Present Tense

Every year my wife buys something for me for Christmas that makes me feel like a 6 year old who wants desperately to rip a small incision in the side of a wrapped present to get a glimpse of what lies within. It's always some ginormous box that somehow manages to get under the tree, or in this case rested against the wall beside the tree, and always makes the joy of getting stuff come rushing back.

I've become accustomed in my older years to receiving things that are mostly practical, useful or necessary. Gone are the days when I'd open a X-Wing fighter, go over my cousins house, where he just got the Falcon and we'd play all day out in the freezing winter weather. In are the days where a gift card to the local Safeway is a joy.

But my wife has always managed to get me some great stuff. A couple years ago for my birthday she got me an XBOX. Something that I wanted, but had no hopes of getting. This was a startling gift for me, as all other gaming systems that I'd owned throughout my life, I'd purchased. On another note, I did just hook up the old Nintendo 64 a couple weeks ago to play Blitz 2000. It's still pretty fun.

So now this giant box is staring at me as I wander through the living room, taunting me with its mystery. I know that it will be something good, or if nothing else, something big. I'm getting all jacked up just thinking about it. And just as when I was a kid, I can't wait for Christmas morning.