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| The little drummer boy's kit was a gift from the intrepid Dave Murray. The menorah was there first. |
I don't really remember anything about this Green Ghost board game except the glow-in-the-dark ghost spinner and the spooky tree. I couldn't even tell you if the game itself was any fun, but I know it's something I wanted. I think I also received my beloved Creepy Crawlers at Christmas, as well as my Motorific racing set. Was my rocking horse Meatball also a Christmas gift? Coulda been. I was a lucky little kid at Christmas, and I'm not entirely certain my presumed good behavior was the reason.
Given my well-known love of superhero comics, you may be surprised to hear that I rarely received comic books for Christmas. This 1969 issue of the reprint title Marvel Super-Heroes (cover-dated March 1970) is the only regular color comic book I remember getting from Santa and/or his emissaries. I also remember I discovered the book a little early, in a paper bag leaning against the wall. I wasn't even snooping for it, but my Mom was pissed!
I became an avid fan of superpulp paperbacks when I was a teenager, and that love started with my first Doc Savage novel, The Land Of Terror. One Christmas, my parents indulged that interest with a whole box of Doc Savage paperbacks.
One year, my entire holiday wish list came from The Captain Company, the mail-order arm of Warren Publishing. My Captain Company score included some black-and-white reprints of Will Eisner's The Spirit, a gorgeous jigsaw puzzle depicting a cover from a vintage issue of The Shadow, and an LP with two episodes of The Shadow radio show. Santa Claus may know the definitive demarcations between naughty and nice, but when it comes down to who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!
I may have received this issue of Vampirella the same year I received the Doc Savage books. I do remember my Aunt Helen raising her eyebrows at the cover image, and my Mom kinda shrugging as if to say, Boys--what are ya gonna do?
After listening to my older siblings' copies of a few of The Beatles' LPs, these were probably the first two I could call my own. Yeah (yeah yeah), I started simultaneously at the beginning and the end of The Beatles' discography, and worked my way in. I received them both in, I think, 1975. More would follow.
The Christmas of 1976 was all about the albums for me. I think I received my copy of Raspberries' Best that year, as well as The Best Of The Animals and The Beatles Featuring Tony Sheridan. This 2-LP British Invasion collection ultimately had the most impact--which is an impressive thing to say if you consider how important The Raspberries were to me! But I already knew The Raspberries; that's why I asked for their greatest hits set to begin with. I wanted to find out more about the British Invasion, and History Of British Rock Vol. 2 offered a really good Beyond The Beatles introductory tutorial. Above all else, though, it looms large in my legend for sparking my interest in a little band called THE KINKS!!
Christmas 1977 concluded the fall semester of my freshman year in college. I loved The Sex Pistols; my girlfriend hated them, but she loved me, so she gave me their debut (and only) album for Christmas. Thanks, Theresa--sorry for breaking up with you by mail two weeks later. (I really wish I'd handled that better.) The KISS album was a gift from my parents, and my main interest in it was the lads' studio cover of The Dave Clark Five's "Any Way You Want It."
Christmas '78? I think so. My brother Rob gave me this collection of The Eagles' biggest hits. My attempt at a poker face was inept and ineffectual, so Rob realized immediately that I wasn't really a fan of The Eagles. Hated 'em, actually. He teases me about it to this day. I felt like an ingrate, but I also didn't want to lie (which, really, would have been the more polite and appropriate thing to do). Happy ending though! I took the album, sans receipt, to a department store, and exchanged it for a record I did want: Something/Anything?, a double-album by Todd Rundgren. I'd been yearning for that one since Todd's performance of "Couldn't I Just Tell You" on The Mike Douglas Show had prompted my jaw to drop and my heart to sing. I am very grateful.
I met my future wife Brenda at college in October of 1978. The first Christmas gift she gave me was a tan and gold disco shirt, which I loved and wore often. The first record she gave me was Armed Forces by Elvis Costello & the Attractions for my birthday. She has given me many, many gifts since then, and these are but a handful of the Christmas swag I received from Brenda. We hope to continue for many more Christmases to come.
Our daughter Meghan graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ithaca College this past May. Last Christmas, she gave me this t-shirt to display my Bomber Pride. Proud? Yes. Yes I am.
This Christmas was determinedly low-key, as we've all found ourselves fighting colds and seasonal frailties, and dealing with y'know...stuff. Man, stuff'll get ya every time. But we're still here. And family is still the greatest gift I could ever receive.
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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.
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