wire coat-hangers, tinsel and candles. The finished product was then hung from the ceiling and looked very festive. The viewers were encouraged to make their own Advent Crown at home but it was probably a fire-hazard!
In no particular order:
Palitoy Urko figure from the Planet of the Apes TV series. Presumably Mego in the US. I managed to lose his knife by Boxing day but he remained a firm favourite for a while.
Corgi Batman three vehicle set. The Bat-mobile, Bat-boat and Bat-Copter in a single package. I had no idea I was getting this and was still young enough to think the Bat-man TV series was dead straight. Holy action set!
The Incredible Hulk annual 1978. This reprinted the origin recap from Hulk #3 and then the first half dozen (or so) Ditko stories from Tales to Astonish. All in fabulous colour. I hadn't read any of these Ditko stories and they quickly became my favourite Hulk era. Aside to Philip, I also got the Captain Britain annual but was disappointed it reprinted the weekly stories from #1 to #7, which I already had.
Plastic tree for us, as real Christmas trees die within 48 hours in the Brisbane summer.
DW
To answer my own question: I haven't got a tree and my only decorations are a set of 20 LED fairy lights which are draped over a concertina clothes-dryer in my bedroom. It's not much but the lights look very Christmassy shining in the dark.
DW - I had the 1978 Incredible Hulk annual, too! Likewise, a Corgi Batmobile - but an individual one, not part of a set!
As regards the pop-culture angle, I'll go for the Selfish Giant cartoon - also, its sister cartoon, the Happy Prince. Both were X-mas staples, during the 70s.
Plus, as being very 'Christmassy', I recall ITV playing 'God Rest You Merry Gentleman', as some kind of continuity music, between TV shows - up until Christmas - during X-mas 1977 or 78 (?) I think that comprised my first exposure to 'God Rest You, etc' - and I was mightily impressed by its Ye Olde World 'Christmassy' tone!
Phillip
Great question!
First Christmas toy memory was when I was...8 perhaps. Opened my stocking Christmas morning and it was full of Marx dinosaurs! About a dozen or so; played with those endlessly.
Then there was the Christmas of 1971, when I got my first stereo (a small combo unit, record player and radio; from J.C. Penny's. Along with it was two lp's to get me started: Three Dog Night and the Partridge Family. Musical me was off and running.
And more along the pop cultural line, I remember fondly watching the original 1969 broadcast of "Frosty the Snowman" at my grandmother's house. Still a favorite special.
As for the tree: artificial; we have done the live a few times but it is a hassle, and I am fine with the small fake we have. But one of b.t.'s silver aluminum trees would be great!
Yesterday BBC Four showed WHAT WE WERE WATCHING presented by Grace Dent which looked at Christmas TV from 1979 but it only featured the BBC's output and totally ignored ITV so you only got half the story of 1979 Christmas telly.
Christmas in the '70s wasn't complete without those TV ads for the Ronco Buttoneer!
My parents didn't normally drink alcohol but Christmas was an exception so we had Babycham and beer which I was allowed to drink (but the beer was usually mixed with lemonade to make shandy). To this day I still associate Babycham and shandy with Christmas.
Good lord!!! How could Charlie overlook the one gift he and his 3 siblings truly (!!!!) looked forward to, well into our teenage years: The DC Thomson Annuals! And if it was the bi-annual year a Dennis the Menace was released… oh boy!!!
My 3 favourite pop culture\toy etc Christmas memories are:
1.When I was about 6 or 7 my mum and dad bought me a Japanese wind up tin robot for Christmas - the coolest toy ever. I no longer recall its name (although it resembled a toy called Mr Zerox). Sadly the robot was lost a couple of years later when we moved house - They cost a small fortune now.
2. Corgi Batmobile from 1966\67. I gave it away to a neighbour's son when I was around 14, I still regret that decision to this day.
3. Action Man (although my first Action Man was actually a G.I Joe.)
Colim, We have a fake Christmas tree now. We bought a real one a few years ago and the pine needles kept falling out. It was binned a few weeks later
My mum and dad weren't big drinkers either (I don't recall my mum drinking at all) but at Christmas\hogmanay as a kid I was allowed a snowball (Advocaat and lots of lemonade).
I've been watching Top Of The Pops from Christmas Day 1977 - the same day I got my air-hockey table. Highlight of the show had to be Legs & Co dressed as reindeer dancing to Stevie Wonder's SIR DUKE while a black Santa cavorted around - the joys of TOTP in its' heyday!
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