The other night I was having a conversation with my friend "Irish Eyes" and we did some traveling down memory lane. After I signed off for the night my mind did some wandering on its own. 

I grew up a fairly lonely child with very few playmates around where I lived and very little time to play actually. However I do remember some lazy hazy summer afternoons spent with imaginary friends. :) 

How many of you remember when toys were really toys?  They did not need batteries and they did not cost a small fortune. Heck nowadays some toys out there could make a down payment on an automobile!! The batteries for these toys cost almost half of that!! 

I can remember having a few things that were given to me by an aunt or an uncle or a friend of my parents. My parents did not believe in wasting good money on store bought toys very often so I treasured what gifts I received. Unlike the children of today, you did not find my precious playthings under a bed or in a corner or laying out in the yard. I knew full well that they would end up in a trash burning barrel if I did not put them away. 

I had a yoyo and man could I make that thing talk!!  I remember sitting on the ground for hours playing with jacks and bouncing that little ball high enough to be sure I could pick all the jacks up before the ball hit the ground again. 

I remember having a view master and I would put the circular cards in it and as I viewed the pictures on the card one by one I would dream of far away places that I would visit one day when I grew up. I could almost hear the colourful birds twittering at me and I could almost hear the water rushing over the falls as I viewed the gorgeous colours of a country far away. 

I had a hula hoop and I would spend hours trying to get that thing to spin around my hips. I think that is one of the things that taught me how to do the twist and some other fancy dance steps. LOL!

I would skip for hours with a skipping rope my Mom bought me. Sometimes the little boy next door would come over and we would tie one end of the skipping rope to a tree and he would hold the other end and I would skip with delight at having a friend to play with. 

I spent hours and hours making mud pies and talking to friends only a little girl could possibly see. As I served my friends imaginary tea and pie I would have a delightful afternoon. 

I had a collection of marbles that I treasured and I had little discs with cars on them that I got out of potato chip bags. I would squat down on my haunches and side throw them at a wall to see which one would get closer. This was a game we would play at school during recess as well so I would practice at home. 

Yes, those were the days my friends. The days when we made our own fun and we did not need batteries and tons of money to do it. Those were the days when as children we most definitely appreciated every single thing we had. 

Those were the days when we did not beg for the addition to collection because we were lucky to have even one piece of a collection. Hell we were lucky to find a broken toy at the town dump that we could take home and have our Daddy fix - if he found the time to give us to fix it. 

Did I miss not having all the fancy high priced toys some of the other kids had? No because what you did not have back then you could not miss. Back then I would not have had enough spare time to play with all the fancy toys anyway. 

So with the Christmas season fast approaching us and the demands starting to hit for this toy and that toy and some of us doing without other things we need to fulfill the wishes of our favorite children  -- take time to reflect back on your own youth and remember when the times were harder and the money tighter and the toys scarcer. 

Times when that scarf and mittens that Gramma knitted with her own two hands meant a warmer winter. Times when the jars of preserves that Auntie brought meant food for the winter. Times when the load of wood dropped off as a Christmas gift from a neighbour meant a warm night. 

Remember folks, it is not the expensive toys that make Christmas. It is the love and attention you give your children that means the most. It is not the $150.00 toy that holds your child as they have a nightmare or the $100.00 doll that kisses the skinned knees. It is not the high priced special name brand toys that teach goodness and kindness. 

Take some time to put back some of the important things that Christmas stands for. Take the time to teach love and togetherness and family values. Teach your children about the important things in life like spending special time reading bedtime stories or holding their hands as you walk in the park. Take the time to play in the snow with them and make snow angels or build a snow fort. 

Teach your children that it is not the price of the toy that auntie or uncle or gramma and grampa are bringing on Christmas that is so very important. Teach them that it is the fact that the family is still alive and well enough to share the love of the day with them that is most important. Teach them it is the laughter and the hugs and the special smells from the kitchen that are important for memories that will last forever. 

Teach the children to be thankful for what they have and not be upset because of what they don't have. 

It does not matter what religion you are or how you celebrate Christmas in your home. What matters is not the price tag on the item. What matters is the love and togetherness of family. What matters is the joy of living and laughing together and making beautiful memories to pass on. 

Until next time, 
Love Misker