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BB Guns, Raggedy Ann, Hamsters all the Way!

The Source

BB Guns, Raggedy Ann, Hamsters all the Way! When I sent out the inquiry, Gary Scott answered within minutes. “You couldn’t pry my from my hands the exciting Man From U.N.C.L.E. combination radio and machinegun. No kidding! It had a spring-loaded barrel that leapt from the tuner side of the radio, and the gun clip popped down from underneath, while the stock emerged from the volume control on the other side of the radio.” Ironically, the little boy who would eventually own WLDS could never get the radio to work. That one special Christmas gift, the one that still stands out in our memory perhaps even after it’s been long lost or discarded . . .that was the question I asked around Jacksonville . . . What Christmas present do you most remember? Former District 117 superintendent Robert Crowe can still remember the gleaming blue tint on the barrel of his Red Ryder Daisy BB gun. Fans of Jean Shepherd’s “A Christmas Story,” will relate to what happened to young Bob when he took the gun outside for a test shoot. “It worked just fine,” said Crowe, “however the joy was short-lived. My parents took away the gun on the flimsy evidence that I shot my little brother in the butt.” Dr. Crowe added, “Well, he was the bad guy.” Jacksonville painting contractor/actor/civic leader Bob Large said that the kids in his family received the usual shirts and socks, but that there was always one special gift for everyone. He said, “One Christmas we got a record player and a recording of ‘Return to Sender’ by Elvis.” Bob misheard the lyrics and thought Presley was singing, “Return to Cinder.” He said, “I thought it was a girl named Cinder that needed the letter sent back to her.” Bob says that he still has trouble with lyrics. Handmade gifts seem to strike a special resonance in the memories of some people. Carrie Carls, Nursing Director at Passavant’s Advanced Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine department, said that her most memorable Christmas present was a wooden stable and fence for her toy horses, made by her father, Fred Monger. She remembers, “I would haul it over to my friend Sonna’s house and we would put mine and hers together.” Carls noted that the two girls had toy horses all over their attic at one time. Triopia Spanish and speech teacher Patty Clinton’s handmade gift came from her uncle. “It was a set of wooden baby bunk beds and none of my friends had beds for their dolls.” Mrs. Clinton said that she was then able to give them to her own daughters and she plans to refinish the beds and give them to her granddaughter. It especially pleases her that, “Three generations of little girls playing with Uncle Bob’s bunk beds.” Dolls naturally loom large in many memories and Sally Stock of Briggs Appraisal Associates remembers her doll, Chipper, in detail. “She had a plaid dress with a white eyelet apron, a bonnet, and braided hair.” Mrs. Stock was particularly fond of her first doll that was not just a baby, “but more of a little girl.” It was a doll from an earlier time that stands out most vividly in the memory of Passavant Hospital chaplain Patsy Kelly. Although her grandmother thought a girl of five should be outgrowing dolls, Patsy had her heart set on the classic Raggedy Ann doll. She said, “Maybe it was the red hair, as unruly as my own auburn,” that attracted her. “I checked the packages under the tree twice daily,” said Patsy, “but none of the packages were the right size.” Then one December morning she was distracted from her Cream of Wheat by the sight of a slim, white box hid atop the refrigerator. On Christmas morning her hopes came true. “Although I have received much more valuable gifts, certainly more beautiful ones, Raggedy Ann remains the one I recall with such wonder and sense of absolute childhood glee.” Sneakiness often pops up as an ingredient in the tales of Christmas gifts. Brad Barnes, administrator of the Alvin Eades Center, said, “My grandparents would babysit me and Grandpa always made sure I got what I wanted.” That year Brad had his eye on what he called “this really cool (toy) rifle.” Apparently Brad’s grandfather couldn’t resist letting his grandson know that he’d be receiving the gift so when Grandma would leave the house Grandpa would get the rifle from under the bed and let Brad play with it. Brad said, “On Christmas Day I had to act surprised at my gift.” Virginia’s Bobbie Goodin tells an especially poignant tale of a Christmas gift from long ago. “Mama had said there might not be much Christmas that year as Caterpillar where Daddy worked had gone on strike. My brothers and I decided that whatever little we got we would make a joyful noise so our parents wouldn’t feel bad.” When Bobbie received her doll and suitcase she said that her mother cried, “But,” she said, “they were happy tears.” Annie Schone, now a student at Augustana, remembers her Barbie grocery store set. She said, “I think my mom must have stayed up half the night setting each miniature piece of food on the tiny shelves.” Annie still remembers the sight of the Barbie store sitting in front of the fireplace on Christmas morning. Marcy Burrus of Arenzville said that some of the happiest hours of her life were spent with her Granny, and she still has not only the string of pearls that her grandmother gave her one Christmas, but the case they came in and gift tag that Granny had written to her. JHS teacher Tim Chipman remembers Midnight Noel, his hamster. He said it came, “complete with a multi-colored, multi-labeled container,” which he termed “the anti-cage.” Tim recalled that Santa even made him a member of the Hamster Fan Club complete with monthly newsletters “chock full of how-to-care-for-your-hamster tips.” Sadly, the rodent’s habit of biting ended his stay in the Chipman household. Lincoln Land Community College student Andrew Holtschlag remembers his fifth Christmas when he received a miniature Blues Hockey Game. Andrew recalled, “Dad and I played it every night.” Barb Davenport’s most cherished Christmas memory is also tied to her family and the busyness of her Grandmother’s hands. “She was always working on pieces of a quilt,” said Davenport. “Then one year for Christmas she gave each of her grandchildren a beautiful handmade quilt. I will always cherish that quilt and the wonderful memories!” Jacksonville’s ace molar magician, Dr. Kurt Heller, received a Christmas gift that eventually led to a lifetime hobby as one yuletide long ago brought him his first musical instrument. “When I was in fourth grade,” said Heller, “my parents gave me a brand new, cheap red drum set from Sears. I played with it so much that I tore holes in the drum heads.” Heller is now percussionist with the Jacksonville Symphony where the drumheads are made of sterner stuff. Barb Gatlin of the Farmers State Bank and Trust Company grew up surrounded by four athletic brothers and thus earned her tomboy status honestly. She said, “I usually got some dumb girly things like clothes,” but her real desire was to own a Pistol Pete Maravich Boston Celtics green pair of Converse Chucks tennis shoes. Barb was relieved when, “My mom actually listened to what I wanted,” and got her a pair. In fact, she’s considering buy herself a pair this Christmas. Rushville’s Gail Trone was equally challenged by the sex stereotyping of days gone by and while the other little girls in her neighborhood cherished their dolls and tea sets, Gail yearned for a Lionel model train set. The Santa of Schuler County apparently agreed and on Christmas morning Gail was chugging around her living room instead of fixing Barbie’s hair. Tammy Middleton, Director of Accounting at Passavant, said that she vividly remembers the Pink Lady, a pink girls’ bike with white basket in the front. She said, “I loved riding that and was very excited when my dad took the training wheels off and taught me to ride with just two wheels.” Tammy’s memory caused me to remember my own, a black and orange Monarch bicycle, but I pleaded with my dad to leave the training wheels in place. Had he not removed and hidden them I’d have been the only I.C. freshman with training wheels. Nearly everyone who responded made some reference to the giver of the gift and I suppose there’s a lesson there. May each of your gifts be forever tied to the memory of the giver.