One moment comes to mind whenever I am asked about my favorite Christmas. It was about 7:30 a.m. Dec 25th, 1985 (or 1986). My siblings and I had just run up the stairs to see what Santa had brought us. My legs froze when I saw the large box under my stocking. On the box was a funny looking mustached cartoon character. I stared at the box. One second, two seconds, five seconds. I was no longer aware of my siblings opening gifts. I was deaf to their laughs and squeals of delight. Everything seemed to vanish. Everything but that box. The logic that had previously held my world together was unraveling faster than I could piece it back together. After what seemed like ten minutes of analyzing and crunching the new data with all its implications I eventually came to accept these two truths.
1) Mankind had created a device that allowed anyone to plug a controller into a TV and actually control the cartoons!
2) That device was in my house at this very moment!
I fell back, exhausted, onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling as my chest heaved in and out. My dad came up to me and asked what was wrong. I looked back and him and through gasping breaths I panted … “I just can’t believe it………I got what I wanted.”
Looking back it is funny to think how amazed I was by the original Nintendo. The fact that controlling TV cartoons was the only thing I could relate it too just seems odd. Perhaps it is in part because I did not have an older brother and had never heard of the Atari or ever gone to an arcade. In any case, I have never had a bigger surprise since, and I don’t think I could. The equivalent would be something like going out to my car tomorrow and noticing that it can now also fly me to school if I like.
Some of my favorite Christmas memories involve getting up before mom and dad and watching Monty Python before they let us come upstairs. We never seemed to get past the killer bunny and that movie has a mystic memory glow for me. It was magical :)
My Christmas memories are well known within the family as they occurred at a time when every would have a good memory of the event. But here is my recollection of my favorite Christmas memories. By the time I was nearing high school it became apparent that I was clearly not the favorite in the family.
It was the Christmas of 1999 and it started like any other. All us kids waited for Santa to finish up his preparations upstairs then we had our family picture on the stairway. We ran into the living room and commenced the gift exchange. I don’t remember many gifts from my siblings except Christian but mom and dad certainly left a scar in my memory with theirs.
I unwrapped gift after gift only to find them filled with clothing and swim gear I already possessed. Yes they were gifts to me earlier in years past from my parents, but Christmas is supposed to be for new gifts outside of the expected room and board necessities. After so many failed attempts of redemption in the next present and the next, It came to one last large wrapped box to save Christmas that year. It failed as well. It was full of homework packets and school books that were probably stolen as they did not belong to me or my parents.
This was the last straw. Anguish replace hope and revenge replaced any notion of charity I had left for this Christmas season. Certain words were exchanged but nothing could remove the smirk on dad’s face or the secret hiding behind mom’s eyes. But when the time finally I would immediately forget all the wrongs done to me for a time. But rest assured and tested by time, the homework was forever intertwined with the overwhelming joy of this Christmas secret.
At long last and with some reserve, Dad finally revealed his source of amusement and redemption. We were to spend a vacation as a family (Megan and Christian exempted) in Maui! Excitement ran through the air as we all expressed our shock and amazement. We then ran to the phones and called our friends to one up their Christmas’s. I had an amazing time in Maui and saw many wonders of nature and beauties of the ocean. I also dived into the world of the circular system as I spent many night and afternoons hiding from the sun studying with dad the many books and worksheets that my teachers had provided them with. I will always remember this Christmas.
When Christian and I were engaged, my parents gave Christian a beautiful painting of the Sacred Grove. As much as we liked it, we did think it was a VERY random gift, especially after they said, "Well, we knew you guys wanted something like this."
It took us a while to put it together. This was the same year that we all made "wish lists" on google docs. My parents asked me what Christian wanted for Christmas so I passed his "wish list" on to them. Christian thought maybe Rebecca would make him a painting, so he included a painting in his list.
We would have never thought to ask for a painting, but we are so glad my parents misunderstood Christian's list because now we have a beautiful painting to put up in our house and a fun memory to go with it.
