Thursday, December 13, 2007
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Thursday, December 13, 2007 |
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Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | Photo Gallery |
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Fielder’s Choice Wish lists Santa Claus made an early stop at the Burleson house Monday evening. He was on his annual pre-Christmas tour through Holly Springs, just making sure he was clear on what the children want delivered on Christmas Eve. Can you believe it’s less than two weeks away? Christmases come around quicker than they did when I was a child. Our 5-year-old (soon to be 6) has a shorter list than normal, only after we pushed and pushed for her to trim it down a bit. We’ve received several holiday catalogs in the mail in the past month or so. She is typically the first to grab them and start circling things – some not even really knowing what they are. Back when I was growing up, I looked forward to the big, thick, Sears Christmas book being delivered to our country home. I’d be the first to check the mailbox. I can’t even recall getting another catalog. I don’t remember circling my selections. But I do remember getting many of them come Christmastime. As a child, I was into Hot Wheels and GI Joes. My sisters and I also got a lot of board games – like Yahtzee, Monopoly and Clue. And we always stayed up late at night playing them. Shaking those dice in the Yahtzee “cup” kept Mother awake many a night I’m sure. Oh, how I wish I could get by now with a few Hot Wheels or a board game or two. The electronic and digital age has taken us by storm. And there’s no getting by on $9.96, $14.75 or even $19.99. Now our children want iPods, Nintendo Wiis, Xboxes, HD televisions, laptop computers, and cell phones with cameras and music and who knows what else they’re putting on those things now. Kids can text message with their eyes closed and yet they can’t type. I grew up 12 miles out of town. Once we were on a party line and had to wait for our neighbors to finish their telephone conversations before we could make our call. Now, there’s a cellular tower on the property adjacent to my mother’s – just a short distance from the home I grew up in. Our teenagers – one 16 and the other 13 – don’t want as much any more. But they do prefer the high-ticket items. Unusual for him, our son didn’t even make up his mind about what he wanted until this past weekend. Personally, I like surprises – giving them and getting them. I’ve never really wanted to give money or get money. I usually end up spending it on something else – like food or gas or another necessity. I’m not very good at putting money back for a gift. My Christmas list is normally not very long. But then what can you buy a 46-year-old? Pants, shirts, socks, underwear. Speaking of wish lists, there will be plenty in next week’s newspaper. We will be publishing our annual Christmas edition, which will include “Letters to Santa” from many Marshall County children in kindergarten-second grade and holiday greetings from businesses, industries and elected officials. My 5-year-old should have a letter in that section this year. And hopefully those items in the letter are already on Santa’s list. If not, maybe he can do some last-minute adjustments. Santa has been known to do some pretty amazing things as far as the Burleson household is concerned – like miraculously coming up with a doll house about 11 years ago on December 23 for our now 16-year-old. One of the greatest things about the holiday season is giving – and I’m not just talking about giving to family members and seeing the smiles on their faces. I’m talking about giving to those less fortunate. Many area churches, clubs and other civic groups are doing just that – giving to those who might not otherwise receive anything this holiday season. Remember – the giving is much better than the receiving. |
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