The best presents I received as a kid.

I have thought a lot about some of the best presents I received as a kid.

The first would be the blue dog mentioned in my last blog.

Next would be my baby doll that I named Marianne.  

I loved the pink princess telephones that Beckie mentioned.  I particularly remember playing Cruella DaVille.  Beckie, were you Cruella or was I?

Another favorite present was one that Bob got.  It was called a Gorilla gun.  It was an air gun that you shot at a picture of a gorilla and the air made the gorilla move.  I don't know why I liked it so much, but it was fun. I have looked for it on ebay, but have never seen one.

And then there is Mystery Date.  It was the most popular toy that year.  I remember going to the store with Mom and Dad and hoping they would buy it for me but there was just one game left on the shelf.  They told me they wouldn't buy it because the box was broken.  Santa surprised me by bringing it anyway and it was the one with the broken box.  It really must have been the last one available that year.  We really played with that game a lot.

Perhaps one of the best gifts I ever received was from Aunt Norma.  She gave me a maroon leather bound, gold embossed copy of Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility.  That was my introduction to Jane Austen-decades before she became a fad. It is still one of my favorite possessions and I have read that copy many, many times.