Doug Van Pelt

My Christmas List

While I've taken some time off recently, those pesty, pesky, stinky spam robots have been busy. Dumb 'bots!

Okay, here's a list of memorable Christmas gifts I've rec'd over the years:

Sports Illustrated subscription. This is a pricey gift that I've rec'd from time to time that lasts throughout the year. The issues from February thru August don't get much more than a glance before they hit the trash, though (not much football writing).

Electric Football Set (one of those vibrating fields with players painted up to be the Baltimore Colts and one team the Dallas Cowboys). The quarterback/kicker was an odd piece. Unlike the other ones with painted uniforms and helmets, this one was taller and all white and flexible plastic. The small foam/cotton ball would stand by the kicking tee, which would latch back and snap forward by pressing back on the quarterback/kicker's hands, which stretched into a handle. This same handle could be the QB's hands and the ball would be split over the handle, which you would pull back and let go, launching the pass down the field at a proportional distance due to the amount of flex you pulled back on his arm with. It could sail clear off the field or just a few inches. It had to hit an eligible offensive player to count as a complete pass. Both this action and the kick, of course, had to take place while the field was vibrating and before a defensive player vibrated into the backfield and touched this player's base. Maybe this is how the phrase "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" got started. Who knows?

Walt Garrison running away from Mike Curtis Cowboys painting. This was a reprint, but with actual lumps of paint. Not sure how they mass produced these things, but this lil' gem from my childhood is one of my most-missed. I remember looking at this and thinking how the Balitmore Colts player trying to tackle him looked kind of like a 2x2 board coming out of the Cowboy running back's leg. Kind of gruesome until the eyes and brain realized it was a player's face flesh inside a helmet. I'd love to have it now. I must've lost it during my high school years of not as much enthusiasm for football stuff on the walls phase took place. Dang it, this thing would be so valuable to me now!

Electronic football game. This little blip computer game was a handheld device that teachers hated. The one made by Mattell was so cool I still have mine today. Definitely a precursor to the video games of today, where one used his or her thumbs to navigate the player down the field.

Tan Leather Jacket. Yes, in the days of Michael Jackson's early MTV days and that red leather jacket, I have a leather jacket (made in Israel) that's a different color than the standard black/dark brown variety. While not as urban or trendy (thank goodness) as M. Jackson's, it does have a trim style to it.

Homemade Jean Blanket. I had been giving my sister old pairs of jeans for her sewing hobby, not knowing I was contributing to a custom made and very warm blanket that I'd later receive.

Portable Work Bench. While this is almost the equivalent of getting a wife getting a vacuum cleaner, this will be very useful to me for any projects I do.

Powell Double-Beamer Skateboard. This 10" wide x 30" long skateboard by Powell was truly top-of-the-line in its day (1980) and the only board I like to ride to this day. I know I could sell it for over a grand to a serious collector, but it's my board of choice (still) to this day. My feet aren't used to the more narrow and concave designs of later models. I have a picture somewhere of me opening that one.

Susie Slicker Doll. Somehow, after giving this gag gift to my dad one year, it found its way back as a gift to me. This swapping has been going on for many years now.

10-Speed Bicycle. I think this might've even been a small 24" bike ... or it could've been a 26" model (I was pretty short until sometime in high school. But this thing got a lot of good use. I might've even taken this to college for my freshman year.

BB Gun. This was a classic gift that got many, many hours of use. I even shot a "little man" in front of my younger cousin, Grant. It was really an Action Jackson action figure sitting on a bridge 30-40 yards away, but when the bb knocked him back off the bridge into the creek below, my young cousin was convinced of my deception -- that I'd shot and killed one of the "little people" that inhabited my neighborhood. Many birds are now dead due to this gift.

Johnny Lightning Racetrack. This thing had a start mechanism that launched the cars around the track at high speed. It even came with a nice racing helmet that I wore on my bicycle.

Banana Yellow Huffy Bicycle. This one was put together, I think, by another military guy, as my dad was away at war (the Vietnam War) during this Christmas time. This bike had the banana type seat and gave me many years of service ... up until the time I rec'd that 10-speed in my pre-teen years.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at December 27, 2007 02:27 PM