Maybe it’s my age or more gray hairs that keep emerging in my facial hair, but I don’t have anything on my Christmas list this year. I’ve already received the best presents; my family, my friends, my career, and my health (which could always stand to improve when it comes to the waistline, which is a work in progress).
My wife Kasey has asked, and I really do not have an answer for her. Now, having said that, she is also the best at noticing and remembering things throughout the year and then translating them into a gift. For instance, she knows that I have been out of cologne for a while. I would bet dollars to donuts that I will unwrap a package with cologne on Christmas, and that will be appreciated. It should be clear I love that she’s able to be that thoughtful when it comes to gift-giving.
If anything, I should take lessons from her and do a better job myself. Thankfully, I know that Flipped Out Furniture (her favorite) sells gift certificates, and I will make a trip down there very soon (as in perhaps right after I finish writing this since I realize how quickly Christmas will be here)! Supporting local businesses here in Muscatine is always a great idea, especially around the holidays!
It’s also a surreal experience having spent the last nine years watching how excited my children are on Christmas morning. We all can remember being that age and waking up excited regardless of what the gifts were or how many; it was a magical feeling. I’ll never forget Christmas 1995 when I received my first Sony Discman CD player (for the younger readers, CD stood for compact disc and was a format that music was available on). I had a few older cousins (shout-out to Ryan McCarthy and Joe Gamboney) who I thought were excellent (and still do) who had good taste in music, and I was delighted to unwrap CDs from Green Day, Weezer, and Pearl Jam!
My hope is that you are able to spend Christmas and this holiday season with the people that you love. I am going to try and be present with my family. That includes reminding myself to put my smartphone down and just be in the moment. I’m not perfect, and if anything, that’s a gift that I could work on giving my family year-round; being there.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy holidays. Thank you for reading this column each week and for your kind words when I see you out and about. Santa, if you’re listening, and you happen to come across a DeLorean that looks like the Back to the Future time machine, I wouldn’t mind if that showed up on Christmas morning. I’ll text you my address.
