A change of presents

by Mark Dykes

It’s time to get out the lights, the tree and all those decorations we keep in storage 11 months out of the year, and get ready for those final celebrations of the calendar year.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I think it was sometime in college that the gears switched in my brain and I started wanting more practical gifts — fewer video games and more books, clothes, restaurant gift cards and — my favorite — bundles of beef.

With a two-year-old and four-year-old, along with several nieces and nephews, to buy gifts for, part of me longs for those days when it was all about the fun, rather than the practical. Of course, finding out about inventions like the Fondoodler and updated video game systems got me thinking this way in the first place.

Mind you, there’s still a part of me that enjoys firing up the preloaded Genesis emulator my cousin Trevor got me a few years back, and I think I’d pass out from pure shock if I found an NES Classic under the tree come Christmas morn, but deep down I think my time for the frivolous, fun gifts has passed and this appreciation for practicality is here to stay.

At the same time, I can still experience those years past, albeit vicariously, through my own children and other relations. I’ve already got one cheering me on when I fire up any game on my phone, and I can’t wait to show him the wonders of warp zones, robot masters and the Triforce.