What's you favorite X-Mas Gift of all time?

rogerthmyers · 12-21-2003, 01:02 AM

Ok What's everyone's favorite X-mas gift of all time?

I remember mine like it was yesterday, I was 10yrs old. There I was sitting there christmas morning, eyes glowing hoping I'd get what I'd been wanting for mths. My heart was pounding as I ripped the paper off the box......and there it was, a remote controlled TONKA dump truck....I really big one....My one christmas wish I wanted came true...Now that I have a sons..my 1 wish is to make my sons feel that same feeling....that christmas really is special...that one special smile is priceless!!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone that post on this site, all of you bring smiles to peoples faces that just get started in this hobby...seeing a salwater reef is the next best feeling to getting that one Christmas gift!!!!

ruhspolostar · 12-21-2003, 01:06 AM

2 years ago, membership to Los Angeles Water Polo Club which gave me the opprotunity to own (I mean play in) the Junior Olympics

Merry Christmas

Junkzoo · 12-21-2003, 01:15 AM

Hmm, at the time ,everything i probably got as a kid was my fav.
Latest ,greatest, one was a show quality restored 1952 Ford 8N tractor,,two years ago from my parents,,what made it special, was that my father restored it,,and he did it in about a month and a half time, working on it in the evenings , after his retirement job of restoring antique cars, fire trucks,stagecoaches,
etc. for a local friend/funeral home owner at his "museum".
as much as i hate to "work" this tractor, it has helped loads around my 10 acres here,,,
it's prob my favorite gift for Xmas, and i 've had 45 Xmas's to go from to choose.

horsehunter · 12-21-2003, 04:11 AM

Christmas 1960 my Dad forgave me for sneaking out the back door of the church and taking his brand new 60 Tbird and smacking it up driving much to fast on icy roads. When we finally got home I did't even want to open my gifts and can't remember what any of them were. I was my dads first brand new car since me and my brothers were born. He did think it would be a good idea if I got my own car a 53 Pontiac and save future abuse of his.

Frank

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

JennM · 12-21-2003, 07:12 AM

When I was 15 I wanted a guitar. Was learning to play with the help of a friend, but wanted to have my own instrument.

I was a typical rebellious teen... Mother and I used to get into it regularly - she's Aries, I'm Taurus, and we would "lock horns" on a regular basis.

I guess this one time, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I went too far. Big fight - silent treatment....

A day or two later, on the family's bulletin board in the kitchen, appeared a layaway ticket from a music store, with a bit "CANCELLED" stamp on it.

My mother had been making payments on a guitar for me, since probably August. The ticket was stamped "CANCELLED" and all money refunded. I was devastated. Peeved off at myself mainly, but of course I blamed my mother....

I was mad, but we resolved our differences and I moved on, somewhat the wiser.

Christmas morning came and went, got a new sweater, and some other stuff... usual fare for our family. Had a nice Christmas dinner, it was a good day overall.

After supper, Mom asked me to look under the tree for a present marked for Peter (family friend). It was a shoe box - a pair of slippers I thought. She told me she'd accidentally mislabelled it (??) and it was for me. I opened it and it was a "Learn to play guitar" book rolled up inside the box. How cruel! I looked at my mother with a vengeful look... she left the room, and came back with a new guitar!!!!

(Picture Jenn looking/feeling like world's biggest HEEL)

Needless to say I cried... and played the thing (to everyone's chagrin - I only knew one or two songs!) all night and the next day until my fingers were bleeding!

It's 21 years later - I still have the guitar. I don't really play at all anymore, but my husband does, and my 9 year old is learning to play blues harmonica - in fact he's getting a set of blues harps from us for Christmas this year - our neighbour is a phenomenal player, and it sparked an interest in our son. Scott bought James a cheap C harmonica, and the kid can play from his soul - with our neighbour's tutelage, perhaps he will continue...

Merry Christmas to all!

And to those who don't keep Christmas - Happy Holidays!

Jenn

FishDaddy · 12-21-2003, 07:22 AM

Jenn,
That's one of those true stories that makes your eyes water!

So many wonderful Christmas stories; let's hear some more!

Dick

JennM · 12-21-2003, 07:27 AM

Yep - I bawled like a baby.

Something I didn't mention - Mom was divorced - she worked for very little money - we were always struggling to make ends meet.

I honestly don't know how she did it... well Layaway helped

No matter how tough times were, we always had awesome Christmases. I believed in Santa long after many of my peers questioned his existance - simply because our family could not afford stuff - yet stuff appeared every year.

There really is a Santa Claus.

When I was 12, Santa gave us luggage and tickets to FL - a surprise but without the emotional preamble that my other story had - went to Sea World - saw a huge saltwater aquarium... could that have been the start of it all? Probably.

Now at Sea World it's hard to find the aquarium exhibits.... shame.

Yesterday my son was asking if we were broke this year? (of course, we're LFS owners, we are ALWAYS broke!). He said he believes in Santa because we are always struggling for money but the presents always appear under the tree.

Guess some traditions continue, don't they?

Jenn

rogerthmyers · 12-21-2003, 05:57 PM

Now that my grandfather is gone I see myself taking the place of my dad and my dad taking the place of my grandfather, and the two of us watching my 2 little boys grow up, traditions are passed on, it's great when people can see that!!!!

ShirleyM · 12-22-2003, 12:44 AM

Jenn, you should submit your story somewhere....I love reading true stories like that in the Reader's Digest, and have shared many life lessons with my students and kids from RD stories.

Thanks for a really touching/sad/happy story.

~ Shirley

ShirleyM · 12-22-2003, 12:47 AM

Oh, and I'm not sure, but I think my favorite Christmas present as a child was my Annie Oakley cowgirl outfit and twin silver pistols with pistol belt. I played cowboys and Indians with my brother until the clothes no longer fit...

As an adult...the birth of my first son, Dec. 1.

~ Shirley

Buddha · 12-22-2003, 01:15 AM

My mean abusive step-dad who always treated me really bad when I was a little kid did something that completely floored me. He hand built me a go-kart that hauled ass for christmas one year. I can't remember a better present as a kid. Sadly, the next year my mom divorced him and he took it with him.

SouthernReefer · 12-22-2003, 07:53 AM

when i was 8 years old, my dad, a conductor for at&sf railroad, took me to work one saturday, and let me run the localmotive up and down the track a few time before they hitched up the boxcars! that year i got a loniel train set for christmas, though it wasn't as big as dad's train, i could still remember the engine coming to life, and the power it had as i inched the throttle forward, and i always remember that everytime i played with my train. i use to practice hitching and unhitching boxcars! last year my mom got the old family album out, and there i am with my dad, playing with the train, and big smile on both our faces.

rogerthmyers · 12-22-2003, 08:21 AM

Wow what great stories!!!!!

rogerthmyers · 12-22-2003, 10:16 AM

What's everyone's One wish for this X-mas?

ShirleyM · 12-22-2003, 12:06 PM

Capture Bin Laden