Gifts of Holidays Past

When the staff of Family Life Publications was tasked with recalling a favorite childhood gift theyd received during the holidays, the responses were as unique as the personality of each individual. But a common thread did reveal itself among all the responses. Regardless of the gift, it was the loved one who bestowed it and the memories surrounding it that seemed to make it so special. Here are a few of our favorite things:

Janet Ponichtera 
Sales and Marketing Director

My parents always amazed me with how they filled our huge Florida room with toys at Christmas. They bought three of everything or three of something similar. When I was just under 3 years old and my older sisters were around 5, we received plastic guitars from Santa. I really enjoyed that guitar, and my wonderful dad had to tape it up several times from overuse. Years later, I continued to play rock star with the one surviving guitar.

Mandy Marger
Graphic Artist

In Jewish families that celebrate Hanukkah, which is traditionally a minor holiday, children are given a small trinket on each of the holiday nights to symbolize the miracle of one days oil lasting for eight. But commercialism and assimilation eventually turned Hanukkah into a major winter holiday filled with gifts and treats, and in 1985, who was I, a 7-year-old little girl, to argue?

My parents would line up my and my brothers gifts on the fireplace hearth, and we could choose which gift to open that evening. We would poke, prod, and shake the gifts all day to make our nightly choice. Several days in, I chose a relatively large, heavy box. My wildest dreams came true when I opened a Teddy Ruxpin the hottest, most technologically advanced toy of the year.

However, in the days leading up to opening my new best friend, I must have been a little too aggressive in my investigation. Teddy Ruxpin didnt work. I remember the disappointment of not being able to play with him that evening, followed by driving around with my mom and not being able to find a replacement anywhere. Im sure it was resolved, and I probably loved him very much. But ironically, its the folly of the situation that I fondly remember, which brings a smile to my face.

Laurie Litke
Graphic Artist

When trying to recall a favorite Christmas gift, I honestly couldnt remember one. I jumped on the phone with my sister to see if she could jog my memory. She remembers when I got an electric organ, with a bench to sit on while playing. She said she was so jealous that she thought I must be my parents favorite.

That same year, Mom got a microwave, and we thought that was cool. But I mostly remember little things like sneaking into the attic to spy on gifts. I always knew this is where my parents hid them they werent very imaginative.

I also remember lying under our Christmas tree, just staring up at the multicolored lights. Each year when we put our artificial tree together, one branch at a time, we were envious of other families with real trees.

My mother used to have a beautiful porcelain angel that played Silent Night. One year, my brother dropped it and broke a wing off. Boy, was he in big trouble! As it turns out, these memories are the best gifts I ever received.

Jack Tuszynski
Publisher/Photographer

The earliest really cool Christmas present I recall receiving was a shared gift for my brother Victor and me. Its odd to admit that I once was a gamer before that was even a word, and I spent hours wearing out joysticks and blowing game cartridges on a 1979 Atari system, which I still have to this day.

I put gaming behind me when I received my first SLR camera, a Minolta X700, from my mother early in December 1984. There was some concern that this gift might be a passing fad, something I would enjoy for a short period in my youth. Over 35 years later, my love for the camera has been exposed, and it has developed into a stage I may never outgrow.

Julie Senger
Editor

Over the years, my older siblings, twin brother, and I received many wonderful gifts from my parents on Christmas morning. A few favorites were a typewriter (which nurtured the future writer in me), a stereo system (which cultivated my passion for music and singing), and a tent with a Wonder Woman sleeping bag (which inspired my love for the outdoors and traveling).

But now that both of my parents have passed, what I miss most are the huge Christmas Eve family gatherings at Mom and Daddys house with all my siblings and our children under the same roof (my parents had 6 children and 26 grandchildren). Having only 4 people in my home for Christmas last year was very quiet and hard in ways I wasnt emotionally prepared for. So, even though large family gatherings can seem overwhelming when youre taking part in them, youll probably miss them when they are no longer an option. Time with my family is by far the most precious gift Ive ever received.