Christmas is our favourite time of the year. We love to spread Christmas joy with our hobbies and toys. Hobbies and toys are not just objects. They help create loving and wonderful memories with friends and family over the festive holidays. Christmas is about experiences and wonderful memories shared with others. We love to reflect on past memories of Christmas spent with family and friends. This year we went around to ask team members a few questions about their most treasured Christmas memories to share our Christmas excitement with you all.

1. Name your Favourite Christmas?

When I was 26 I went to Japan with my family and spent Christmas in an Onsen Ryokan in Nagano (2016). Having a white Christmas has always been a dream of mine so this was an amazing experience for me (Nate).

A white Christmas in England (1979) with our young family and going out to get a Christmas tree in a forest. We actually stumbled upon a fawn hiding in some bushes. We left it alone and continued our search for the perfect tree to suit our small cottage at the time (Mike).

Probably last year (2020). It had been my first year living out of home and the overwhelming joy of being back with family for Christmas was wonderful! (Simon).

My favourite Christmas was the one of 2020. 2020 was a difficult year for all of us due to COVID-19 lockdowns. It was nice to celebrate Christmas with family and friends restriction free and I hope it will be the same this year! (Declan).

2. What is your most treasured Christmas Memory?

As I get older I rarely get to meet up with my family so Christmas has always been a great time to do so as we would all catch up with a Christmas dinner and celebrate together! (Nate)

Being Santa at a community Christmas party and a little girl coming up to me as I was leaving and saying “next Christmas I will bring a present for you Santa” (Mike)

We’ve always done traditional Christmas puddings with thrupences and sixpences in them for Christmas lunch. Growing up, my Grandfather and one of our family friends would spend all of dinner arguing about the exchange rate of the old pence coins in the pudding to the bowls of new coins on the table that you’d exchange and take home. It was always a good laugh! (Simon)

My favourite Christmas memory is helping dad put up the Christmas decorations. Each year we had lights hanging from the roof, light displays in the window and wooden figures of Santa’s reindeer, sled and Santa himself that would be displayed on the wall (Declan).

3. What was your Favourite Christmas present?

I received my first gunpla kit, the SD RX-78 GP01/FB Gundam Zephyranthes, when I was in primary school from my uncle. I had so much fun building it! This was the start of my interest in gunpla and modelling in general (Nate).

My first train set in 1950 (Age 7) was the Hornby Dublo. I had to save up to contribute to the cost of it. It was the start of a long affinity for model trains and real trains (Mike)

I was given a little portable guitar amplifier last year called a Pignose. It is a tiny little speaker box covered in brown tolex but louder than you would expect and puts out some beefy tones. Love it! (Simon)

My favourite Christmas present was my first ever slot car set. From memory this was a Carrera Go set. I used to have hours of fun racing friends and family as we tried to go as fast as we could without going off the edge! I remember building my slot car set around the Christmas tree a few years later as a display (Declan)

4. Have you gone on Holiday at Christmas time?

As part of my favourite Christmas experience, I went to Japan on a family holiday. It was an amazing experience to see how another country celebrates their holidays! Spending it in the snowy weather as opposed to the usual Australian summer during Christmas was definitely a first for me too (Nate)

I go to the Tea Gardens every 2 years where all our family can come together; Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Friends and Grandchildren. Add half a dozen family dogs and it is a great occasion to celebrate Christmas and to give thanks for so many things (Mike)

Not really. Christmas in my family has always been a home affair. We like to be home with good food and away from the traffic and travel worries (Simon)

I like to spend time with family and friends at home during Christmas and visiting each other's houses for Christmas lunch. I would love someday to have a white Christmas in America when the borders open and there's no need for quarantine or self-isolation (Declan)

Merry Christmas!

Check out the rest of our Christmas Blogs!

From all the Hobbyco team, we wish you a safe and Merry Christmas. We hope this Christmas will be the one to remember in all the right ways.