1) When I was a kid living in the Detroit projects in the 1960's we were poor. We lived on welfare, food stamps, got Medicaid, and I for one attended head start. Even though I was a young monkey I knew we were poor, all I had to do was to look across the street at the houses that were built on the streets adjacent to Saint Monica's Church to see how much different they were from our run down housing project two family townhouse. My folks would ask us to make a list for Santa Claus and they'd let us circle some stuff in the JC Penny catalog. I don't know about my brothers or sisters but I looked at the prices of stuff and I would usually circle the stuff with the lower prices, I didn't want to break Santa's bank account. One year I desperately wanted a little plastic fort with all the plastic cowboys and Indians, I know it's politically incorrect now but then I was into all that stuff. The one I really wanted was more expensive so I circled the cheaper one. On Christmas morning I opened a box and it was the cheaper fort set I circled. It broke into a million pieces not too long after Christmas. The next year when it came to to circle the gifts my Mom saw me staring at the page with the fort sets on it. She said, "Santa brought you one last year and it broke." 
I told her, "I know but that was because he didn't bring me the one I really wanted because that one costs too much." She said, "Circle the one you want honey and don't worry about what Santa can or can't afford." So I circled the one I wanted. On Christmas morning I opened my big gift and there it was, the fort set I had wanted for over two years. I was overjoyed and I played with that fort for years after that.
I told her, "I know but that was because he didn't bring me the one I really wanted because that one costs too much." She said, "Circle the one you want honey and don't worry about what Santa can or can't afford." So I circled the one I wanted. On Christmas morning I opened my big gift and there it was, the fort set I had wanted for over two years. I was overjoyed and I played with that fort for years after that.2) It was 1969 and I asked for a bike for Christmas. A few weeks prior to the holiday we were over at our maternal Grandparents house and we were playing hide and seek. I was hiding in the back of the house in a little porch like room off the kitchen and I saw a big box. I peeked into the box and I saw it was a small bike perfect for my little body size. I was stoked that Santa had left my bike over at my Grandma's house. On Christmas morning I saw that package sitting beside the tree and my folks told me it was indeed mine. I tore off the paper and I screamed with delight over my new bike. You'll never imagine the sense of freedom and adventure I had when I rode that shiny red bike later that day. For a few moments I was on top of the world and fast as lightening.
3) About 6 or 7 years ago Sparky got me a gray sweat shirt/sweater type shirt from the Gap, she loves buying me and other people warm clothing for Christmas. It wasn't anything flashy or super stylish but I love that shirt beyond words and even though it's starting to fray and unravel a bit, I still wear it. In fact, I'm wearing it now as I write this.
4) Every gift I got for Christmas 2004. I had my heart attack in August that year and bypass surgery in Sept, so I was just happy to be alive. All the gifts that year were icing on the cake.
5) Last year Sparky's Mom finally stopped giving me ugly sweaters, I think she finally noticed I never wore any of them, and she gave me instead a gift card to Borders books store. Since we don't have a Borders yet in Johnson City I had to wait until I had a cardiologist appointment in Knoxville to use my gift card. In February I got to use that card and with it I got a great book called Around the Bloc, which was about a young woman's travels in Russia, China, and Cuba, a Cooking Light magazine, from which I got a bunch of great recipes, and this DVD set:
I had seen a few episodes on Comedy Central but I had never seen the whole thing. By now we've seen all of them plust the extras more than once but I still love this show. It's timeless and classic, just like Father Ted, Vicar of Dibley, and the Alan Partridge shows.
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Fran only tagged three people, so I'll do the same. I tag Samurai Frog, Becca, and my pal from across the pond, PJ.
5 comments:
Cool post, Monkey. I love Britcoms--Vicar of Dibley and As Time Goes By are probably my favorites.
Oh--and what happened to the banner? it's cut off...??
okay, you made me cry, seriously. that kids getting what they want for x-mas crap really gets to me!
I had one of those forts too. I loved it!
Oh you and the making me cry all the time.
I am glad you did this meme- it is 100% Monkey perfect.
As are you.
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