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Today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday word prompt is very seasonal: presents. For the details, check out Linda G Hill’s blog – essentially, use the word and write somethin’. So.
One of my favorite Christmas presents of all time is the Godzilla staring at you in this post. He. Is. Awesome. I’m 43; I still tend to like action figures and collect toy soldiers (when I’m feeling like I should act more my age; those become “military miniatures”). I say that because I can still remember how excited I was both on that Christmas morning when I was 9 and then, 25 or so years later, when I found him again in my Meme and Pawpan’s toy room.
Anyway, his fist shoots off – which is awesome.
He shoots liquid fire out of his mouth (OK, it’s a short piece of vynal with flames on it – I had a vivid imagination as a kid).
Best of all, Godzilla came the same year as a cowboy and indian set with a wooden fort. I had a great morning shooting cowboys and Indians with Godzilla’s right fist.
He’s one of my favorite things. (Sadly, I wasn’t lucky enough to ever find my giant shogun robot, which shot rockets from its chest!, that was a Mama cleanout that I never found again. Sigh.)
Like nearly everyone, I love to give and receive presents at Christmas-time (except Muslims, Hindus, etc. – always good to remember not everyone in the world believes the same things you do).
And presents are fun – sometimes even 35 years after first given.
And I’m giving presents again this year – fewer this year, as we’re flying (me, my wife, and my two daughters) to England to have Christmas with my in-laws. Wow, as I type this, just realized that we’ll be just getting to Worcester about now two weeks from this moment. We’re all looking forward to it, though sometimes it’d be great to be able to split yourself so I could spend Christmas with the in-laws, with my Mom and brothers, with my Dad and Stepmom at the same time. Always missing someone at Christmas time.
What I’m going to try to be better at in the New Year and on Christmas is to be present, which is (or can be, depending on the situation) a present for everyone.
We all go heads down with our families as everyone stares at their own laptop/phone/tablet/Kindle/TV screen. In our house, we have 3 TVs, 3 kindles, 3 iPads, 2 iPad Minis, 4 iPhones, 4 laptops, and various iPods (I think there’s even a PSP and Nintendo DS around). That’s for 4 people, and my daughters are with their Mom half the time.
So this year, I’m going to make a focused attempt to be “there” when I’m “here.”
Starting now, as George is staring at me!
Oh, this video from Lululemom had me thinking about this the other day.
spikeykatfish.com 
I love all the little things that help me stay young no matter how old I am – even if it is a Godzilla that shoots fire from his mouth and hits things with his flying arm. 😀 Loved your post and especially the video. I shared it on my Facebook, so thank you for sharing it here! 😉
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Thanks, Helen. We have to age, but I see no need to get old!
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Precisely! 😉
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Interesting post and video!
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I like that you are going to make the effort to be present, you can give no greater gift i think, though I imagine your Godzilla must take some beating. Enjoy your trip to England.
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I so agree with being present, although it can be hard to do. And I really enjoyed reading about your favorite present as a kid! I love memories like that; something about adulthood just doesn’t quite capture that kind of awe, does it? I know for me, my most memorable childhood gift was my original NES, especially since we never really had somewhat pricey items like that growing up — yet I had it well before anyone else I knew did. (Might have been the last time I’ve ever been an early adopter, actually!) Love that memory…thanks for this fun post! 🙂
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