CHRISTMAS GREED

    All kids love Christmas. Lights, music, presents under the tree. Santa always showed up at our house, and always ate the cookies set out for him. I never could figure out, though, why Santa gave Dave Beck bigger and better gifts than the rest of us Ash Avenue boys. I knew for a fact he wasn't any nicer.

    Now that I was in Junior High it was time for me to start buying some of my own clothes. Not that the combat boots Mom had gotten on sale were that bad. I told my mocking friends I was a trendsetter! With five siblings, I knew my parents couldn't afford many of the fashionable clothes my pals were wearing. You know, like Gant shirts with the small loop atop the back pleat.

    I had a paper route and saved up for a clothes buying binge. It was Christmas time and everyone was catching the spirit. Clark's clothing store had carolers and hot chestnuts.

Hoover's and Levin's lured us in with Elsha and other spicy colognes, guaranteed to turn pretty heads. "Would you like that wrapped?" Why not! The fancy Christmas paper made each purchase look expensive. After all, the wrapping was free!

    I didn't buy that many clothes, but having each item wrapped separately made quite an attractive stack. At first I put no tags on them. I just let them sparkle like the silver icicles hanging on the tree. My brothers and sisters insisted on knowing whose presents were piled so high next to the tree. Being continually pestered I finally relented and tagged them, "TO FRANCIS FROM SKOSH." "What? All those presents are to you from your stupid dog?" they screamed. "I can't help it. Skosh loves me!" I replied with a smirk.

    I wasn't greedy. I would have presents for them as well. They just weren't out yet. I thought my presents were so beautifully wrapped that they would add to the Christmas feeling! It was a Christmas never to be forgotten. To this day, my brothers and sisters share this holiday memory with joking contempt.