WHADJA GET 2007 EDITION

Truly, the presents are just the icing on the proverbial cake!

The older I get, the more Christmas has taken on a different flavor. Oh, I've always known that Jesus is the "reason for the season." I've always appreciated the separation between the materialism of the holidays and the spiritual implication of those holidays. But when I was younger, I remember the march to December 25 always seemed insufferably slow. I remember it was hard to sleep on Christmas Eve. And I remember, in spite of really, truly rejoicing in the birth of the Savior, that I was thrilled beyond measure to rip into the packages.

Now, Christmas arrives at lighting speed, with barely time to prepare. I tend to sleep in on Christmas day. And if Christmas dinner is ready before it's time to open presents, that's okay...I can wait. To borrow a cliche from movies: "this is bigger than the trappings!"

But, let's face it...the presents are nice. They show that someone thought of me and cared enough to purchase or make a gift. And, yes....presents are fun! I think they are intended to be enjoyed. Once again, I feel like a kid.

Soooo, in the spirit of kid-ness, I want to tell you some of the "stuff" I got for Christmas. And then I want to find out some of the stuff you got.

• Brand new Bible (if you saw my current one, you'd understand!)
• Shirts
• Socks
• Beard and mustache trimmer
• Nuts
• updated Quick Verse (Bible study software)
• Videos: Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four 2, Batman Begins, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Video fun: the Mr. Button video collection. Our kids grew up watching Mr. Button videos. They are as stilted and cheesy as you can get. I casually mentioned them to my wife as a point of nostalgia. Guess what showed up under the tree?
• Honorable mention: on my Secret Santa profile at the DayCare where I work, I mentioned that I wanted no mugs. I like mugs, but aside from getting at least one nearly every year, our cupboard is crammed full of mugs. So my delightful and resourceful co-workers each decided to get me the tackiest mugs they could find.
• Commentary

Okay, there's my list. Now you tell me: WHADJA GET?