My family is asking me what I want for Christmas. This is a question I am faced with, not only for Christmas, but also for my birthday and Father’s Day.
It’s a question I have trouble answering. I knew how to answer it when I was younger. Kids have Christmas lists. They walk through toy store aisles seeing toys that look awesome, toys they remember other kids talking about at school or at practice, and toys they played with when at their friend’s house. It seemed easy back then to know what you want.
Gifts when I was Younger
Like most children, my tastes and interests changed over the years. He-Man was one of my favorites. I got Castle Grayskull for a birthday present. That was cool. On the following Christmas, I got some more Masters of the Universe action figures.
Do you remember Talking Baseball? It was an electronic baseball game that assembled the best of the best players in Major League Baseball. It was pretty much like the All-Star Game. The best players from each league were on a team, and you could choose between the American League or the National League. The version of the game I got came with a bonus cartridge that had a Hall of Fame Team. I was always the American League because that was the Boston Red Sox’ league. Great game.
I’m on the left, “Talking Baseball” is
in front of me, recently opened.
If you’re a Gen-Xer like me, you probably got a Nintendo at one point. I got “The Legend of Zelda” at the same time I got my NES. I had heard of the game, but I didn’t know much else about it. I was hooked when I started playing. The Nintendo Switch has a downloadable NES package that has older games from the original console, and “Zelda” is one of the games you can play. I still play it.
My brother and I got a Super Nintendo for another Christmas. We also got “Tecmo Super Bowl”. The video games got better and better, especially the sports games. “Tecmo Super Bowl” allowed you to customize your playbook. You had a lot of plays to choose from, and you could have a different “playbook” each time you played.
I got less games as I got older, but that was okay with me. As a child, I couldn’t imagine a Christmas without toys under the tree, but your interests and hobbies change as you grow up. You could still call your presents “toys”, they’re just different kinds of toys.
What do I Want for Christmas?
So, back to the original question: What do I want for Christmas? I have no idea. My TBR pile is high with leisurely reading and review requests. (I’m getting to the requests, I promise.) Beer? I drink that just about every day at work. Daddy’ liver needs a break from time to time.
Movies? I have a pile of movies that I haven’t unwrapped yet. Between work and familial duties, there isn’t much free time to sit down and watch a movie. Music is a safe bet, but the music stores are few and far between. Wife did a fantastic job one year of finding a treasure trove of CD’s for one of my birthdays. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. I was grateful for the fabulous gift.
I have enough clothes. My t-shirt drawer is overflowing, and my closet is full. I’m good with clothes, although my family might enjoy a word with you about updating my wardrobe.
What’s going to be under the Christmas tree this year? I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll start thinking about it so people will know what to get me when Christmas Morning rolls around. I can tell The Boy he can get me a pair of baseball gloves and a baseball, but I think he told me they stopped selling those things. Lovie could get be a gas card so the two of us can go on a road trip. I believe she converted to a religion where fast travel is a sin.
The family has taken a trip on Christmas in lieu of presents. Unfortunately, present circumstances have required us to stay local. Past Christmas trips have included Puerto Rico and New York City. While in Puerto Rico, we swam at the beach on Christmas Morning and worked on our tans. It was a Christmas unlike any other I celebrated before.
I’m going to think about what I want for Christmas. I promise. There is no doubt I can come up with some great ideas. My ideas are great, just ask The Boy. Whatever it is waiting for me under the Christmas tree, I’ll be excited to spend Christmas with my family.
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