From Cabbage Patch Kids to a new fitba strip, these were the best presents Glasgow weans unwrapped on Christmas morning – and the worstJules Boyle and Ambarish Awale Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
17:46, 25 Dec 2025
Whether traditional or modern Christmases, the excitement of giving and receiving presents has always been a highlight of the festivities.(Image: Getty Images)
Whether it’s a traditional Christmas – two weeks of getting merry and navigating festive dinners – or a pandemic version, there’s one thing we can all concur on.
That is, the joy of giving and receiving presents is an integral part of the festivities.
Remember the thrill as a child?
The memories of flipping through the Grattans/Argos catalogue, selecting items you knew you’d never receive?
Those were the golden years.
These days, youngsters are receiving phones that cost more than your motor, but it wasn’t so long ago that we were far less demanding. We were easily satisfied, in fact.
Well, not always. There were times when you could be excused for not being entirely thrilled with what Santa left under the tree. Glasgow Live have listed the best (and the worst) gifts children got.
Here are ten of the best (and some of the worst) gifts we received for Christmas growing up in ScotlandThe best presentsTHE AT-AT
Roughly the size of a small to medium-sized dog, this was the king of all Star Wars toys. Sure, the Millennium Falcon was impressive, but this beast was something else.
The AT-AT, about the size of a small dog, was the ultimate Star Wars toy, even more impressive than the Millennium Falcon.
Now primarily found in the living rooms of thirty-something computer programmers who can’t find a girlfriend because they’re “too nice”.
BARBIE’S DREAM HOUSE
Unknowingly creating the perfect setting for girls to grow into own-brand Kardashians, Barbie’s Dream House was the pinnacle of glamour and fantasy.
Barbie’s Dream House set the standard for glamour, far beyond Sindy’s ordinary home, inspiring a lifestyle of luxury and fantasy.
A world away from that plain Jane Sindy and her ordinary house, Barbie was living the high life because she (and you) deserved it and is the reason your new-build in Anniesland looks like it’s been styled by Katie Price.
THE NEW FOOTBALL KIT
It’s strange to think there was a time when kids didn’t receive every new kit the day it was released. Can you picture your dad standing in line outside the superstore for an entire day just to get it for you, and it wasn’t even your birthday or Christmas?
Getting the latest football kit for Christmas was a special treat, worn straight over pyjamas for an instant photo with the ball.(Image: Daily Record)
Unlikely.
So, discovering the latest Celtic, Rangers or Thistle kit under the Christmas tree was all the more special. Immediately on it goes, over the pyjamas (it’s chilly), and a quick photo is taken with the football as if you’re part of the Panini sticker book.
Sorted.
CABBAGE PATCH KID
These odd-looking dolls, with their puffy faces, were more commonly found in Glasgow homes than the Provident lady. In a brilliant marketing move, you didn’t purchase them; you adopted them.
Cabbage Patch Kids were adopted rather than bought, letting kids play at being mums, with the option to sell them when done.
This allowed little girls everywhere to experience what being a real mum is like and how it’s not nearly as enjoyable as they imagined. At least with Cabbage Patch Kids, you could sell them when you’d had enough.
SUBBUTEO
Before FIFA and Championship Manager, we had Subbuteo, the most basic football simulation that doesn’t involve kicking a tin can between two lampposts. There was a slight collector’s aspect to it, as you’d try to accumulate as many teams as possible, perhaps the World Cup, working floodlights if you were a posh lad or if your dad felt guilty about that thing he and your mum don’t discuss.
Subbuteo let kids play football with miniature teams, goals, and a ball using just their fingers.
But all you really needed were two teams, two goals, a ball, and fingers. Good times indeed.
A GAMING CONSOLE
The beginning of the end for traditional Christmas gifts came with the arrival of the Atari 2600 system in many homes. Bicycles and balls were suddenly passé as you could now play arcade games in your own living room, free of charge.
The Atari 2600 and later consoles like SNES and PlayStation made video games the must-have Christmas gift, replacing traditional toys.
Before long, it was a SNES, a Sega, a PlayStation or an Xbox nestled under the tree, complete with a selection of games. It also served as a fantastic excuse to avoid family interactions over the festive period.
However, you would have to let your Gran have a go. She was terrible at it.
Yes, it was amusing. Give me my controller back Gran, ya auld boot.
The worst presentsTCR
In the advert, TCR appeared to be a superior version of Scalextric. It wasn’t confined to one track (which you hadn’t realised was subpar until the advert pointed it out) and didn’t just have two cars for you and your mate, dad (or if necessary, Gran), it had an extra self-driving car.
TCR promised more than Scalextric but was frustratingly limited, with only one car moving at a time and frequent stoppages.(Image: Pinterest)
Incredible!
No, it was utter rubbish. Only one car and that daft Jam Car ever moved at a time and changing lanes resulted in power loss and immediate stoppage.
Fantastic. If you ever felt envious about not receiving TCR, don’t.
You dodged a bullet.
THE JUMPER
Clothing gifts are always a bit of a letdown for kids, but there’s a particular level of disappointment reserved for that relative who gifted you an unsightly jumper. It was invariably ghastly, bulky and scratchy, in a colour so garish it would invite ridicule the moment you stepped outside.
The jumper was always an ugly, scratchy, oversized gift that kids dreaded wearing.(Image: WhereToGet)
If fortune favoured you, the gift-giver wouldn’t be present when you unwrapped it, but more often than not, it was your Auntie Jean, who’d arrived bright and early on Christmas Day, already indulging in the sherry, ensuring you were stuck wearing that monstrosity all day. Tough luck.
THE INFERIOR VERSION OF THE TOY YOU DESIRED
Their intentions were good, but as you age, some people start to think all toys look alike. You request Transformers, they buy you Gobots.
You asked for Transformers, but ended up with a disappointing Gobots instead.
You direct them to Toys R Us, they head to the Barras. That’s why your Action Man has plastic hair and your sister’s Barbie looks like a woman who’s undergone excessive plastic surgery to resemble Barbie, but instead appears as if her head has been left too close to a heat source.
Just give me cash. I’ll buy it myself.
SODA STREAM
In the era before everyone simply purchased litres of cola from the supermarket, the prospect of creating your own fizzy drinks at home seemed magical. No more chasing the ice cream van for a bottle of Strike Cola at his last stop of the evening; you could have your own whenever you fancied.
Making your own fizzy drinks with a SodaStream seemed magical, but they always tasted weak and disappointing.
That is until you actually tasted it. Then you realised it tasted like weak squash mixed with nearly-flat soda water.
Mainly because that’s exactly what it was. What a disappointment.
Also, take note of Mr Frosty. He was a pie as well.