Brave Astronaut's Christmas Wish List

As I watched my son leaf through a kid's catalog that came in the mail the other day, I was reminded of the days when I would sit with the JC Penney Wish Book or the Sears Wish Book Catalog on the day after Thanksgiving, ripping out pages and circling things for my parents, or "Santa" to get me.

Then there was the year that I wanted the Atari 2600. I made the foolish statement of "You don't have to get me anything else for Christmas as long as I get this." Friggin' family took me up on it. I, like most children, would measure success (or "goodness," if you will) by the number of presents under the tree with your name on it. So that year, I had a good number of gifts under the tree, so I was pretty happy. On Christmas morning, I unwrapped the first gift - a stack of old magazines. Second gift - two bricks. Gift after gift - useless item after useless item, and I was getting increasingly upset as my family laughed. Finally, somebody took pity on me and told me to look under the dining room table. And there it was. Nirvana, Heaven, Bliss, the Atari 2600 had arrived.

As I grew older, I used to type up my Christmas lists for my mother. Very specific, as well. Size, color preferences, clippings of specific items desired. It was a little anal, well maybe a lot. Well, my mother's gone now, but maybe she can read this wherever she is.

It's December 1. My birthday's the 20th. It's my 40th. Feel free to get as many items as you like. In case you forget and this post rotates off, the list is down there on the right. And just in case Santa is reading this blog, I have been very good this year, haven't I?

1. Billy Joel - 12 Gardens Live
2. Cuisinart Mix-It-In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker (I saw this in a catalog. I love the soft serve)
3. Bill Bryson - "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid", for that matter any other Bryson Books I don't have.
4. Dean Koontz has a new book out, "The Darkest Evening of the Year." For that matter, like Bryson, there are a few titles, I have not yet read of his, like this one, and this one.
5. I would read this, too. It is by Richard Bachman, with a foreword by Stephen King. Oh, that's just weird.
6. I am not the one to look gift clothes in the mouth. Pants, jeans, shirts, sweaters, "night clothes," I'll take whatever is offered.
7. The holiday shopping season has also been dominated recently by the gift card. Take the creativity out of your shopping and give money (iTunes) . . . My mother hated giving money. And yet, that is what my father gives out now that she's gone. Where did she go wrong with him?

The true wish list (read: things I'm not getting, but would really like.)

1. The big screen TV. Hey, it's time. HD, perhaps a 42" Watch those ads . . .
2. A new laptop. The desktop has been wheezing again fairly regularly.
3. Season tickets to the Nationals
4. A Wii
5. The hot gift this year is the GPS for the car. Those are kind of cool, too. I would love one of those.
6. To travel more, but then again, I don't have a valid passport . . .