Christmas Joy

"I want a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thingy that tells time!"

"You'll shoot your eye out."

That simple exchange is familiar to anyone who has ever watched the classic, "A Christmas Story" but there is a reason it resonates even for those of us who don't want a Red Rider BB gun or even know what it is, becaus Ralphie pursues tha with a determination that we can all relate to because at some point we've all had that one present we wanted that bad, our own personal Red Rider BB gun. For me it was usually video games, as it is again this year. Some people don't like video games because they think it makes kids anti-social, but for meit was more the opposite. I remember a time before video games, and it was lonely because nobody wanted to play with me. It's hard to play ball when there's no one to play against, the same with board games and pretty much every other game or toy that was meant for social interaction. As the wierd kid who was just plain no good at anything, keeping friends to play games was even harder than winning the game itself, I was very lonely. Then my parents got a Nintendo Entertainment System, for me and I believe to some extent my older sister. Nintendo was awesome, because I didn't need another kid to enjoy the game, for once there was a game I could play by myself if I had to. It's not tthat I want to avoid social interaction, it's just that it seemed easier for everyone involved if I did. But as sad as this sounds, video games make great therapy for this loneliness, because as games got better, there was invariably a story that made you feel like a hero. No matter how many times you screw up, there's always another chance to go back and do it again, and no matter how long it takes, there's always your princess thankful you showed up at all with a victory tune that makes you feel a sense of accomplishment.

I guess I took for granted the joy this brought me every Christmas when I got a new game and played the hell out of it. I eventually grew up and thought I was moving past that and it was time to expect something more than presents under the tree. Then my nieces came along and I watch them every Christmas with that excitement I used to have and after a few years of not bothering to ask for games that I no longer have time to play because I'm a grown up and I have to work, it hit me that being a grown up is not all it's cracked up to be and we all deserve to have that joy on Christmas morning, just for one day to forget how much life sucks and just open a present and be happy for one frickin' day. I don't care about what people say about commercialism and how tis day is about the birth of the lord and not about stuff. When I was a kid, my parents made me earn my toys, anything over $10 went on the wishlist for Christmas or my birthday and the latter usually got a smaller haul than the former, so this was the day I could get the stuff I couldn't get the rest of the year, so I appreciated it, and looking back I realize, that it is a part of the experience that makes the holiday so great. It's winter, it's cold outside, snow is getting in your shoes, but for this month we can look forward to a day with fmaily, enjoying a feast second only to Thanksgiving, drinking egg nog, looking at lights that make any neighborhood compete with the Las Vegas Strip, watchign sappy movies and listening to sappier songs and best of unwrapping a box under the tree to find the game that was just out of price range for the past few months.

This year my game of choice is Final Fantasy XV which is kind of a big deal because it also means upgrading to the PS4 and I haven't gotten a console since PS2(I didn't find anythign on the PS3 woorth investing in). As a grown up I am setting asdie some money in case I need to buy it myself from an after Christmas sale, but I'm really hoping Santa brings it(meaning I hope my parents got it for me, unless you still believe in Santa in which case, never mind, I totally really meant Santa). It's not even really about the game itself really, it's about missing the simple Christmas joy, of knowing someone still loved me enough to get me what I wanted, the same way I got some good stuff for the people I love, and I hope we all get to experience that same joy as when Ralphie finally did get his Red Rider BB gun, and I wish the same joy to you all. Merry Christmas!