I don’t normally do too many posts that address the reader directly, but this post is a day late, so I feel like I should be a little more candid here. In lieu of a full blown piece this week, and to coincide with the impending holiday, I wanted to share a fun memory I have of the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten.
Now, the context of this present is, unfortunately, going to spoil the surprise pretty quickly, but I don’t think it lessens the sentiment.
The thing you need to understand is that, like many families, mine had a tradition of watching specific movies leading up to, and on Christmas Day. Amongst all the Rudolph viewings, and Year Without A Santa Claus, there was one movie we enjoyed above all others.
Jingle All the Way.
If you’re unfamiliar with Jingle All the Way, that is a damn shame. It is by far one of my all time favorites. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger doing last minute shopping for his son, who only wants a Turbo Man Action Figure for Christmas. Arnold and co-star Sinbad, yes you read that correctly, battle across malls and through a full parade, all in pursuit of the elusive doll. It has some downright hilarious moments, and lines that I still quote to this day.
The movie came out in 1996, and along with it, there was a line of action figures of, you guessed it, Turbo Man himself. I was 5 at the time (yikes), but our story takes place a couple of years down the road.
It is the year 2000, Christmas Day. My family and I have had our breakfast, opened all of our presents, and are in the process of our annual viewing of Jingle All the Way. My dad excuses himself near the end of the movie, but tells my mom and I to keep watching. Just as the movie is coming to a heartfelt conclusion, my dad spins around the corner exclaiming that he forgot about one last present he had found himself, without the help of Santa.
I think I still believed in Santa at that point, but my dad wanted to make it very clear that he was the one who put in the leg work for the toy, not the imaginary cookie fiend.
Needless to say, it was, in fact, a Turbo Man action figure, complete with accessories and several catch phrases. I was blown away. To be honest, I’m still a little blown away that my dad was able to find one some four years after the movie had come out, a feat even more impressive when you think that internet shopping wasn’t really a thing. For him, it still isn’t, but that’s a different story.
Sadly, I don’t still have the toy, but it has always stood out in my mind as the best present I’ve ever gotten. And really, it drives me to try and hunt for better and better gifts for others when it comes to holidays and birthdays. There’s something to finding that perfect gift for someone that’s such a wonderful feeling.
Anyway, if you’re a weekly reader, (fat chance of that), I’m sorry the post is a day late. If you’re reading this sometime in the future, I suppose I could have just edited the date on the post and you’d be none the wiser, but here we are. I hope this post finds you well, and leaves you with happy memories of great gifts you’ve received, or given, in holidays gone past.