7 comments:
One moment comes to mind whenever I am asked about my favorite Christmas. It was about 7:30 a.m. Dec 25th, 1985 (or 1986). My siblings and I had just run up the stairs to see what Santa had brought us. My legs froze when I saw the large box under my stocking. On the box was a funny looking mustached cartoon character. I stared at the box. One second, two seconds, five seconds. I was no longer aware of my siblings opening gifts. I was deaf to their laughs and squeals of delight. Everything seemed to vanish. Everything but that box. The logic that had previously held my world together was unraveling faster than I could piece it back together. After what seemed like ten minutes of analyzing and crunching the new data with all its implications I eventually came to accept these two truths.
1) Mankind had created a device that allowed anyone to plug a controller into a TV and actually control the cartoons!
2) That device was in my house at this very moment!
I fell back, exhausted, onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling as my chest heaved in and out. My dad came up to me and asked what was wrong. I looked back and him and through gasping breaths I panted … “I just can’t believe it………I got what I wanted.”
Looking back it is funny to think how amazed I was by the original Nintendo. The fact that controlling TV cartoons was the only thing I could relate it too just seems odd. Perhaps it is in part because I did not have an older brother and had never heard of the Atari or ever gone to an arcade. In any case, I have never had a bigger surprise since, and I don’t think I could. The equivalent would be something like going out to my car tomorrow and noticing that it can now also fly me to school if I like.
Some of my favorite Christmas memories involve getting up before mom and dad and watching Monty Python before they let us come upstairs. We never seemed to get past the killer bunny and that movie has a mystic memory glow for me. It was magical :)
My Christmas memories are well known within the family as they occurred at a time when every would have a good memory of the event. But here is my recollection of my favorite Christmas memories. By the time I was nearing high school it became apparent that I was clearly not the favorite in the family.
It was the Christmas of 1999 and it started like any other. All us kids waited for Santa to finish up his preparations upstairs then we had our family picture on the stairway. We ran into the living room and commenced the gift exchange. I don’t remember many gifts from my siblings except Christian but mom and dad certainly left a scar in my memory with theirs.
I unwrapped gift after gift only to find them filled with clothing and swim gear I already possessed. Yes they were gifts to me earlier in years past from my parents, but Christmas is supposed to be for new gifts outside of the expected room and board necessities. After so many failed attempts of redemption in the next present and the next, It came to one last large wrapped box to save Christmas that year. It failed as well. It was full of homework packets and school books that were probably stolen as they did not belong to me or my parents.
This was the last straw. Anguish replace hope and revenge replaced any notion of charity I had left for this Christmas season. Certain words were exchanged but nothing could remove the smirk on dad’s face or the secret hiding behind mom’s eyes. But when the time finally I would immediately forget all the wrongs done to me for a time. But rest assured and tested by time, the homework was forever intertwined with the overwhelming joy of this Christmas secret.
At long last and with some reserve, Dad finally revealed his source of amusement and redemption. We were to spend a vacation as a family (Megan and Christian exempted) in Maui! Excitement ran through the air as we all expressed our shock and amazement. We then ran to the phones and called our friends to one up their Christmas’s. I had an amazing time in Maui and saw many wonders of nature and beauties of the ocean. I also dived into the world of the circular system as I spent many night and afternoons hiding from the sun studying with dad the many books and worksheets that my teachers had provided them with. I will always remember this Christmas.
When Christian and I were engaged, my parents gave Christian a beautiful painting of the Sacred Grove. As much as we liked it, we did think it was a VERY random gift, especially after they said, "Well, we knew you guys wanted something like this."
It took us a while to put it together. This was the same year that we all made "wish lists" on google docs. My parents asked me what Christian wanted for Christmas so I passed his "wish list" on to them. Christian thought maybe Rebecca would make him a painting, so he included a painting in his list.
We would have never thought to ask for a painting, but we are so glad my parents misunderstood Christian's list because now we have a beautiful painting to put up in our house and a fun memory to go with it.
Post a Comment