Boski's Blogopoluza!

I am not a Christmas sweater wearing (unless it is really aardvark, then I could be persuaded), put lights on the house, and pound monster egg nog, made with lighter fluid kind of guy. I will put on the Christmas tunes, watch "A Christmas Story", and go admire other peoples decorated homes. Usually I can feel festive after Turkey Day, but this year I just have not been really gung-ho about the upcoming holidays. If I can't get myself motivated for Boxing Day then what is the point? Hell I caught myself almost forgetting about Bowl week. Bowl Week people!

I am a long way from my youth when it was a count down to Christmas, now I am just trying to get to the next day.

The thing that sucks about it is that this will most likely be the last Christmas we may spend at the show palace of the Placentia Riviera, Casa de Boski. My Mom has gotten to the point where the house is just too big and would like something smaller. At first when she kicked the idea around it made be sad, the Boski clan has been in P-town (as the kids say these days) for 43 years! Back when there were actually oranges in Orange County. I had the thought in my head that the house was always going to be there. It was not till recently, that I now finally feel that the home I am in now is my really my home. Even though I will probably cry like a big baby the day she moves out, I am going to be okay with it. Mostly because it what she wants and two her next door neighbors suck ass. I can't wait for her to move away from the dirt bike revving, multiple monster truck driving (which they park in front of my Mom's), giant boat storing, horrendously painted remodeled home, that blots out the sun, hillbilly neighbors. Look if you are someone who owns those items, hey have at it. It is your choice and your money to, but I am simple man. A man who feels that boats belong in water. So go put the boat in some. Dirt bikes need to driven on dirt and far, far away from me, and not up and down the street. I really do not need to hear how loud you are. No matter how much you rev it, you are still not cool.

While we are speaking of motorcycles you can just trash them all. I know one person paralyzed riding. One dead from riding, so I am not a fan. And I was not too crazy about having a brother ride (he has since quit). Hey I can appreciate the design and engineering, but after that I am tuning you out.

So where does this all fit in with the holidays. Well the one holiday I always loved was Christmas at the house. The seven of us, other friends and family stopping over was the best. Even back when on Christmas morning it was a free for all to get ready at dawn to make the early Mass. It was seven people two bathrooms cage match. Loser leaves town! Then after church it was off to breakfast, hey who is up for Denny's?

Oh those Christmas breakfasts. One of my favorite Christmas breakfasts memories was the year we watched a table across from us getting their Christmas drunk on at 9:00 AM. Hey nothing goes with a Grand Slam like Bud Light. Hey, I want to party with you cowboy! I do also remember when I was younger that as soon as we were done with breakfast I would be confused. Why are we still here? Why aren't we in the car speeding toward home? Sadly I would be tortured by my parents having another half a cup of coffee. To which my thoughts turned to,

"Mom, Dad don't you know there are gifts at the house that need to be opened, now!"

Thankfully I never got to that point, but the wait when I was young was intolerable. Later I was able to get through it by talking about sports with my dad and brothers. Thanks sports, thanks for being there when I needed you.

The Boski ranch would be decked out, well mostly the living room where the tree and gifts where. But it was nice and cozy, you know those Southern Californian Winters where always brutal.

But when we got back to the house then it was Boski family salute to capitalism, everyone got gifts from everyone, even the pets would toss in from time to time. At first when I was able to get gifts for people, I had to do the best with what I had. Allowance and birthday cash (no blowing it on PacMan or penny candy, rats!) In fact, I am still reminded of the year that I got everyone's gift from the Sears Automotive Department. Look those car waste bins and travel mugs where the right call and I stand by them, even today. Oh and I so remember the glee from the some of the gifts my family got me, (Inserted but true sappy statement - None of those gifts beat the love and support I have received and still get - now let us return to our nonsense) I still remember the late 70's and early 80's when the family so clutched up with the gifts.

Lets take a look at some of those:

1977 - SuperJoe Christmas - the family got me the Super Joe Football, Basketball, Baseball and Hockey. Those things were awesome, especially the football one. Lining up for a 45 yard field goal wind at my back. When it was all of a sudden. Bang! I would slam down on the kicker's head and the football flew toward the goalpost. It's good! Then it would hit the pool cue rack and skid away. The others were good, but too cumbersome, the Football one was just right.

The year was 1978, and I got my first batch of Star Wars figures. I got the starter set o' figures. Which I think the first 14 figures. Which was cool, and somehow within 5 minutes of getting them out of the box almost all their little weapons disappeared. Along with that I also go the X-Wing and Tie-Fighter. Man did I think I was so freaking cool.

1979 - The Death Star - Not only did it menace the Rebellion, it menaced my father as he tried to assemble it. Oh that did not go well. Let me side bar here. When my father put things together they always seemed to have parts left over. The things worked, they may have been off or maybe listing to one side but they worked. I will spend some time in the future talking about some of my Dad's engineering feats. But oh man, that Death Star had him on the ropes.

1981 - I think you have all seen the TV as or the You Tube of the kid going nuts over his gift. Well that is almost where I was when I got the Millennium Falcon. My girlish glee almost reached the level that my family took to find the object. Let's say if they had the kind of manhunt for this toy for Hoffa, they would have found him in about 20 minutes. My family had friends and co-workers looking in three counties. In fact, I know it was a serious search when I found out my father was on the look out for it. Anytime my father had to go Christmas shopping before December 24th then you know it was serious.

1982 - A bike. Yeah!

1984 - Atari 2600 - The only gift I knew I was getting as a kid ahead of time. I was never one to snoop to see what I was getting, but one day I was in my brothers room, listening to his albums when I looked at his closet which was open and not by me. When I spotted Ice Hockey from Activison. After that I played real cool. Again I did not seek it out, it was out in the open. Sure the 2600 was not as cool as Colecovison or intelligent as the Intelivision, but it still rocked in it's own way. Oh many a day wasted playing that hockey game, along, with Defender, Real Sports Baseball, Pitfall and Ms. PacMan.

After that I still had great Christmas hauls, but they were different from the ones as a kid, when it was still cool to get toys. Even though I still got excited as an a adult when I got the PS2. Looking back at some of those I think, "wow, if I had just kept that Star Wars stuff in the box and never touched them I would be blogging to you on a solid gold blog. But the hell with that, that stuff was meant to be used, sadly none of it survived, or it was given away. The only survivor was the memories, oh the memories.

Now things are much different at the Boski's. Now it is the nephews who have taken up the mantle of getting the cool stuff on Christmas. We have also changed Christmas Day routine, since we are spread out a little more. Now The Better Half and I go with my Mom and Sis to Mass Christmas Eve, crash at Mom's. We have the family over the next morning to have breakfast and then we open the gifts. After that we nap and wait for family friend to come over hang out and watch football. Hey what is the spread on the Blue/Grey game? A plan that should have been instituted a couple years sooner, but not too soon. I did enjoy those hectic Christmas mornings. Another memory coming back is the Christmas morning about 10 years ago I was saved from sleeping in by the Grinch. Thankfully I had gone to sleep with the stereo on and thankfully my ears perked up in the morning hearing Boris Karloff. Which helped me get out of bed and get everyone else up since we were all running late for Mass at dawn.

Well I have gone on long enough with this, but I do feel more Chirstmasy now than I did when I started this entry, which seems about three weeks ago. Again I have been so very blessed and not because of the bitchin hauls I had, but because of the people in my life behind those gifts.