Freedom Is Groovy

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A Groovy Christmas to All

—

by

Mr. Groovy
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A long time ago, an 8-year-old girl named Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Sun. Virginia wanted to know if there really was a Santa Claus. On September 21, 1897, the editor published his now classic answer. Here it is.

yesvirginiathereisasantaclausclipping

More Christmas Memories

I’m 55-years-old, so I’ve seen a lot of Christmases, and I’ve gotten a lot of Christmas gifts. And the oddest gift I ever got was a “BBC.”

I don’t remember the exact year, I think I was in 7th or 8th grade, and I don’t remember the exact situation, but my parents informed me and my siblings two months prior to Christmas that we were getting BBCs.

For the next eight weeks, Brother Groovy, Sister Groovy, and I guessed at what a BBC might be.

“Is it a big black cat?”

“No, we’re not getting you a panther.”

“Is it a big brown coat?”

“No.”

“Is it a bowling ball cover?”

“No.”

“A beer belly costume?”

“Stop it. That’s not even a real thing.”

“I know. I know. It’s a Buffalo Bill cap gun.”

“Nope. Try again.”

“I finally figured it out. You’re taking us to South America for a Brazilian beach carnival.”

“Really?”

We never figured out what a BBC was until Christmas day (Google wasn’t around in the 1970s). And when we did, we were somewhat crestfallen. It turned out a BBC was a big yellow bean bag chair. Not a Brazilian beach carnival. Not a Buffalo Bill cap gun. Not even a big black cat. It was just a yellow mushy vinyl-covered blob to sit in.

But then something funny happened. Those vinyl-covered blobs were actually very comfortable. And they became the perfect perch from which we could devour our Captain Crunch and gaze upon television. So, yes, our parents got us pretty good with the BBC ruse, and that rankled our adolescent sense of justice. But in rather short order, we came to the realization that we loved our BBCs.

Those bean bag chairs were a fixture in our den for close to ten years. I don’t remember when they were finally carted off to the land fill, but I remember their departure was accompanied by a tinge of sadness.

Isn’t life strange? The oddest Christmas gift I ever got turned out to be the best Christmas gift I ever got. It also turned out to be my fondest Christmas memory.

Okay, groovy freedomists, that’s all I got. What are your fondest Christmas memories? I would love to hear them.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. For a little fun, I decided to include some additional Christmas memories from my formative years. Enjoy.

And Mrs. Groovy’s favorite…

Comments

22 responses to “A Groovy Christmas to All”

  1. Vicki@MakeSmarterDecisions Avatar
    Vicki@MakeSmarterDecisions

    Funny – your story brought back memories of my favorite green bean bag chair too! They were definitely the hot thing to get for a few years when we were kids. My brother just did an awesome job with a Christmas memory last night. My dad is 86 and has Alzhemier’s disease. He doesn’t say much or remember much – so my brother sang a Santa song Dad used to sing us as kids each year. Dad was smiling and joined in at the end – pretty amazing.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Merry Christmas, Vicki. Thank you for sharing your memories. The green BBC sounds awesome. And kudos to your brother. The memory of your dad singing along with him will surely be cherished. I hope someone was quick enough to capture it with a smart phone! Have a great New Year’s, Vicki. And stay warm in the western outskirts of the Empire state. Cheers.

      Reply
  2. Chris @ Keep Thrifty Avatar
    Chris @ Keep Thrifty

    Merry Christmas Groovys!

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Thank you, Chris. I really appreciate it. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Best of luck in 2017. I’m sure it will be a great year for you and your family. Cheers.

      Reply
  3. Lila Avatar
    Lila

    Hope you had a lovely holiday.

    I fell off the face of the Earth due to being busy with school. =)

    I thought you guys celebrated Hanukkah?

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      No worries. School is definitely more important than checking out my twisted views and thoughts. Mrs. G and I celebrate both. Christmas with my family and Hanuakkah with hers. We got two great families, so our mixed-marriage has turned out to be a blessing. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. And good luck in 2017. Talk to you soon.

      Reply
  4. ChooseBetterLife Avatar
    ChooseBetterLife

    Merry Christmas, Mr. & Mrs. G!

    Like other commenters, I remember the people, the food, and watching the wrapping paper burn in our fireplace (the metallic papers would make rainbow flames), but not the gifts.

    I remember my grandpa’s red pants and suspenders with a bright green shirt, with a white hat and white cowboy boots. And always with a bolo tie. He sang hymns loudly, proudly, and off-key. We thought he hung the moon and he thought the same of us.

    My grandpa’s gone now, but I hope that this generation’s kids are still forming mories that will make them smile for decades to come.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      LOL! Your grandpa sounds like he was an awesome American. And an awesome father and grandfather. Thanks for sharing your Christmas memories, Julie. I wasn’t aware of the chemistry between fire and metallic wrapping paper. I’ll have to try one day. Hope Santa managed to treat you and your family well this Christmas. There was a lot of snow north of us and I hope he got to Arizona in time. Cheers.

      Reply
  5. Linda at Brooklyn Bread Avatar
    Linda at Brooklyn Bread

    I’m still laughing about Dominick the Donkey. It’s funny, my husband and I just watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the first time. We just didn’t grow up watching it and sometimes you just miss a major classic that way. Obviously we loved it and thought it was hilarious. I have such powerful Christmas memories. We always hosted Christmas Eve in our basement and in my early years, my grandmother, who lived downstairs from us decorated the basement tree — nothing but red and white balls. Such a stylish, modern spirit! I managed to save one of them after all these years. It is ratty and dingy now, but it fills me with warm memories of my grandmother every year when I look at it. Merry Christmas to you guys!

