Merry socks Christmas

I'VE ALREADY GOT my Christmas present - socks. Size 14, in both white and black. You know how hard it is to get size 14 socks in the Q-Town? Nobody seems to have them. Sheryl found them somewhere. She even had me turn each pair inside out so she could wash them before I wear them.

I think she felt sorry for me. Or maybe she was so stunned when she saw me actually throw away socks the other day - she had the immediate impulse reaction of buying new ones.

If getting older means becoming more practical, well, so be it. There are some nice Gretsch guitars in the store I'd love to have, but I already own 49 percent of them. Need Versus Want really gets tested this time of the year ....

I'm thinking of Christmases past, when I really wanted a new GI Joe or a boom box or the new U2 album. I was never disappointed at Christmas, and my parents did a masterful job of getting stuff for five kids, even on a tight budget. It was never about presents, but I do remember staring at stuff under the tree for a week or so before Christmas Eve, when we'd open gifts.

I've got a few silly ideas for Sheryl and for Emily, and I like giving stuff at Christmas. We also have the legendary White Elephant gift exchange at the John and Nancy Frank Christmas night event. Whatever happened to that pizza night light, anyway?

So socks it is, and I'm a happy man. BTW, Sheryl says they are NOT gifts and that is not how gift-giving works in her family!