Merry Christmas to you and your family! My wife and I have officially navigated all the Christmas parties and holiday get-togethers, and now we’re excited to slow down, relax, and celebrate the holiday with family.
This year looked a little different for us. It was a bit more challenging at times, but it was also incredibly special with my wife being, well… VERY pregnant. That alone made this Christmas season one we’ll never forget.
In this article, I want to take a trip down memory lane and unpack some of my favorite Christmas presents from over the years. My hope is that, along the way, it sparks a few memories of your own and gets you thinking about your favorite Christmas gifts growing up.
2003: This is the first big Christmas present I can remember. It was something my parents told me I would never get and that the only way it was happening was if Santa brought it himself: a Nintendo GameCube.
Unwrapping that thing was unreal. I remember running around the house, barely able to contain my excitement. Of course, it came with Madden Football, and I played it so much the disc eventually wore out. To this day, that GameCube stands out as one of those gifts you never forget.
2005: This present was exciting… but, man, it was poorly designed. They used to make bicycles that looked just like dirt bikes, and I wanted one bad. My parents came through and got it for me, and while I loved it, that thing was awful.
It was heavy, impossible to steer, and the kickstand never worked — but I didn’t care. Back then, your bike was your car, and that’s how I was getting to my friends’ houses, no matter how bad the ride was.
2007: My 12-year-old Little League season was right around the corner. Like every kid, I dreamed of making it to the Little League World Series, and I was convinced the bat that would get me there was the Red CF3.
That bat — now illegal, by the way — was sitting under the tree on Christmas morning, and I was one happy 12-year-old. At the time, it felt like the key to every baseball dream I had.
2011: I was turning 16 that January, and all I could think about was getting a car. On Christmas morning, my dad handed me the keys to a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was awesome… with one small problem — it didn’t run yet.
We spent the next few months getting it road-ready, and it turned out to be a great first car for me and, eventually, for my brother too.
2014: I had my heart set on a Yeti cooler — yeah, one of those entirely too expensive coolers. But man, are they worth it. I still have it sitting in my garage and use it every summer. It’s one of those gifts that just keeps paying off and will probably last forever.
2017: By this point, I was BIG into fishing and had my heart set on a really nice baitcasting rod. I did my research and landed on a Lew’s Performance rod, which my Nanny surprised me with. She even had it shipped all the way from a Bass Pro Shop in Texas.
I’ve caught some absolute monsters on that rod over the years. I even took it out on New Year’s Eve and caught what was potentially a state-record pickerel — then tossed it back without ever measuring it. Still not sure if that was the right move, but it makes for a pretty good story.
I know gifts aren’t the reason for the season, but they are a big part of it. They’re one of the ways people show love and care for one another. So this Christmas, I’ll leave you with two simple reminders:
Be thankful. Take the time to genuinely thank the people who thought of you and gave you a gift this holiday season.
Give with intention. Choose meaningful gifts and give them with love. Slow down, be thoughtful, and pick something that shows the people in your life how much they matter to you.
Merry Christmas.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” ~ James 1:17
