I received a rifle for Christmas about every other year or so, for several years, beginning when I was 4 years old. The first was one of those tiny little Winchester single-shot .22s that my dad had made a replacement stock for. I was unable to cock it myself for at least a year or so. I still have it around the house here somewhere.
The next rifle at Christmas that I remember came a couple of years later--a Mossberg bull barrel target 22 that I owned until about 1976 or so.
The next Christmas rifle was a British Enfield .303 carbine when I was, I think, about 7 maybe, then an 7.65 Argentine Mauser when I was about 13 or 14. That was the same year I got an Argentine-made Colt 1911, which I still have--that was 1968. Somewhere in between there I received a Remington 870 that was manufactured in the second year of 870 production, one I still have as well that sits by my desk.
The Holidays also brought a Springfield 03A3 rifle, a rifle I despised out of the gate, and somewhere between my 14th and 16h Christmas, I received an absolutely gorgeous burled-walnut stock all-original 7mm Mauser, which I also still have although I lost the bolt for it during one of many moves while in the military.
Also in here somewhere and also I think for a Christmas gift--most likely when I was 15, I got a lovely FN 49 semi-auto rifle in .30-06, which I owned until I sold it about 3 or 4 years ago, after about 40 years of ownership.
The 1911 was the only handgun I ever received as a gift, and in fact the only handgun I ever owned until only about 5 years ago.
It was a tradition, and no gift was more exciting to receive. All were used and most of course were war surplus, all purchased either from a local pawn shop, or selected literally from a pile on the floor of a local department store in my tiny Michigan home town.
I fondly remember my days hiking on the back 40 as a young teen, with my trusty Enfield carbine slung over my shoulder and my 1911 in leather flap holster and WWII issue web belt at the hip. I also remember the first times I ever fired the .303, when my shoulder came up just to my dad's belt--and he would place his hip behind my shoulder to ensure I didn't get all tipped over.
As I remember it, all of these rifles sold for somewhere around $12-18, except the FN49. I believe the 1911 was the most expensive, purchased I later found out at the local K-Mart for $65 in '68. The good old days.