When you choose the blogging lifestyle, there is immense pressure to post something poetic and heart-felt during the week leading up to Christmas. While I'm quite capable of that task, I get the feeling that there are approximately 17 million bloggists doing the same thing.
...so why fight it?
While lying on the couch last night, watching the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol (which so blows Disney's away), I was thinkin' deep thoughts. I quickly got rid of those before I required an Advil. What popped in next was what I entitled my "Life Christmas Card." It was a culmination of memories that paint my Christmas portrait. I'm ashamed to say that it had little to do with Christ. I'd say it's more of a 1970's version of an American feeding frenzy.
But here's my list of top ten childhood Christmas memories. You can play the home version if you like.
10. Running over Jennifer on the most awesome Flexible Flyer ride of my life.
9. The smell of laundry detergent and rubber boots when I walked into my grandmother's side door.
8. The color coded branches (purple went on the bottom) of our fake Christmas tree.
7. The cardboard fireplace that went with us from Hawaii to Washington.
6. Making popcorn balls with dad and using butter to reduce the pain of the second degree burns.
5. Our Firestone Christmas albums, which I played from October to Christmas (and not a minute afterward).
4. Shopping at the Oceana Navy Exchange with a total stranger on "Dependant's Night."
3. Lying on a couch in the Goodboe's Oceanside Navy Housing dwelling, listening to Sleigh Ride on the radio while mom and the Goodboe's were out shopping (Dad was underway on the Kitty Hawk).
2. Watching Fiddler on the Roof--all of it--with my wife when we actaully had time to do that sort of thing in December (okay, not a childhood memory, but it's definately a top 10).
and my number 1 Christmas memory of all time...
Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, which we can never do again because the DVD doesn't include the Dolly Madison commercials.
There were a few that probably should have made it. Like staying up until 4am with Randy playing Sea Battle on his Intellivision. Going to Showcase Cinemas to see The Black Hole. The first time I tried a piece of divinity, which turned into a lifelong love affair with sugar and corn syrup. The one time I opened and re-wrapped one of my presents and it turned out to be a Coke can with a blue strobe light in it (Mom loved Spencers). Ronco commercials. Shopping at Perry Drugs. Getting a Billy Joel cassette from Uncle Wilbur, who had no idea what to get a 13 year old boy.
By the way mom. Thanks for a great Christmas in San Diego. Dad was out to sea. We had a tiny 3rd floor apartment. The tree was pathetic. The plastic fern was tacky. The greasy hamburgers on University Avenue were awesome. The fake snow at Sea World was just silly. It will always be one of my favorite Christmasses. And not just because it's the year I discovered divinity.
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