Christmas, 1975, a village on the Canadian prairies

Our family opened presents on Christmas Eve morning. Apparently one Christmas Eve morning I sat and quietly read a Pogo book, oblivious to the gifts in front of me. 

I never made that mistake again. 

I would have pegged this as the Christmas of 1976, but Google puts The Lunar Lander LEGO Kit 565 at 1975. This was my favorite Christmas gift (well, next to Citizen: Steely Dan boxed set of CDs some years later, of course) and I got the year wrong. 

And, no -- these guys don't fit inside the lander. 

I was in grade 5 and twitterpated with the girl next door. She had dark eyes and an orange ski-suit (I called it a "snowmobile suit" once — boy, did I get corrected, and not in a happy way!). We played "Fox and Goose" in her back yard. I once complained about being "poor" and she gave me two dollars in quarters. I spent it all at the Grow Sir, knocked at her back door and gave her the paper bag full of candy. 

I'm still fond of Bottle Caps. 

Tastes about as good as it looks. 

The LEGO was purchased at downtown Eaton's in the city. My pretty aunt from Toronto gave me a Hardy Boys novel that Christmas. I exchanged the book at Eaton's for the Hardy Boys Detective Handbook. I thought the Handbook was a big deal but my aunt called it the "Defective Handbook." When I got back to the village I discovered all the Hardy Boys books had been reprinted. Right — the "Defective Handbook" it was. 

Christmas night I tied on Super Slider Snow Skates over my mukluks. My youngest uncle was over from Alberta and he also had Super Slider Snow Skates. He was in his early twenties. After pyekking up and down the sidewalk we took the toboggan to the lumber yard and slid down a very steep hill. 

In another Christmas or two I'd be asking for sunglasses and a weight set, but in 1975 it was LEGO.