Most meaningful childhood Christmas present?

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dcf2

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Personally, while I'd like to say it was a book like The Selfish Gene or a chemistry set, it was almost certainly receiving an Atari 2600. Our family could afford it as my mother went to work and it is thus also associated with transition to latch key kid status.

Anything stand out?
 
My favorites were a bicycle, basketball goal, Hot Wheels City, Castle Grayskull, and various GI Joe, Star Wars, Transformers and He-Man toys.
 
When I was 6 or 7 my grandparents (who were very lower middle class at best) gave me a snow suit. I was being pissy about receiving clothes and a being an elementary school shithead said "so what?!" when my grandmother demonstrated that the pockets had zippers. I instantly felt bad (and not because I was severely in trouble - even at that age I knew I just acted like an asshole) and still feel that way 40 years later. Especially now that I know what something like that probably cost them.

I am not sure I can come up with a more meaningful present than that and the lesson of gratitude that was unexpectedly gifted with it.
 
I remember getting a Gameboy the Christmas after they first came out. I loved that thing and played it to death. Even just playing tetris was great.
 
dcf2 said:
Personally, while I'd like to say it was a book like The Selfish Gene or a chemistry set, it was almost certainly receiving an Atari 2600. Our family could afford it as my mother went to work and it is thus also associated with transition to latch key kid status.

Anything stand out?
Click to expand...
LOL. I was actually planning to say some books but I’d forgotten about getting an Atari 2600 and yeah, that was better than the books.
 
Sleeping bag when I was 8.

Started a 15 year run of 10-14 day backpacking trips with my grandfather each summer which contributed to my cycling to Alaska one summer and around Europe another summer and taking up rock climbing and ice climbing and mountaineering.
 
Not so sure about meaningful, but several are memorable.

I remember getting a 10 speed bike.
Early in my marriage, we were pretty poor, raising two kids on one salary and paying a mortgage. My mother in law got me an iPod. I was really surprised when I opened it.
Our first Christmas married, my wife got me a nice tool box, I still have it.

One Christmas my dad was in the hospital during Christmas. I got an electric race track, but I also learned that Santa wasn't real hearing my mom bitching to her SIL about having to put out the presents by herself, and her mother and brother not helping (We were staying at Grandma's since dad was in the hospital).
It's sad and I sometimes wonder why I remember negative things like that so vividly yet I struggle to remember happy or joyful times.

Another year, I got a micronauts rocket tubes set. It was great, but didn't work. I recall going to return it after Christmas. I remember being in the store and there were crowds and everything was in disarray and they didn't have another one, so I got equal cost of other things. The things I got weren't really what I wanted and I recall being really disappointed playing with them.

Considering when my oldest daughter was born, I believe I got some sex one year. 😁

One year, as an adult, my parents gave me a case of toilet paper from Sam's club, it was a weird but very practical gift.
 
My great uncle who owned an appliance store in Youngsville, NC sent me a transistor AM radio when I was in the 5th grade, it had a closable plastic case that protected the radio, I used to fall asleep listening to the Pholadelphia 76ers game radio broadcasts back in the day when that team had Wilt Chamberlain & Hal Greer on the team.
 
As a kid with a fall birthday, I feel like most of the "best" presents I got were for my birthday and Christmas was kinda the "best of the rest" of the things I wanted.

I do think my Nintendo was a Christmas present, so that one was a big one.

Also, while not the most meaningful, I did love this one...

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