When I was younger my mum and dad were house parents at a children's home and they used to plan a big party for Christmas day. About 8 a.m. on Christmas morning the alarm would ring and everybody would get up and drag their sacks containing their presents into the dormitory.
Each present was clearly labelled so we could send a thank-you letter for it.
Later on in the day after Christmas dinner Father Christmas came to give out more presents and we had a big party.
When Father Christmas arrived I used to get upset so my Mum made me a Santa outfit so i got dressed up as well.
It took a lot of arranging and My Mum and Dad and the rest of the staff worked very hard to make it a special day.
A number of the older boys who keep in contact have very happy memories of a special time.