Christmas for a spoiled brat

By Curt Swarm

I’m the last of eight children, i.e. the baby of the family, and I was spoiled. I didn’t realize it at the time, but as I look back now through the lens of a father and grandfather, I was spoiled rotten. My next oldest sibling, my sister, three years older than me, knew it full well, you can believe it. But I was in denial.

I was always given the best of everything — toys, clothes, food, you name it. And we didn’t have that much to start with. But I guess by the time the folks got to little ole me, and the rest of the brood was far-flung, there was more to go around.

Christmas was a good example. I remember getting this huge red fire truck with a ladder that cranked up and took two men to drive — one in the front and one in the rear. I was the envy of the neighborhood kids who were still playing with sticks and mud.

Then there was the Erector Set. My mother took me to Merle Hay Plaza in Des Monies. This was when Merle Hay was new and was one of the first malls in Iowa. I was flabbergasted at all these stores lined up in a row. Christmas music was playing and the colored lights and decorations made people want to spend, buy, spend, buy. There was one store that was completely dedicated to Erector Sets. It was called “Erector.” I couldn’t believe it. All kinds of contraptions could be made with Erector pieces, like robots, bridges, and dragons. The granddad of them all was this red Erector Set in a metal box full of every conceivable Erector piece and gadget there was. I was attracted to it like a magnet. But I knew it was way too expensive.

Guess what was under the tree Christmas morning? Yep, you guessed it. That big red Erector Set. I got right to work building things. One of the contraptions I built was a robot that walked, and its eyes lit up and flashed. I used that Erector set a couple of times for Science Fair projects at school, and won some awards. I still have that Erector Set. It’s out in the barn gathering dust and memories.The other Christmas present that comes to mind is The Train Set. My sister and I climbed off the school bus and came into the house. There in the middle of the living room floor was a huge table covered with blankets. Under the blankets were mounds, dips, and objects of varying size and dimensions. It was obvious that the blankets were covering something secret. I looked at Mom. She looked at me, winked and said, “Santa.”

I wondered, “What in tarnation could it be?” But like any enterprising young man, when no one was around, I lifted up the edge of the blankets that were hanging down over the table and peeked under. I could see wires running everywhere and poking up through the table bottom.

Christmas morning arrived and there was this huge train set in the living room. And it was all mine. There were tunnels, mountains and rivers to cross, a depot, a conductor, and an engine that smoked and sounded a whistle. The works. Oh, my. What a delight for a boy: an unbelievable Christmas present. Was I spoiled? Yup.

Today, at 76, I’m still spoiled. Two of my grandsons gave me an Advent Calendar for Christmas. There are 25 brown paper sacks, marked Dec. 1 through Dec. 25. I am to open one each day starting with Dec. 1, which I have been doing. In each one there is a special little present from my grandsons, followed by a reading assignment. For example, on Dec. 5 there was a little butterfly band-aid, with the message, “Jesus Heals” (boy does He) and instructions to read Luke Chapter 5. We took the butterfly band-aid with us to Arlington, Texas and the Big 12 Conference Championship. I also took the Advent Calendar with me so I wouldn’t miss a day.

Am I spoiled? Yes, with the best Christmas present ever!

Contact Curt Swarm at curtswarm@yahoo.com