Christmas Recap

I don't know about the rest of the planet, but there was definitely Peace on Earth in my home on Christmas Day. It was a joyous event, as it always is when I get to hang out with my son.

Unfortunately, sitting around the Christmas tree watching the boy open his presents -- well, it isn't really the stuff that exciting blogs are made of. His mother bought him clothes (boring!) and a digital camera (cool!), while I got him a few accessories for his keyboard. And a lighted "Aerobie" flying disc.

Of course he had asked for a real "Frisbee" brand lighted flying disc, but I had shopped at a half dozen sporting goods store and had never seen any evidence that such a thing existed. So I finally opted for the Aerobie, which resulted in one of those moments you always dread as a gift giver...when the recipient opens the package and you observe that one split-second of honest expression on his face (where you know he's thinking "What is this piece of junk?") before it's replaced with the smile and the semi-sincere "Gee, this is swell" expression of gratitude.

We've all been through that, haven't we? You're expecting a Rolex, but you get a Timex. Or you're expecting Coke and you get (yuck!) Pepsi. You can't complain, though, because it's a gift...and you've been taught to be polite and thankful. But on the inside, you're wondering the same thing that Van Gogh's girlfriend must've thought. What in the heck were you thinkin', Dude?

I can count on Tanner's honesty about such things, though, so it was no surprise when he said "Geez, Dad, you are SO totally LAME! Only a pinhead of galatic proportions could've make such a moronic mistake! Do you see the word "Frisbee" printed anywhere on this grotesque abomination? Do you? Well, I don't. It's not a Frisbee at all, is it? Hmph. Good lord, Dad, I've tried to teach you something in these past 19 years...tried to help you develop judgment and intelligence, but I can clearly see that it's all been wasted effort. Wasted! Geez!" And with that, he stormed out of the room.

Well, OK, that's not really what happened. (I told you that Christmas was boring, didn't I?) What he actually said was that he was familiar with the Aerobie, and while the Frisbee would've been his number one preference, he was looking forward to learning the subtleties of this particular alternative. So we took it outside and threw the thing around for a while. 'Twas great fun.

Now, this next item may not seem to be related to that topic, but stick with me for a minute. Back in the 80s when my brother was living in Costa Rica and training as a bodybuilder, he provided me with a lot of information about the ways muscles develop, and about the various ways to ensure that every fiber of one's anatomy received the proper attention in the weight room. Since then, I have taken care to make sure that I incorporate these principles into my weightlifting. I try to mix up the exercises and use techniques to stress each and every muscle group for a well-rounded fitness effect. I'm not trying to look like Lou Ferrigno or anything, but I had thought that I was in pretty good overall condition for just about any type of exercise.

So, I didn't think much about it when Tanner and I went over to the park to toss the Aerobie around. I felt fine — until an hour or so after we finished; then I realized that my frisbee-flingin' shoulder was going to be really, really sore. Uh oh.

But the bottom line is that I had fun with my kid, and I learned a bit more about how to throw. And throughout the day I was constantly reminded how wonderful Christmas can be, and how thankful I am for what I have.

Oh, and if that wasn't enough -- he gave both his mom and I copies of "A Tanner Heggy Christmas" CD, which was a recording of him playing a bunch of his favorite Christmas songs. It'll be available in stores at some point in the future, but when he put it on the stereo as we sat around the tree, he decided he didn't like the mix all that well and took it back to rework some of the EQ. So I guess I still don't actually have my Christmas present from him. But I will, and I might even post a song or two here, so stay tuned.

At the end of the day, though, my focus shifted to packing for our trip to New Mexico. We still don't have any concrete plans beyond visiting the UFO Museum in Roswell, but we'll wing it as we travel, and are sure to pass some other points of interest. I'll let you know about it when we get back. But there will be a week or so without blogs, for which I shall apologize in advance.

In any case, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and will enjoy the remainder of 2008, as well as the celebration of the new year. I have a feeling that 2009 is going to be an outstanding year, and I look forward to discussing it with you as it unfolds. Thank you for your patronage this year, my friends, and have a great week!

See you next year!