I AM what one might call a ‘Baby Boomer’.

I was born in 1948 when the National Health Service was introduced.

It took until the early sixties for the UK to climb out of the war years to rebuild once again.

Jobs were a-plenty. One could pack in a job one morning and begin another that same afternoon.

New homes were on the increase and a brand-new bungalow would cost around five grand. The new mini car about five hundred pounds.

Macmillan told us all ‘You never had it so good!’ In a sense, he was right. Though wages back then were around seven pounds a week for most average workers, so the luxuries above were still out of most people’s pockets, apart from the new Hire Purchase scheme.

Yet one thing still comes to mind that makes Macmillan’s statement right was that most people were content with their lot.

I feel so sorry for all the young people of today. They may have a lot more than we had in my young days, but they are so far from content. They mostly want even more.

As a child back then, we had so little for Christmas but it was still a grand event. Today’s kids get most things all year round so expect even more when it comes to Christmas or birthdays. One modern electronic toy like X-box etc, could cost up to three hundred pounds, yet still that one so expensive toy would not be enough on Christmas morning. They will expect even more.

Our kids have lost the joy of giving at Christmas and instead replaced it solely with the joy of receiving.

Will that make them happy?

Surely not, as they have long lost the real joy of giving at this Yuletide and possibly many more Yuletides to come.

CHRISTINE PETERS

Wellington Road, Bournemouth

The Letters editor welcomes your views on any subject. Please remember to include your name and address. Letters should not exceed a 250-word count. To send us a letter, click here