The Perfect Christmas Gift:
A Bundle of Switches?

I always thought what Santa Claus is supposed to bring particularly bad boys in lieu of toys is a bundle of switches. When my nephews were younger, my parents kept a menagerie of toys for them to play with when they visited “Noni and Grandfather.” After one such visit, my dad was picking up toys that had been left around the house when my mom asked him what toy he had played with as a boy. “A stick,” was his answer.

Well, guess what? The lowly stick, a universal plaything powered by a child’s imagination, has landed in the National Toy Hall of Fame along with Baby Doll and the skateboard. The stick joins 38 other classics like the bicycle, Mr. Potato Head, and Crayola crayons.

I got to thinking, hey, if it’s a good enough toy to earn a place of honor in the NTHF, it would make a GREAT Christmas gift this year. It’s all natural, the perfect price, and there aren’t any rules or instructions. And best of all, no assembly required!

So, I’m going to gather up Christmas sticks from the yards around my house (remember, my yard is just pine straw) and bind them into Christmas stick bundles. If a single stick can make it into the toy hall of fame, just think what a great Christmas gift a bundle of switches will make! You give them a stick for Christmas and let them use their own imagination. At least you won’t find your gift in a garage sale next month.

My dad wants a new set of golf clubs for Christmas … I think I see a 7 iron lying out there in the road!

Happy Holidays and may God bless you and yours throughout the coming year.