My old record player was on its last legs as I’d had it for 5 or 6 years by then, and you have to remember that I was only 13 in 1973, so my old record player wasn’t in the best of condition as I’d had it since I was 8 or 9.
Mum told me there was no chance of getting one as I already had one and as well as that I also had a cassette recorder and a reel to reel tape recorder! She said it was about time I started looking at other things. But the truth was, apart from records and tapes, there wasn’t too much else I wanted.
My other great love at the time was football. I didn’t have a favourite team as such, I just loved playing. Me and my next-door neighbour, Jon Ashton, only lived five minutes away from the beach at Burnham on Sea, and we’d go down there in the winter and play football behind the lighthouse.
Although I didn’t have a favourite team, I had plenty of favourite players. Jimmy Greaves had been a favourite but he'd retired by that time. George Best, Alan Ball, Rodney Marsh Stan Bowles, Tony Currie and more were favourites.
So I didn’t want a particular football shirt, I used to collect plenty. I had a red one, so I could be Manchester United, Liverpool or any team that wore red. I had a blue one, so I could be Chelsea or Everton. You get where I’m coming from. It wasn’t like it is today where shirts are specific to clubs.
I did have an Arsenal shirt as they were different, And a West Ham One too. In fact, I think I had around 10 shirts. So I’d wear them and go out and I had a shirt so that I could be the player of choice.
But I was also getting to the age where I was not really wanting to continue getting football shirts. In fact, I’m not sure that I had too many more once I reached 13. And I’ve never wanted on since (with the exception of a Weymouth shirt I had many years later...but that’s a different story.)
So I was pretty much stumped as to what I wanted for Christmas – my heart was set on a new record player, a Dansette one in red or blue, I didn’t mind which colour.
And as much and kept on about it, Mum and Dad told me it was off the table. I wasn’t getting a record player. I had too much music stuff.
They were adamant that I had too many records and I needed to start thinking about my schoolwork and that I would probably do better with a desk for my room!
And so as you can probably tell, I wasn’t really looking forward to my Christmas presents this year.
The more I begged, the more they said no.
And so on the morning, I wasn’t too excited about getting up. There wasn’t going to be too much I was looking forward to. Only a bleeding desk!
So when I came into the living room and saw the big box wrapped, my heart sank. It was a desk!
I unwrapped the presents but left the big one, I couldn’t face it.
Mum kept saying that I should tidy up my bedroom and make some room for the big present. But I didn’t. I opened my selection boxes and settled in to watch Christmas morning telly.
Mum was on my case telling me to open my big present because she wanted to get all the wrapping paper bagged up and put in the bin.
Eventually, I decided to open it. It was a desk. I knew it. I may as well get it opened.
But as I started unwrapping it, it felt strange. It wasn’t has heavy as I expected. I got the paper off, opened the box, and a smaller one was inside it.
I was confused. I opened the next box and inside it, another one.
Now I knew it wasn’t a desk, I was just confused.
It took two more boxes until my present was revealed. As I opened the last box, I lookd in and my eyes lit up!
I was over the moon! Exactly what I’d wanted. And what’s more, Mum and Dad had really enjoyed playing their game with me.
It made the Christmas of 1973 so memorable for me.
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