One day, close to Christmas we went back to the book shop and my beloved fox was gone. I was heartbroken. Fast forward to Christmas Day. There was a gift from my dad under the tree wrapped in special silver paper. It didn’t “match” the rest of mom’s paper motif. Our gifts were never addressed from anyone other than Santa even though we were much too old for that. I was curious as to why it was “from dad.”

We used to travel from Illinois to our dad’s house in Tennessee for a week of our winter break, one year we got in late evening, and went to our grandmas house first…..I walked in the room (probably between 13-15) at the time and went to sit down on her couch, but the couch wasn’t there, I sat in her Christmas tree instead. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Well, I wasn’t expecting to cry this morning, but here we are. My dad gave me a little Gund pig one year. It got left behind at a hotel one year — we rarely traveled, so didn’t have the last look down — and despite calling the hotel, it was never recovered.  I was heartbroken. However, this began the tradition of my Dad tracking down a Gund plush for me every year at Christmas. Decades later it is still the thing I ask for every Christmas, a Gund that Dad picks.

The year the Nintendo NES came out, the cousin I was closest to and I both got one. In a family with a lot of cousins, we never exchanged gifts, he and I, but that year when they came over for Christmas Dinner, we ran downstairs to turn on my Nintendo and he dug in his backpack and handed me a small wrapped package. “You love stories of princesses and knights, you’re going to love this.” I ripped the paper off and looked at the beautiful gold cartridge. The Legend of Zelda.

Not Christmas. But recently my hubs and I went to Five Below. I think I had been having a bad couple days? He looks at the store quicker than I do, so we got separated. Later, he came back over to me with a chubby stuffed dragon with silver wings and horns in my favorite color. I cuddled it for my migraine nap earlier today.

In 1987, McDonalds had a Fozzie Bear (from The Muppets) stuffed toy during Christmas time. Buy a meal, buy a plushie for a few extra bucks. I thought this Fozzie was the cutest thing (I was 11) and I loved his lumpy fur. I wanted him so bad but we NEVER ate at McDonalds. My dad ate a Big Mac for me (and he hated Big Macs) and bought me Fozzie Bear. I’m 48yo now and my dad died 3 years ago. Fozzie is my favorite all-time Christmas decoration. And I hate Big Macs, too.

Awww that foxy is so cuteee!!!😍😍😍

I was 18 or 19 and had just broken up with my them bf, my sisters and I went to Walmart to do some Christmas shopping and when we walked in I saw a display of teddy bears. There was a dark blue one that I fell in love with and it immediately cheered me up. I walked around the whole store just hugging it. When it was time to leave I put him back and patted him on the head, but i couldn't justify spending so much on a bear for myself. Come Christmas I found that my sisters bought me that bear