In the movie and book, A Christmas Story, Ralphie dreams of getting a "Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time."When I was about 8-years-old, I desperately wanted a tennis racket for Christmas. My parents thought that I was too young and would never really use a tennis racket. I was so sad because I didn't think any gift-giving person in my family would respond to my tennis obsession---and so I made sure that Santa knew how much I wanted it. To my delight, I DID receive a tennis racket for Christmas. I would hit tennis balls against the side of our house for hours with that much-wanted racket. As I got older, I played tennis every chance I got. To this day, I love to play tennis and I obsessively watch tennis on television.
What is one of your happy memories of a gift given or received?
The best Christmas present I can remember happened several years ago. My children were older and I had moved in with my parents so I could take care of them. It was the last Christmas that my whole family along with my sister spent together. We had been opening presents as per usual and then my sister passed Christmas cards out to everyone. No big deal, right? However, when I opened my card there was a reservation for a flight to Los Angeles with an itinerary for a trip to the Rose Parade. This was not just from my sister, it was from my whole family. It was just my sister and I that went on that trip, but it was so memorable and much needed. Right after the new year we had to put my dad in a care center because he had had a stroke and could no longer walk. That trip gave me the necessary rejuvenation to get through the next 3 years. Now my parents are gone and my sister is gone. That was the last Christmas we all spent together.
ReplyDeletePriceless!
DeleteThe best gift I ever got was a dog from a Butte, Montana animal shelter. She couldn't see 10 feet, had skin issues, and suffered from various tail-end ailments, but she had the biggest heart and sweetest temperment south of the North Pole.
ReplyDeleteI got my first puppy ever for a Christmas present. My roommate did some serious homework before she gave it to me though. Mmmmm...lovely memories.
DeleteThis is one of my FAVORITE Christmas movies!! I have to watch it every year or the season just doesn't feel right to me. The favorite gift I gave: my sister-in-law had left a book that is precious to her at a concert downtown. She posted on Facebook about how sad she was the next day and hoped she'd be able to retrieve it. So I went and picked it up for her the next day, wrapped it up, and gave it to her for Christmas about a week later. Her reaction was priceless!! I wish I was smart enough to know how to give you the link so you could watch the video of her opening it. It's on my Facebook page if you want to take the trouble to hunt it down.
ReplyDeleteAs a young child I grew up in Sugarhouse with a widowed mother and one sister. Mom always worked hard to support us and money was always tight. One year we awoke to the best red racer sled ever. And even better than that was Mom took the day off to take us to sugarhouse park so we could sled down the BIG hill. I still love to sled with my granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best Christmas gifts I have received is my own copy of a 1970's version of the poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas. My sister received this book from my grandparents one Christmas when I was about five and my brother was four. My brother and I both wanted this book for our own.My grandpa had written my sister's name in it. My brother and I at separate times took that book,crossed the names out in it and wrote our own name in it.Years later when we were all grown up my sister gave both of us our own copy of this book with our name in it and the others crossed out. We have fond memories of my Dad reading this poem to us on Christmas Eve along with the story of Christ's birth. Even now if my Dad is visiting me for Christmas I make him read this book to my children!
ReplyDeleteI love the crossed out names!! :) And that your sister was clever enough to afford you the same privilege in your own copies. Too funny!
DeleteThe story goes that I went out to the Christmas tree and saw a table and chairs with a tea set. I ran into my parents room and said, "When I saw that table and tea set I went into orbit." I was 4 or 5. Keep in mind my orbit was in about 1960 or '61. I don't know how I knew about orbit.
ReplyDeleteHow hilarious that you would say something like this at such a young age!!
DeleteI got a pair of ice skates one Christmas. In Ogden, we skated at a rink that was down by the stockyards. My best friend's sister-in-law taught us how to go backward and a few other things. Also, being the stockyard, there were horses stabled next door. My best friend, Renae, loved, I mean looooovvvveeedddd horses. So we wouldn't call home for a ride till we had petted all the horses.
ReplyDeleteI am going for the prize so here is another post. I was an only child so my unwrapping the presents was a big deal. One year I found all the gifts hidden in various places in the house. I had to really put on the "surprise" act that year. I kept thinking there would be something I hadn't found, but there wasn't. I have never been tempted to find presents since.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you winners post? I think I have responded to every catagory. My favorite goofy Christmas movie is National Lampoon's Christmas. I think I probably have it memorized. "Uncle Clark, are sure you ain't Santy Claus?" My favorite part is when Aunt Bethany is asked to say grace and she says the pledge of alligience. The big dumb cousin-in-law stands up and salutes.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best gifts that I gave to my mom was a book called "Mrs. Carrie's Chickens. My mom was visiting us when my children were young and they were watching a movie called "Summer Magic" on the Disney Channel. Afterwards, she said that the movie reminded her of a book that had been read aloud in school when she was a child. When she was growing up there were only 2 or 3 books in their rural community. Once a year the family that owned the book would loan it to the teacher to read to them. She was delighted to finally have her own copy thanks to Amazon.
ReplyDeleteHow great that you were able to find a copy of it. I bet it brought back some great memories. Childhood memories are magical, aren't they?
DeleteDOES anyone know how I can put a link to the Facebook page on here?!?
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