My parents had bought me a Commodore 16 for Christmas, maybe 85 or 86. I remember us hooking it up to the old Rank Arena telly that we had in our back room and then not knowing what to do. I remember we put a tape in and pressed PLAY but didn't type anything.
Only ended up having that machine for a few weeks from memory. We couldn't find any software for it and couldn't really figure it out, so my parents packed it up and took it back to the store where they exchanged it for a C64.
I'll never forget the next few days. The computer was set up in the living room and it was amazing to everyone. We played Space Invaders and Frogger and Arcadia and African Safari.... My mum and dad got into it, my uncles and aunts got into it.
I'll never forget falling asleep snug in my bed, listening to the rest of the family out in the living room laughing and having such an awesome time.
Then I found BASIC and "WOW I CAN MAKE THE COMPUTER DO WHAT I WANT!". The rest is history :)
Nothing really quite matched that feeling, until the 'Christmas of the Wii'. Sitting at my aunt's place, again with lots of the family around, watching my normally grumpy grandfather get into Wii Sports.
Oh man, this made my day. I'm so lucky to have the life that I do :)