Gifts of Christmas Past

• Posted on December 23, 2009 at 1:39 am

Since my heart has been blackened from my years in retail, I must look to my past to remember a time when Christmas was actually a joyous experience. A simpler time, when I would lay awake all night on Christmas Eve just thinking about what gifts I would open the next day. Sometimes I kind of knew what I was getting and other times it was a complete surprise.

One of my all-time favorite gifts was, in quintessential 80’s fashion, a cabbage patch kid. I wanted one SOOOO badly, as did almost every girl my age. I ended up with four altogether, but I’ll never forget my first. Her name was Marla Jolla (yeah, I DID NOT pick that name) and she had long brown hair that was tied in two braids. I LOVED HER. My mom bought patterns and sewed outfits for her. I even had a little cheerleaders uniform for Marla that matched my school’s uniforms. I took my adoptive parent’s pledge quite seriously and Marla still lives with my parents (her grandparents) to this day. My mother, a University of Illinois alumni, eventually had an Illini outfit made for her and she’s displayed in their computer room.

Another great gift I received was a “Disco Barbie.” That was not her real name, but it fit her well. This Barbie was smoking hot! She had a tan, and came dressed with a gold lame’ hot pants outfit. Her hair was a dark blonde color and it had streaks of gold throughout it. Yeah, I would catch her and my Ken doll in compromising positions all the time .

As I got older, the gifts I received became a bit more sophisticated. When I was in 8th grade, I got a Nintendo Gameboy! I was not expecting it and was beside myself with excitement. Now, this was not the sleek Gameboy with color screens that they have out now. No, this behemoth of a game was big & awkward, and required two hands at all times to hold it. I think it also operated on twelve D-size batteries. The screen was black and white and the games were large square things that you stuck in the back of the Gameboy.

The games I received with it were Tetris (of course) & Super Mario (of course). I spent the next two months trying to rescue Princess Daisy, to the point my thumbs would hurt from pressing the buttons too hard. I’ll never forget the first time I actually made it all the way to the end. I felt like I’d just won Olympic gold! I’m proud to say that the Gameboy was passed down to my nephews, who played it when they were young (and until they got the newer, better version).

Yes, Christmas is better when you’re a kid and someday when I have my first child, I’m hoping to relive all that excitement again through their eyes. Until then, I’ll just have my memories.

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  • Childhood Memories of the 80's