For many, the most memorable Christmas present is a games console. From secondhand Super Nintendos to surprise Sega Saturns, the joy of unwrapping a new machine and playing with family is a cherished tradition. We asked game developers, journalists and readers to share their favourite memories of receiving a console at Christmas.
Liam Edwards, host of the Final Games Podcast, recalls Christmas 1997. After a normal day, his father called him and his brother to their bedroom, where they found a wrapped present under the bed. It was a Nintendo N64. “We stayed up an extra hour setting it up and playing Super Mario 64 for the first time with Dad on the bedroom floor. Best Xmas ever,” he said.
Gav Murphy, a games video presenter, remembers his mother telling him Sega Saturns were sold out. On Christmas morning, there was the console. “I proceeded to cry my eyes out. The deception still stings, tbh,” he said. Similarly, @AtheneAllen was desperate for a Wii in 2006. After opening all presents, her parents gave her a treasure hunt leading to the console.
Some parents went to great lengths. Sonny Morgan’s parents gave him a treasure hunt from Peter Pan at age four, leading to a Sega Master System. They had spent December playing it while he slept to learn the games. @alittleredpanda and her brother received a secondhand SNES with games wrapped individually and hidden around the living room; some were found months later.
Sam D’Elia, from Bafta, wanted a PC in 1996. His stepdad scavenged parts from work and built one from scratch, covering it in Transformers stickers. “It was a pipe dream made real on Christmas morning,” he said. @just_Ge0 and his brother got an N64 with Goldeneye, which had levels unlocked. They assumed their parents played it to help them, only to learn years later it was preowned.
One reader shared how her mother and she secretly played a SNES before Christmas, after her younger brothers went to sleep. “We were just inexplicably really good at the games once Christmas day finally came,” she said.
