Holiday wish

These days when stores begin decorating for Christmas in September and that same tape of holiday songs starts up in October, its easy to develop a little Scrooge on your shoulder by December 25.  Hard economic times don't help any either when you are trying to decide whether to buy that perfect gift or pay this month's bills.  When bitten by the Bah-Humbug, I think back to my Christmas morning memories as a child, and smile fondly.  

I was blessed to have a family that always went the extra mile to make every Christmas special for me as a kid.  My earliest Christmas gift memory was a huge model Train set laid out on a giant plank of wood painted green.  Apparently Santa stayed up all night struggling with it to assemble it for me in the basement.  I'm sure there were some holiday oaths uttered and some fingers pinched.  Other great gifts that required an awesome amount of effort were a stuffed E.T. hand sewn by my mom (I was a nut for the movie), a King Kong Cookie baked by my cousin (a chocolate chip cookie that was an inch thick and fit in a pizza pan) and an art bag with my name sewn onto it by my best friend.  These gifts might not have been my favorites as a child, but as an adult I remember them because the person who gave them to me knew me well enough to give a unique gift that was special to me.

My Aunt Carol deserves special mention here for always coming through with that amazing big ticket item like a Lego Space Station, the Millennium Falcon and Metroplex, the Transformers city that became a giant robot.  Obviously I was lucky to be loved (and spoiled) by my aunt.  It's a tradition that I strove to keep alive with my nephews.

That's what motivated me to write this sappy holiday blog in fact, the joy of giving.  As an adult, I have the option of buying for myself whatever I want (within means) so getting gifts is not nearly the thrill that giving them is.  A personal success was when my nephew asked me for a big red tomato ball.  After my first reaction "What the heck is that?" my sister explained that somewhere they were at had a giant kickball that the kids had played with and enjoyed.  I checked a few stores and found paydirt at a Toys Are Us.  The look on Ben's face was awesome when I walked in and tossed him that three foot wide red ball.  

Not every gift is a hit, as a kid I gave my poor sister a rubber kangaroo, but you never know what gift makes a memory that the child will remember later and appreciate, even if they are distracted at the time by something else that is shinier.  So enjoy giving gifts this year, even if it is a hassle and you might not find or be able to afford the one you were hoping for.  It's not really about the item, it's about the act.  That's a fact that sunk in later when I helped Holly move and found that stupid Kangaroo amongst her beautiful glass animal collection.

Happy holidays to my friends and family, who have given me the best gifts of all over the years, their love and acceptance.  Though I might not see you all this Christmas, I'll be thinking of you and loving you for all you have given me over the years.  Merry Christmas!