| The 2-gallon bottle of perfume that Dad got Mom every year. From this, they invented the term “Toilet Water.” Grandma’s Christmas-Eve parties and setting Tiny traps for her little dog. The usual plan involved luring the unsuspecting dog with a piece of Macaroni and Cheese. Setting Hot Wheels tracks to go down the stairs where the cars picked up enough velocity to go into a loop-de-loop and go airborne into the Christmas Tree. The Christmas tree starting on fire and Dad throwing it out the front door, just missing a lit up Neal McDonald. It the flames would have come in contact with Mr. McDonald’s breath, the whole block might have blown up.Mom’s precise instructions on how to put “tinsel” or “icicles” on a Christmas Tree. She would always give up on us and put all of the tinsel on by herself. The aluminum tree on Sussex. Electronic Football by Coleco with the vibrating field, plastic men, and the magnet football. Every play ended up with a mass of vibrating players stuck together and one guy knocked over on his side running in circles like Curly Howard. Picking the baby Jesus out of the manger with a Verti-Bird Helicopter. Mom passing out batteries on Christmas Morning like a stadium peanut vendor. She could toss you A’s, AA’s, C’s, D’s and even a 9-volt in the blink of an eye. Dad playing Poker once a year and making High-Balls for anybody that wanted one. | 
