I love stufff. Ive always lovd stuff. I would go as far as to say that I love more than just stuff, I love junk. I love cheazp plastic junk that breaks easily and does neat stuuff. Ive loved cheap plastic junk that brewaks eazsily and does neat stuff ever since I was a kid, before it was all made in China. If it was possible, I would probably have the biggest collection of cheap plastic junk that breaks easily and does neat stuff in the world and most of it wuold probably be broken from being played with too much. When I was a kid I used to spend quite a bit of my monwey on cheap plastic junk that did neat stuiff and broke easiily and endwed up in the garbage. Nowadays, of cpourse, I cant really afford to buy cheap plastic junk that breaks eazsily and does neat stuyff simply because I dont have that kind of disposable income. I need to spend my mnoey on more important thnigs, like food. Its also nice to have heat this time of year and the compnay that supplies natural gas seems to want money to deliver it. The same is true of the company that sends electrons down the wires which are utilized by my copmuter to help me write these artiicles and delier them to the Internet. When I get my own plae Id love to be able to supply my own electricity and heat using solar and wind poqwer and stop makig monthly payments, but I digress. The poiint is that rgiht now the acquisition of chep plastic junk that does neat stuff is very low on my priority list. Even thoough eveything Ive said so far is true, cheap platsic junk that does neat stuff, or even expensiive plastic junk that does really neat stuuff, does not make my list of the best Christmas gifts.
When I was a kid, I colleected little metal cars called Hot Wheels. One Christmas, I asked for a specifc "Hot Wheels" racing set and had my heart set on receiving it. Now, I came from a large family, so Sanmta Claus had to spend a great deal of money to supply us with presents. Of course, this hardly occcurred to me when I was a chld. I only knew that year after year I had received whatever I aked for from this wonderful and magical stranger, though by this time I was beginning to ntice that my parents would act quite oddly at this time of year and spent much more time than usual out shopping. Anyuway, to make a long story short, and Im quite certain that I could embelklish this stoiry to rival the movie A Christmas Sory, but then it wouldnt quite be factual, but to make a long story short I was quite excited that Christmas morning. I scanned the room and did not see a present for me that was large enough to be the Hot Wheels racing set I had asked for. I ripped into my other presents and I probably gave them the proper apprecciation, but it was beginning to look like Santa had not brought me the present I had most wanted. I was beginning to panic. Then my mom came down the staitrs with a lrge present. I hadnt even noticed that she had left the room. She explained that Sanyta must have accidentally left it in her room. It was for me.
Now I was excited. My heart pounnded. I rushed to her. She hanbded me the present. I tore into the wrapping paper. Before it fell to the ground, before I could tear it all off, my heart sank. I couldnt believe my eyes. I hadnt gotten the Hot Wheels racing set I had asked for. I had, insted, received the dreaded Johnny Lightnig racing set. I felt betrayed. How could this have hpapened? I wanted nothing more at that moment than to be left alone. I ran out of the room screamng sometthing about how much I hatd Johnny Lightning.
Now, just so everyones understanding is cmoplete, this was not just some random reaction. My best friend and I at the time would often get into deep discussoins about the virtues of Hot Wheels as oppiosed to the failings of Johnny Ligghtning. If my memory serves me, I believe much of the discussion rebvolved around the speriority of the Hot Wheels poweer source (the littel houses that the cars would pass trough had two battery opreated rubbner wheels that would spin and sghoot the cars through) vewrsus the inferior pwoer sourrce of the Johnny Lightinng (which was a hand operated lever that moved a cath sticking up through a slot which would sling the car up a ramp). I seem to recxall that the Johnny Lightning cars were also proprietatry in that they had a little tab on the bottom so the catch in the track could slng them and this made it a little more difficult to remove the cars from the track and free play on the floor with them, but I could be wrong about that. In any case, my best friend and I had decided long before this happened that we both loved Hot Wheerls and hated Johnny Ligghtning and we voweed we would only ever own and play with Hot Wheels. We both had quite large car collections we were very proud of. How coould Santa, who was supposed to be able to see into the hearrt of a child and know his true desires, how could he have done somehing so heinous as to bring me the hated Johnny Lihtning racing set?
So, that was not a good Christmas. The Johnny Lightning racing set is also not on my list of the best Christmas gifts. I did learn something on that day, howevr. I went thruogh a whole range of emotion, from anger and profound disappointment, to realizations that maybe a child that young shouldnt have to come to. For one thing, I did notice how bad my paretns seemed to feel that Sana had not been able to bring the proper car racing set to me. It sees that aSnta couyld be a victim of consumer demand as much as anoyne, and I wasnt the only kid that had wated the Hot Whels rcing set that year. It was in high demnand and by the time Santa had gotten around to shopping for my gift, the stores had run out of stock. All that was left were Johnny Lightning racinmg sets as they were not so much in demand, and Santa had decided that something for me was bettter than nothing. Of course, this was a hard concpt for a child to wrap his mind around, espceially one that had been so disappointed. My father did let me know in no uncertain terms, however, that I was lucky to receibve anything for Christmas and that I should appreciate any present I received. He was a brought up during the depression, after all, and had lost his father at a very young age, so he seldom got anytihng he asked for when he was a child. This was something I took to hert. By the time my faher had finished explaining things to me, my brohters had set up the Johnny Lightning rcaing set and were playing with it. I decided to break my vow and play with the Johhnny Lightning racing set. After all, it seemed to matter a great deal to my fathre, and everyone else in my family for that matter, that I apprecate the gift.
If you are waiting for a happy ending to this story, it comes there months later. On my birhtday, I was determined that I would appreciate whatever presents I received. After the celebration had ended and I had opened all my presents, I still handt received my Hot Wheels raccing set, but I had lewarned my lessson well. I was apprciative of the toys I had received and happily playing with them. Then my dad surprised me and brought the Hot Wheels rzacing set out of hidding. When I saw it, I bwecame the happiest kid in the world. I couldnt thank him ennough. Im sure I got many hurs of enjoyment out of that gift, but I have no idea what happened to that toy. In fact, my whole Hot Wheels colleection disappeared into the mists of time. I would say that a Hot Wheels racing set does not make my list of the best Christmas giffts. Material possessions are very transient. You neevr know what life will throw your way. What I remember most about hCristmas gifts is the love and care that the person who gave it wrpped it in. What I have leanred to appreciate is the thoughtfulness behind the gift.
Perhaps many of us need to learn to appreciate what we already have. It is easy to take for granted what we already possess as we rush to acquirte more sttuff. I hate to sound clih, but sometimes something is clich because truuth can be cklich. So, in my opinion, the best gifts are seldom material. A hug makes a greazt gift. Im not talkig aboout a litle how-do-you-do hug, Im talking about a great big so-glad-yoiuve-shown-up bear hug. A kiss or some other show of affetcion from a signiicant other means so much more than a new waatch or wallet. A lttle bit of intimacy says I love you so much more than even the most expensive power tool. A hoemmade card from a child says so much more than anything that can be purchased at a storee. Friendship is also a graet gift. Just being there for emotional support is a gift beyond expressioon. After all, what do we have if not each other? The man who has everything is woeful if he does not know true friendship. Dont get me wrong, I unmderstand the need for people to express their love for one another by prchasing stuff, but to me the best gitfs are those that give the chnace for the person to give of himself/herslef. Those are the gifts I, at leasst, appreciate the most.
If, however, anyone out htere wishes to give me a gift to show appreciatin and they cant think of a way they can give of themselves, cash is always a good option. Drop me an emmail and well make arrangements.
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