Tis the season … for presents. Let’s be honest, we all love them, even if they aren’t the true meaning of Christmas. In Part V, I’m writing about my 10 favorite Christmas gifts:
No. 1 (1988): Our first Nintendo
I’ve written about this in a previous blog. The NES was THE gift of 1988. If you didn’t have one before, you got one on Christmas, or at least most kids did. Mom and Dad trolled us beautifully, especially the old man, who repeatedly said there was no way in hell he’d spend $100 on a video game, even at Christmas.
On Christmas morning in 1988, Dan and I pored through dozens of gifts knowing that we were not getting the most coveted gift of the year. Surrounded by awesome toys and other gifts, Dad walked up to me as I sat on the floor and gave me a hug. “Did you get everything you wanted, E.B. (my nickname back then)?”
Not wanting to sound ungrateful, I cheerfully said I did. Dad smiled and said, “Well, boys, there is one more gift.”
The old man walked into my parents’ bedroom and emerged with a gift wrapped in newspaper. It was, of course, the Nintendo. My brother and I hugged and high-fived, spending the rest of the day playing Super Mario Bros. It’ll always be my favorite present.
No. 2 (2017): In honor of Yordano
Less than two years after winning the World Series, Royals fans endured a mostly awful 2017. The team didn’t play well and missed the playoffs. Many of the players from a wonderful era moved on to more lucrative pastures.
But the worst part of 2017 was the shocking death of Yordano Ventura. As I wrote on that awful day in January, the tears flowed steadily. They did again 11 months later when I opened a gift from my wife: An autographed Ventura rookie card, not exactly an easy, or inexpensive, find.
No. 3 (2015): On the cutting edge
When I left the newspaper industry and moved in with my dad in 2010, I was lost in many ways. I had no idea what I was going to do for a living, was in a dysfunctional relationship and, frankly, scared.
The old man was one of the reasons I kept it together. We worked out together, talked all the time and he taught me how to do numerous things around the house.
Among the things I learned that summer was how to cut wood. For several years, I borrowed his chainsaw when we needed firewood. In 2015, he asked my wife if she would go in on the gift, even though they both had the money to buy it without help. That was his way of showing my wife how much he thought of her.
No. 4 (2018): My first book
My mother has always been good at saving family “heirlooms.” One year, she gave us a painting the family had for decades. Another, she gave us a ceramic Santa Clause that’s been a decoration staple for years.
She knocked it out of the park last year, as I peeled off wrapping paper to find a book I’d written in the fourth grade: “The Missing Baseball.” I’d completely forgotten about the school assignment for 30 years. It was a perfect gift considering my current book project.
No. 5 (1985): G.I. Joe fighter jet
From ages 7 to 9, I could not get enough G.I. Joe. I raced home every day after school to watch the cartoon. I had dozens of action figures. Every year for Halloween, I dressed as G.I. Joe.
We each got one big gift every year on Christmas, and mine was the G.I. Joe fighter jet. A search on the Internet shows that a used jet in decent condition goes for $100 these days.
Another awesome gift Dan and I received that day: the iconic electric football game.
No. 6 (2013): Scrooge splurges
There’s no way around it: My oldest stepson is chintzy. There’s no doubt in my mind that my father thoroughly enjoyed his thriftiness.
That said, Rory also is very thoughtful. Nary a Father’s Day goes by that I don’t get a card from him, and in recent years he’s taken to thoughtful gifts such as a small Royals helmet I received this year.
On Christmas in 2013, he bought weights that I could put on my arms or legs while I worked out. It was a gift he knew I’d like due my obsession with working out.
Perhaps the best part of the present, along with those he purchased for my wife and his siblings, is the Facebook post that came with it: “The damn Christmas shopping is done.”
As it turns out, Grandma more or less made her grandson buy us presents. It’s good for a laugh to this day.
No. 7 (Several years): From the kids
My brother and sister-in-law have done a wonderful job raising their kids. They’re smart, kind and generous. When they were younger, they made me cards or other trinkets for Christmas. The youngest ones still do.
Years later, the ones who’ve grown into young adults have started buying good, and frankly too expensive, gifts the past few years.
Maybe they’re trying to catch up to their favorite uncle for buying expensive dolls, Transformers, Jeremy Maclin jerseys and much more through the years.
No. 8 (1983): G.I. Joe train set
My dad had a rough time in 1982 and 1983. My parents had divorced for the first time and the old man was doing his best to run his small business and take care of us largely by himself.
One of my favorite stories from those years is Dad driving to a car dealership with $50 and a ratty van hoping to buy a new van. He somehow convinced the salesman to take a chance on him, and Dad drove that van into the early 1990s.
Even though he was swamped, Dad managed to give Dan and I a great Christmas, including the surprise of having Mom home (they reconciled not long after). The other big surprise was a G.I. Joe train set he and Mom spent all night setting up in the living room.
No. 9 (1999) A bonus from Hub
Iwrote about my first boss as a professional newspaper journalista few years ago. Hub Meyer was a great newspaper man who ran The Daily Reporter in Independence, Kansas, for years.
To say Hub was a character is an understatement. He scrambled around the newsroom like his hair was on fire, racing to chat with a reporter about breaking news or to the press to check on a mechanical malfunction, usually with the shirt tail hanging out of his pants.
Hub was always, well, thrifty. He was clever at finding ways to make extra money, including pulling a popular football preview out of the paper and selling it separately for $2.
The said, during the 11 years I worked in the newspaper business, Hub was the only one who gave his staff a decent Christmas bonus. Fifty bucks may not seem like a big deal, but Hub took the time to hand each person their envelope, shake their hand and say “Thank you.”
I think of Hub every year around Christmas, especially now that he’s passed.
No. 10 (2018): Merry Christmas to myself
It’s a running joke at home that I don’t like to spend money on myself. I love giving gifts at all times of the year, including Christmas.
My wife often implores me to buy new clothes, shoes or workout gear. Finally, last year, when we discovered that Target had a few NES Classic (THE gift of 2016) systems in stock, I bought myself a gift a few days before Christmas.
For several weeks, I played Ninja Gaiden and Super Mario Bros. with Rory, making the gift that much more special.
