​Blog 484 – 12.03.2016
The Perfect Christmas Gift For Younger Children

My dad often remarked on Christmas Day about a curiosity that he had often observed that parents spend a lot of money buying expensive big gifts for small children to find the little ones spend more time playing with the empty box than the toy. As adults we sometimes forget the things that brought us the most joy as children. A child’s imagination is their favorite playmate and can often create the most fantastic toys from what comes to them. A big empty box can be a fort, a castle, a rocketship, a submarine or a thousand other things. Just when you think they have exhausted all ideas for that treasure box that contained some expensive toy laying unattended off to the side, the child will kick out the bottom of the crumpled box and walk on their hands and knees inside the flattened box to create a tank to crush imaginary enemies. But beware to any a pet, siblings, or adult’s foot that gets to close as it might be mashed by the juggernaut. Clear the way there’s a Tiger Tank headed for the Christmas tree.

We cheat our kids when we waste a lot of money on the latest rage, or at least so claim the marketers, on high priced and hard to find Christmas toys.  My son made me a tie rack when he was a little guy that looked more like a Picasso style work of art and I loved it and can only imagine how marvelous it looked to him for it looked pretty fine to me. I kept it for years but I promise you that it is a treasure tucked a way in a grateful daddy’s heart and mind that I consider one of the finest gifts I every received. He gave me a real piece of himself.

That is I think the greatest Christmas gift any of us can give to our children and to all those we love, a piece of our heart. And be sure to put it in a big box just in case the little ones prefer a more imaginative gift. Wrap it in colorful paper. I find the Sunday funnies make great gift wrap. Do people still get the Sunday newspaper? I just assumed Charlie Brown’s Peanuts friends would always be around and Blondie. Anyway as a caution be sure to remove any large staples from the box and buy a wide roll of packing tape for emergency repairs to the castle, rocket ship, submarine., etc.

 Oh,yeah, and a big box of interesting cartoon bandaids for papercuts and the occasional boo boos from an overactive imagination in a sturdy box. One more idea if you don’t want to give your kid an empty box – fill it full off card board tubes, from toilet paper, paper towels, gift wrap, and Quaker Oats boxes, in case the little natives are restless and need a drum beat to dance to. They also all make great periscopes, bazzokas, and stuck on attachments to give the fort, spacecraft or submarine more character like the detailed starships in the Star Wars movies.I promise you the little ones will go bonkers for your thoughtful and imaginative gift and have hours more fun with it than the most expensive toy you could ever buy. And don’t forget it is  all recyclable when they’re done with it and it all slides neatly under the bed when not in use, at least after it reaches tank stage or you can break it down and retape it when it needs it. Well, there you have my gift idea for the smaller folk. And with the money you save you can buy your wife, lover, or significant other that diamond they’ve been eyeing. Be sure it comes in a fine box just in case they feel imaginative. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White