"One year I was actually given a set of rhinestone-studded pedicure toe spacers. I love rhinestone – but toe spacers?"
Beyoncé Knowles"My favourite Christmas memory is of the time when I was a teenager and I got a tape recorder. I remember it was a Philips reel-to-reel. It was back in the early Sixties, round about the time I first started listen
ing seriously to music, but getting the recorder meant I could tape pop songs off the radio, which is what we had to do at that time."
Walter Smith, Rangers and former Scotland manager "Every year, as part of the festive ritual, I would be sent to see my great auntie Aggie, taking with me one of my mother's patent and wonderful Christmas cakes wrapped in tin foil. Great aunt Aggie had a colourful and fascinating life, which among many other experiences involved running a billiard hall and triumphantly playing multiple bingo cards well into her 80s, not to mention being a devotee of three-cross six penny doubles and trebles at the horses. Listening to her stories over the years started as a holiday chore, but turned into a Christmas highlight."
Alex Salmond, First Minister"The oddest Christmas present was from my father when I was young. I had a little toy car that was being driven by Pinocchio. For whatever the reason, Pinocchio's head fell off the day before Christmas. I played with it a little too roughly. My father picked up the head and he went into the garden and he planted it. The next morning was this enormous thing that had grown in the garden. I ripped it open and it was a giant wooden Pinocchio. I was scratching my head trying to figure out how that grew."
Nicolas Cage "My most memorable Christmas was the year that Shetland lost power. After the last ferry left, it snowed hard, froze and a wintry storm brought the power lines down. We had no electricity for Christmas Day. We cooked our turkey on a peat-burning stove. We were lucky to have it warmed through by Boxing Day. We ate our lukewarm, crunchy Christmas meal by candlelight, without the noisy trappings of a modern Christmas, just enjoying family company. We did get the emergency generator cranked into action on Boxing Day, but I won't forget that peaceful cold Christmas Day."
Tavish Scott, Scottish Lib Dem leader"I'll never forget the year I got my typewriter. It was a proper old sit-up-and-beg black one too, and it came with a six disc collection of the 'Smith Corona Touch Typing Course' which was an American man reminding me to keep my eyes off the keyboard. My parents later told me they couldn't believe how all you could hear in the house for months on end was a nasal American shouting out letters, and it creased them up every time."
Jenny Colgan, author"One year, when I was about 22, I got lingerie from my grandma. I don't think she realised what it was; I think she thought it was just pretty lace pyjamas. But no, it was actually pretty hot, crotchless, pink-purple panties. So I'm thinking, 'This is weird; I could never wear this with a guy because I would always think of my grandma.'"
Eva Longoria, Desperate Housewives actress"I was a wee, excitable kid and I remember the clock ticking towards 3am on Christmas morning. My brothers and sisters and I couldn't wait any longer so we'd creep towards the living room door to see what Santa had left us. Just as the bravest among us turned the handle, my mum would shout: "Get back to yir bed, he's no' been yit" and we would scurry off and plunge our heads under the sheets again for another couple of hours."
John Hughes Manager, Falkirk FC "I once got a lump of coal for a Christmas present. I was about 12 years old and it was from my parents, who were understandably very angry because I had sawed the leg off the dining room table. I remember crying when I saw what it was and they relented and gave me what I had asked Santa for – a sled."
Jack Nicholson, actor"When I was three or four years old my mother used to get me to stand on the doorstep on Christmas Eve waiting to see if the postman came along with a brown parcel wrapped in sacking that was goose shaped. My uncle was a farmer in Ireland and he used to send one to us every year in the post. My mother would always get very agitated that it wouldn't arrive and my job was to stand out and tell her as soon as it arrived. It was always exciting when it came, and it was a great Christmas roast."
Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea, principal of the University of Edinburgh"I remember when my son Grant was four and opening all his presents. Each one he unearthed with delight, wide-eyed and gleeful that Santa had got him everything he wanted. But after he unwrapped his last one, he gave us a puzzled look. Don't you like it, we asked? 'It's fantastic, but didn't you and mum get me anything?' It wasa lesson in life for us with our later children: Santa's spoils must be shared with parents."
