As one of my favorite characters, Ralphie, would say, “Oh boy. It’s almost Christmas and I know I’ll get the BB gun I asked Santa Claus to bring me. Oh boy!”
Well, I hate to admit it, but I don’t want or need another BB gun. Or anything else. Seems I already have just about everything I could ever hope for. Start with Lady M. Couldn’t ask for a better soulmate. And terrific children. And fantastic grandchildren. And even a super-duper great grandchild. Oh boy. Am I ever the lucky one.
So, rather than hope for something special under our magnificent Christmas tree. I will just sit back, relax and concentrate on Christmases past.
Like Ralphie, I grew up in Cleveland. Our house looked a little like Ralphie’s. My Mom was Ralphie’s Mom. Didn’t have a brother, but two sisters almost made up for that. Almost. And, fortunately for us, our dad was not at all like Ralphie’s dad. Thank goodness. But you might have guessed by now, I was Ralphie, through and through.
Now, in case you don’t know who this Ralphie is that I’m referring to, check your TV listing and find out when “The Christmas Story” is airing. Then sit back and prepare to be entertained for a couple of hours. If you do know who Ralphie is, catch “The Christmas Story” again, anyway. It never gets old. And you’re never too old to enjoy it.
You probably read in last week’s Times about the Christmas giving program organized and orchestrated by our fantastic Community Solutions. Well, Lady M and I visited the warehouse in which the gift packages were prepared. We were absolutely overwhelmed. Never had we seen so much neat stuff in one place.
And it wasn’t just the abundance of goodies. It was the organization. And the thought of dozens – if not hundreds – of volunteers who put in many long hours in the freezing warehouse sorting, labeling and packaging thousands of toys, clothes, appliances, and more.
We may never see the looks of pure joy or the hear the squeals of excitement as the deserving children in our communities receive surprises they could never have imagined. All because of the caring folks at Community Solutions. I’ll bet there might even have been a Red Ryder, Carbine Action, 200-shot, Range Model air rifle somewhere amidst the melee.
As I write this, my last column of 2013, I am getting set to watch the San Francisco 49ers play their final regular-season game at dreaded Candlestick Park. I, for one, will not miss “The Stick” even a little. I watched the Niners, I watched the Giants, I saw Pope John Paul II there. None of that matters. I never liked the place. Not even a little bit. Next year, when they reduce it to rubble, I’ll have a big smile on my face. Good riddance.
I hope I’ll get a chance to see some action when the new stadium opens in Santa Clara. Maybe, if I start saving my pennies now, I’ll have enough for a bleacher seat in a few years.
Two days after the game, the big day will be here. Oh boy! Our day will actually start the night before when we have Christmas Eve dinner with our daughter and her family followed by midnight mass at St. Catherine. In the morning, we won’t have a parade of little ones racing down the stairs to see the items that somehow made their way down the chimney. We won’t watch, in awe, the little one’s faces as they open the latest and greatest toy – one that will probably be broken, have a critical part missing, need special batteries, or be too “yesterday” to keep anyone busy for more than a few minutes.
Now, it’s just Lady M and I, enjoying each other’s company, reading the loving messages on Christmas cards and preparing for a warm, wonderful day. A good part of the pleasure will be remembering Christmases past.
We’ll forget how the tree fell over, or the really ugly ties, or vile perfumes, or rock-hard fruit cake. We’ll mostly remember the wonderful times. Then, we’ll probably get out the Monopoly game – The Christmas Story version, of course. I double dog dare you to beat that.
Our very best wishes to you and yours. We hope your Christmas is or was – depending on when you get around to reading Much Ado About Nothing – one of the best ever. And, of course, we also hope that 2014 brings all the happiness you deserve. Oh boy!
Henry “Hank” Miller is a retired rocket scientist, he has an interest in classic automobiles, good conversation, martinis and community affairs. Reach him at ha******@gm***.com.
