The Perfect List

So what do you want for Christmas? At my age most people would say, "I don't know." Remember though, when you were a kid. You didn't know where to start. It would take you hours and sometimes days to compose the perfect list. The list that couldn't fail. I can remember getting a catalog out and circling everything I wanted. After I was done the pages would a be nasty web of blue ink. Most of the time you couldn't really understand what I wanted on any particular page. So my response would be, "I just want everything on the page." I didn't realize at the time this had to drive my parents crazy. I had no concept of what they would be able to buy or not. The mere thought of how much things cost verses what my parents could spend never entered into my head. I look back and in a way feel guilty. Because now I would trade all those toys in for one more magical Christmas morning at eight years old. A Christmas with the family all together so I could soak in the the smiles and reactions. So I could just relish the joy in my parents faces when I said, "This is exactly what I wanted." The problem is those memories seem so distant and when I think about them it makes me somewhat sad. Oh well I can only hope in the upcoming years I can start sharing those moments again. If you have kids make sure you capture the spirit of Christmas. Because it will be what you will wish you could hold on to and never forget.