Dec
25th

the best Christmases were when I was a kid

Files under Daily Happenings | Posted by THE J-Mo

Back then, I remember always looking forward to Christmas morning. I got all kinds of toys. Some of my most memorable toys were (in no particular order):

  1. A talking robot with lights and smoke coming out of its chest
  2. 250+ piece LEGO set
  3. Giant Tinkertoy set (most awesome thing EVER)
  4. My first bike - all I can remember is the name “Roadmaster”
  5. Atari 2600
  6. My first computer - a TI-99/4A (okay I was a teenager but it was still über cool)
  7. Starbird (spaceship toy that made sounds and changed sound depending on which way you had it pointed - up or down)
  8. Eagle spaceship - from Moonbase Alpha (I forgot the name of the actual show though)
  9. The game “Hit or Missile” - almost a video game, but not
  10. An Erector set

The bigger or heavier the box, the more I anticipated how great the present it contained would be. After all, I don’t recall getting anything really cool that was in a “light” box. The light boxes always had crap like… well, clothes. Getting clothes sucked as a kid. I was always thinking “uh, I have to have clothes anyway - why hose me on a holiday and get me something I have to have anyway”. Now, envelopes were another story. When you’re a kid, envelopes usually had money in there. I always thought of the christmas card as the thing that keeps the envelope stiff so you can’t tell for sure if there’s money inside. Somehow, I could always feel the envelope for that oval cutout that was always there so the dead president’s face would show through. That’s a skill I developed early in life. :mrgreen:

Now as an adult, there’s a different kind of fun. It’s being able to make these sorts of memories happen for others. As a new uncle, I have a niece I can spoil. She’s still too young to understand what’s happening but if all she remembers is my face being associated with getting cool stuff - that’s good enough for me. Ironically, several of the items I got her were clothes.

I hope all of my family and friends are enjoying a nice holiday today.

Merry Christmas people!


One Response to “the best Christmases were when I was a kid”

  1. By TC on Dec 25, 2007 | Reply

    The light boxes always had crap like… well, clothes.

    LOL

    We celebrated Christmas with my Mom’s side of the family Saturday afternoon/evening and I remember getting a lot of “light” boxes from one aunt in particular. As I got older, I grew to appreciate the clothing, but when I was little, not so much. Anyway, Saturday night, I watched my nephew open his presents from the great aunts and uncles (who are LOVING having little kids around to spoil again: and people claim I spoil my nephew!!!) and when he’d get a toy he’d be all up into it, but when it was clothing, he’d literally tear every piece out of the package to try and find a toy in it. When/if he didn’t, he’d move on to the next package, with all the clothes just lying on the floor. Cracked me up :)

    I make it a rule to do some of both for Christmas if at all possible. I buy for my nephew, niece, and a good friend of mine’s kids, and my friends kids always get one toy and one piece of clothing: no exception. My niece is only 3 months, so this Christmas it’s almost exclusively clothes, in part because she has all of my nephews toys to play with from the “baby, baby” time, so why buy something that’s already there?

    Enjoy spoiling your niece - there will come a day when she’s BEGGING for clothing: I promise :)

    Merry Christmas!

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