Gift Remembered
My sister, Mary, commented that she likes when I write about my early years growing up in our fabulous family. I always feel a little unsure about writing my version of the past for an audience that includes others who were present at the time and enough older than me that they probably were able to form more dependable memories of the actual events.
I have an impression of our holiday gift giving involving a certain amount of shenanigans. I’m sure my siblings will be able to clarify, but I have a vague recollection of someone needing to follow a trail of yarn that had been fiendishly “spider-webbed” around the furnishings of the room, to get to the prize at the end. Maybe that was just a party game. We had a fair amount of those events, too.
There is one gift I remember in particular that I was fooled by, that went on to become one of my prized possessions. I’m guessing it was the Christmas of 1967, because November of that year is when the album, “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones Ltd.” was released by The Monkees.
That year I would have been 8-years-old. For a kid that age, the usual assumption is: the bigger the box, the better the present. Well, the length and width of this box were big enough to fit a record album, but it was deep enough to hold something much larger. It was thrilling. I unwrapped the present, removed the cover, and found nothing but tissue paper inside the box.
They had taped the album to the cover of the box. I think it was a little frustrating for me, but that was definitely diminished by the excellence of the gift. I don’t recall actually putting the album on the old hi-fi, but I remember studying the front and back cover of the album while listening to the songs, over and over.
I still have the 3rd cut on the second side memorized. It’s the lead-in to the song “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and it is titled, “Peter Percival Patterson’s Pet Pig Porky.”
Peter Percival Patterson’s pet pig Porky ate so much pie that do you know what he did? He popped.
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Relative Something 
I find our very different memories fascinating! I have fond memory of us all giving mom a pull-string cackling Woody Woodpecker toy, no clue what the significance of it was. Linda was the creator of gift wrapped maps that took us all on our own tour of the farmhouse to find our gifts….l got a jewelry box I used for many years. I could probably go on and on but will wait to do in person!!!!
Judy
December 12, 2014 at 12:45 pm
You make a good point. I really like hearing yours and others versions of our past. I suppose I shouldn’t be so reticent about writing about the parts I recall. They are probably not entirely accurate, but they aren’t necessarily wrong, either. Just different.
The memory of a Woody Woodpecker toy is very vague, but it sounds familiar. How about the bag of laughs we had for a while?
Can’t wait for you to arrive so we can play the “what do you remember” game in person! Travel safe!
johnwhays
December 13, 2014 at 11:50 am
Love, LOVE, loved the bag of laughs!!!!!
Judy
December 13, 2014 at 12:12 pm
so….where’s Waldo? Did you take that picture?
Ahh, the memories of those tall trees wired to the ceiling! Thanks!
Mary
December 12, 2014 at 8:21 am
I believe, if you look closely, that a small portion of my closely cropped head can be seen past Linda’s arm. I am playing with something that David is watching. And is that the back of our mother’s head looking down at the same thing, too?!
johnwhays
December 13, 2014 at 11:45 am