Happy Birthday Jesus...

1984 Callahan family portrait! Notice Brian is nowhere to be found!


Like most adults Christmas has drastically changed for me over the past 4-5 years. I remember the sleepless knights leading up to Christmas and imagining opening all of the presents that Brian and had found months ago, but couldn’t remember what they looked like. I always thought of my brother’s birthday Dec. 17th as the day in which my Christmas Madness began. It was like 2 separate countdowns the first took quite a while (to get to Brian’s birthday) and the other (Brian’s birthday to Christmas) took FOREVER!!! Now it’s just different, we know about how much money the parents spend on us (way too much) and we simply ask for that amount of money in presents. We go over to their house and get all the stuff we asked for. Don’t get me wrong I greatly appreciate what we get from my parents (we’re getting a video camera this year for the love of God), but it’s just different. Maybe because my brother and I anticipated the day so much, that the fall has been so drastic. With that I give you my TOP 5 Christmas Gifts of ALL TIME!!!

5. When Brian and I were little, the parents got us golf clubs. These things were sweet. Steel shafted clubs with plastic heads, pretty heavy duty for a 5 and 7 year old. The best part about this was not the gift necessarily, but watching the (soundless) home video 20 years later. Brian and I are running around the living room hitting plastic golf balls with our clubs, and WHACK!!! Brian hits Annie (our black lab) straight in the ribs with his follow through! It looked something on the Sopranos he hit her so hard, it was beautiful.

4. Electronic Pop-a-Shot Basketball. This thing was great, my uncle Dave gave Brian and I this and we played it for hours at my grandparents house that knight! The best part was that it was one of the first pop-a-shots that just hung on the back of a door so it was easily portable. It was one of the few Christmas presents that stood the 2 month test, in that we were still playing with it more than 2 months after Christmas. Hell we were playing with it the next Christmas!

3. OG Sony Playstation. We reeeeeaaaallllllllyyyyyy wanted this, and our parents had us CONVINCED that it was not gonna happen. I had never been so sure (and bummed out) that I was NOT getting a present, but we did. I have no idea where they hid it, but we couldn’t find it so I was sure it wasn’t going to happen. When it did it made it the best gift of the year, by far.

2. Starting Lineups! One year Brian and got at least 50 (no lie) Starting Lineups for Christmas! The best part was that my parents put them ALL in a box and put on it To: Mom, From: Santa. So we are paying no attention at all as she is opening her gift (because we’re 8 years old!) and she opens it and says “that’s strange I didn’t ask for Starting Lineups?” Brian and I went nuts!

1. Super Jock Football kicker! I don’t think I need to say anymore, but this was not only the best gift I’ve ever gotten, it may be the best toy ever made! If you don’t know what a Super Jock is (where have you been) he’s basically a plastic football dude, and you slam your hand on his head and his foot kicks the ball. They give you the uprights and you try to kick field goals. It was awesome. Until I broke dude’s neck kicking a (then) world record of 21 feet! I slammed his head so hard that it forced his head into his chest, ending his career! We were on the lookout for years after this to find another one. Then Al Gore invented the internet (God bless that man and his ingenuity) and Ebay. On Ebay I purchased a replacement Super Jock (for 50 bucks) and he is still alive today!

What was your favorite gift? Merry Christmas Yall!