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      We’ve been in North Carolina for 10 years now, so we freak out whenever we hear Dominick the Donkey on the radio. Not too many people with names ending in vowels down here. But things are changing. If New Yorkers and New Jerseyians keep flocking down here, Dominick may soon become a Christmas staple. Glad you discovered It’s a Wonderful Life. And I’m glad you managed to save one of your Grandma’s Christmas tree balls. Keeping a connection to the past is part of what makes life special. Merry Christmas, Linda. Say “hello” to all of my goombas in Brooklyn. Cheers.

      Reply
  6. Fritz @ TheRetirementManifesto Avatar
    Fritz @ TheRetirementManifesto

    Merry Christmas, Mr & Mrs G! Christmas is special in large part because of the special memories. Just something about this time of year that makes us sentimental.

    My favorite memory was when our daughter was 5 yrs old. We were coming home from Christmas Eve service, and suddenly saw the real Santa. For real. He was walking in the snow between 2 houses. We stopped to talk, he was awesome! I still have no idea what that guy was doing out there. Maybe he really was Santa Claus.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      I hope he wasn’t a burglar! Great story none the less. Merry Christmas, my friend.

      Reply
  7. Brian @ Debt Discipline Avatar
    Brian @ Debt Discipline

    Wishing you and Mrs. G a very Merry Christmas! I remember my first video games system (intellivision.) I never thought my parents would buy me one or have the money too. It was the last gift I opened that year. I was so excited, overwhelmed. My four brothers and sisters then each handed me a gift and it was each a game for it. I don’t think a slept very much that week. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Great memory, Brian. Thanks for sharing. I think the earliest video game I remember was Pong. I don’t even remember which company sold it (Atari?). It was just a couple of lines on the screen and a ball, but we played it for hours. Do you remember the games your siblings gave you? Space Spartans? Bomb Squad? Or, better yet, do you still have the system? I wonder what the market is for retro-gaming systems?

      Reply
  8. Laurie @thefrugalfarmer Avatar
    Laurie @thefrugalfarmer

    LOL, awesome story!!! I was just relating my best Christmas gift as a child to our kids the other day. I was 6 or 7, and we never had much money as kids. This particular year I got two gifts: a Barbie townhouse (HUGE splurge for my parents, although my mom is still ticked to this day about the lack of quality in that expensive gift 🙂 ) and a new coloring book and 64 pack of Crayola crayons. I loved the Barbie townhouse, but there was something about all of those new, shiny, beautiful crayons that made my heart spring with joy every time I opened them. Sea Green, Cornflower Blue, I remember them vividly to this day, over forty years later. Merry Christmas, Groovies. May joy and peace reign abundantly in your home!

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Haha! I was so jealous of the kids who had 64 pack of Crayola crayons. I only got the 16 pack. And if I remember correctly, the 16 pack wasn’t thick enough to support the sharpener. I think the sharpener only came with the 64 pack. And I can’t believe you still remember the colors. Glad your mom splurged on the 64-pack and the Barbie townhouse. Great memories. Merry Christmas, Laurie.

      Reply
  9. Apathy Ends Avatar
    Apathy Ends

    I have fond memories of me and my dad setting up electric race car tracks. 2 hours to assemble to watch your car go flying 10 feet off the track when you gave it full “gas”

    These days we do gifts Christmas morning followed by brunch – to my fathers delight his days of assembling toys and stocking up with batteries are behind him (until the grandkids start rolling in)

    Merry Christmas Groovy Family – glad I stumbled across your site this year. You 2 rock

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      I love it, AE. Hockey board games and Hot Wheels were huge when I was a kid. We even heated the hockey sticks to curve them. This way would could actually elevate our shots on nets. Your dad setting up the electric car tracks is a wonderful memory. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for allowing Mrs. Groovy and me to be a part of your community. It’s truly a pleasure. Merry Christmas, my friend.

      Reply
  10. Full Time Finance Avatar
    Full Time Finance

    Some real classics there. My fondest Christmas memory is probably pre Christmas. Decorating the tree and baking cookies with my mom. I actually don’t remember the gifts that we’ll. There is a lesson there I guess. Merry Christmas to you.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Haha! I hear you about not remembering Christmas gifts. There’s definitely a lesson there. My yellow BBC is one of only two or three Christmas presents I remember. I’m so glad my family gave up gift-giving five or six years ago. We now do a grab bag and no gift can be more than $25. It makes Christmas shopping a lot less stressful. Thanks for stopping by, FTF. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

      Reply
  11. Gary @ Super Saving Tips Avatar
    Gary @ Super Saving Tips

    Ah, a wonderful trip down memory lane! While I received some small gifts for Hanukkah, no one gift sticks out in my mind. But I did celebrate a few Christmases at my friend Joey’s house. I remember they had one of those aluminum Christmas trees that lit up in different colors. These days, my Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a viewing of It’s a Wonderful Life and dinner with my in-laws. Hope you and Mrs. Groovy have a wonderful holiday!

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      I hear you about It’s a Wonderful Life. Every year I watch that and The Best Years of Our Lives at least once. Two great films that help remind me how lucky I am and grateful I should be. Here’s to many more aluminum Christmas trees and menorahs in your future. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, my friend.

      Reply

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