What I Got for Christmas

I remember when one of the first assignments we were given in school after Christmas vacation was to write a theme on what we got for Christmas. I haven't done that for awhile, but in the spirit of Ralphie in Christmas Story, writing the masterpiece on what he wanted for Christmas (a Red Ryder BB Gun), here's my theme.

WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS

     I didn't get a lot of cool things, like some people I know, because we are "saving" our "money" for more "important things" like banks and credit card companies and gas and food, and because we have teenagers.

     But what I did get was pretty cool anyway. Like this travel mug from my Sister-in-law who still lives in Chicago. She knows I like coffee--a lot--and she also knows that I still like the Chicago Bears (that's a football team) even though I've managed to break some other bad habits I picked up in Chicago.

     One of the coolest presents was a new camera that I've been wanting and asking and begging for for a long, long time, even though it wasn't a present that was under the tree and I got to open it on Christmas. Instead I got to pick it out online and then wait for it to come in a delivery truck, and I had to make sure the dog wouldn't find it before I did because he likes to EAT PACKAGES. But I got it before he did, and it's really cool.

     I also like fly fishing--a lot--but I didn't get anything like a new rod, or new waders, or new stuff for when I tie flies, or anything like that because people know by now that I like to pick out my own stuff and they always get me stuff that they think I would like but I really don't. But this camera is like a fly fishing present because I will take it with me all the time and take pictures of lakes and rivers and birds and trout and lots of really cool stuff. So I'm really happy.

     And it's also like a present for my boys, too, because they like to watch videos of themselves playing sports, or maybe fishing sometimes, and this takes REALLY COOL videos. So they're happy, too, but not as happy as me.

     Then I got one more present that I didn't have to order or unwrap, but it was a really cool surprise, and like something someone just sent me because they knew I would like it a lot, and I did. I was walking out to the woodshed to get some wood on Christmas night and an owl flew up RIGHT OVER MY HEAD. It was dark, but there was some light from the house so I could see the wings and the shape. It almost stopped right over me, so I could see it real good, then it flew away. But then it came back and flew over again, and then it did it again. And the whole time it was really quiet outside and even though it was flapping its wings I DID'NT HEAR ANYTHING. That's one of the really cool things about owls, they can fly in the dark without making any noise with their wings at all.

     That was really cool. I didn't have my new camera, or my old one, so I looked this picture up online. But that's what I saw, except not so bright. That was a really cool present, or like a present. 

     So that's what I got for Christmas and even though it's not as much as some people I know might have got, or like the people on TV who get cars for Christmas, I thought what I got was really cool.