The 1980s were a pretty unique time to be a kid. It was a period where electronic games and gadgets were on the rise, but they hadn’t fully consumed our childhoods. Perhaps it was an era of simpler pleasures, but GI-Joes, Transformers, He-Man, Legos, and even marbles were things I played with in my youth.
In late 1982, I remember asking…well, no, I didn’t ask. I BEGGED my parents at a department store for this little basketball game. You’d wind up a little guy shaped like a basketball, and then let him go and he’d hop up to a peg and then start going around in circles above a platform until you slammed a button. If your timing was right, he’d be catapulted into the basket scoring you a point. I can’t recall if I’d seen it on a TV commercial or just saw it in the store. It was probably $10 or $15, but anyways, nope, my parents wouldn’t have any of that. I was a kid…I was disappointed of course!
Fast forward to Christmas Day morning. Santa delivered a 4-year-old the best present he had ever received!
Maybe it’s just the feeling of nostalgia I sometimes get, but these pictures also bring so much emotion to me now that I’m 46. Perhaps it’s the happiness a simple, thoughtful gift can bring, or even thinking about how happy my parents must have felt when they saw my Christmas totally get made by the gift.
Gifts, no matter when they are given, can be quite special depending on the circumstance. They don’t need to be expensive. They don’t even need to be tangible. The best ones come from those that know you, and love you.