Gordon Smith, Scottish Football Association chief executive"All my life I have worked Christmas Day because I was in the restaurant industry. Over the years it's just become a way of life – I'm working this Christmas. When I sold my restaurants I had a few Christmases off, but the strange thing was I didn't know what to do with myself. All you do is eat too much and drink too much, and then feel bloated all afternoon. Working on Christmas day is always great fun because everybody is in a good mood and it's a family atmosphere in the restaurant."
Charan Gill, curry king "One year I got a neck massager from a friend. I thought I recognised it and he later admitted it was the same one I'd given him the year before."
Jamie Foxx"When I was a kid growing up in Kirkcaldy we used to have a big Christmas tree in the town square and little attractions. There was something the size of a table top with a glass front, and you put two pennies in these plastic bagpipers marched up and down and played Scotland the Brave. I remember being entranced by it, and when I hear Scotland the Brave I still bizarrely think of Christmas."
Val McDermid, author "The worst Christmas gift I ever got was socks. There's nothing wrong with socks; we all wear them and need them, but they are definitely not Christmas appropriate."
Vince Vaughn"When I think of Christmas, my home town of Galashiels is always to the fore. Wherever I have been in my football career, I have always managed to get back to my mum's house for a big dinner on the night. Sharing the evening with my wife, children and the rest of my family is what makes it. However my personal circumstances have changed it is always the same, and always special."
John Collins, Former Scotland international and now manger of Charleroi "Both of my grandparents had birthdays on Christmas Day so we used to have our Christmas meal in the evening for them. As children we had to be deemed old enough to sit up for it, which meant going to bed in the afternoon to have the energy to stay up. It was so magical with the candlelit dinner in the evening and all the family around."
Lady Claire MacDonald, cook and food writer"My happiest memories of Christmas are of being in pantomime. The sheer joy of going out on stage and seeing the thousands of faces in the audience, everybody laughing and cheering – and booing the baddie, of course. It's a strange sounding thing to say at Christmas, but even at my age I'd still love to play the villain again. Only in panto, mind. They always seemed to have the best lines. Although the dame always had the best costumes."
Glen Michael of Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade "Lots of people seem to think that because it's Christmas and I'm a model that I have to be doing something glamorous. But that couldn't be further from the truth as I have really traditional Christmases. I'm with my family watching TV and just relaxing. Some people might say that sounds boring, but for me it's really fantastic, just being able to lounge about all day in my pyjamas, surrounded by family, having Christmas dinner. It's just one of the best days of the year."
Stephanie Willemse, Miss Scotland "I had a Christmas which drew me up sharp. A couple of months before the big day our house was partially destroyed by fire. It's difficult to describe how desolate you feel – literally rootless. Temporary accommodation was an old and very small terraced country cottage. There was no central heating and for hot water you lit the fire. We hung Christmas cards from the beams, the fire burned brightly, brother and sister-in-law and dogs were crammed into the one spare room. We could see the church and glorious views of the Kilpatrick hills. Friends called in and we played old fashioned games. And there was love and peace and hope. A perfect Christmas really."
Annabel Goldie MSP, leader of the Scottish Conservatives"The oddest Christmas present I received was a six-foot long plastic mermaid tail. It had been sent by a fan of my movie Mermaid."
Cher"Somebody once sent me a beetle in a matchbox. No idea what that was about. Not sure what it means. I thought it was a bit strange, to say the least."
Jordan"One of my biggest memories is back in 1986 when I opened my first small butchers shop. I decided to open on the December 16 and the tension running up to (a) opening a new business and (b) doing it on the busiest fortnight of the year was incredible. I was only 19 years old, we had a staff of just two and it was a really big deal. Getting through that and getting to Christmas morning – that feeling of knowing the job was done was just unbelievable. It was like nectar."
Simon Howie, the Perthshire butcher and Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year
The full article contains 1781 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
