A Christmas without Star Wars

When Dec. 25 rolled around and all the wrapping paper lay in shreds on the floor, one thought went racing through my mind. Where the heck was the Star Wars.

I can't really say that it was completely without Star Wars. I did receive an Emperor Palpatine tree ornament, but other than that nothing. The ornament is a very cool tradition my parents started some years back and it's one I hope continues far into the future.

A running joke at Christmas time is my request for an Anakin Skywalker lightsaber hilt. I keep asking and keep getting nothing. What ever happen to a boys Christmas wish? I clearly remember writing out a list as a child and getting what was on that list. It's a simple process I thought, but as I get older and older, it appears not to be so simple.

I've tried it all. I've written it down every other line, I've bookended by list with it and I've even gone as far as putting nothing but that on my list with the result always being the same -- zilch.

I always get some awesome stuff for Christmas, but I need to concoct a better way to get my lightsaber hilt. Any ideas?

The greatest part of my holiday now is watching my kids enjoy the moment. We hit a homerun with both our kids.

My youngest got a bunch of "learning" toys and so far it seems the only learning she's doing is to throw them out of her playpen. We got her a little microphone that sings and she's taken a real shine to it. Her sister got a guitar for her birthday, so I've got the start to my very own Partridge Family.

My three-year old got a new kitchen and a bunch of Cinderella stuff, but it's a Lego table that has occupied most of her time that last couple of days. She was building towers when I left for work today.

And an ironic last note as I race off to finish up sports; guess what wasn't on her list that she got? A lightsaber.