Like most kids of my generation (Oh my, surely I’m not old enough to refer to myself as having a “generation”!), this used to be the time of year for dog-earing pages of the giant Sears “Wishbook.” Today there is an online Wishbook that allows you to create your own online wish list that you can share with potential gift-givers. I think I prefer the more subtle hinting method of circling items and bending page corners, then leaving the catalog oh-so-casually where mom and dad might happen to notice.
I remember dreaming big when it came to the Wishbook. Sure, I knew that in a family with modest means and four kids the chances of a really big score were slim, but surely if there was any time to swing for the fences, Christmas was it, right? There was magic in the air. And while I never did get that battery-powered sports car that you actually sat in and drove yourself, our Christmases were always generous and joyful, and mom and dad worked hard to make as many of our holiday wishes as possible come true.
One big appeal of catalogs, Black Friday circulars and, now, Amazon.com, is the ability to be very specific about what you hope to receive. If you give your parents only general instructions like, “a video game” or “a magic set,” you put yourself at the mercy of what is likely to be their lame interpretation of what you want. (I can use harsh words like “lame” because, as a parent, I know I have been a transgressor of Christmas wishes myself.)
But there was this one Christmas where mom and dad got it exactly right, even better than I had hoped for. I had asked for an electric car racing set, and there was a wide range of possibilities. To my joy, not only did my parents come through, the set they bought me exceeded my wildest expectations. It had every feature I wanted. The cars even had working headlights for thrill-filled night racing!
There were many great Christmases in my house growing up, and more wonderful gifts than I could recount. As a parent I want to give my own kids exactly what they want, too, but the biggest thrills come not when I have simply paid for something they have picked out themselves, but when I have connected by giving them something they loved based on my own knowledge of their wants and personalities.
My wish for you this holiday season is that you celebrate the joy of knowing others and of being known well enough to exchange meaningful gifts. St. Francis of Assisi is said to have advised, “Preach the gospel always; if necessary, use words. Perhaps the saint will pardon me if I paraphrase him to say, “Give gifts; if necessary, go shopping.”
