The Marks Post: Christmas gift ideas

Are you still searching for a few Christmas gift ideas? If so, let me offer up a few suggestions.
One of the earliest Christmas presents I remember getting was a globe. That may not sound like a big deal today, but I grew up in the age before the Internet was a household item and when we were playing Oregon Trail on DOS. Whenever my grandparents, Robert and Evelie Bennett, gave me the globe, I spun it around and found the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I pointed at it and said, “Look, that’s where the Republicans live.” In my defense, I was 6-years-old, and that was around the Bush/Dukakis election.
Christmas, though, was always a special time because that was when my grandparents liked to share stories. I still remember hearing the story where my grandparents were when Pearl Harbor got attacked 80 years ago this past Tuesday. They were sitting in what is now my dining room. At the time, that was the living room. They were listening to the radio with my great-grandparents, O.A. and Lillian Brou, when they heard the news. It was not long after my grandparents got married, and my grandpa and his brothers then joined the service. I remember my grandma telling stories of taking the train to Spokane, Wash., which was where my grandpa was stationed for a time before going to Europe.
I was talking to my sister, Haley, about how I remembered that story of where my grandparents were for Pearl Harbor, and she said how it is crazy that I have that memory and my own 911 story. She then proceeded to call me old, so that ruined the moment.
But, family memories and stories should be passed down to children and grandchildren. Instead of giving your “cher babies” the latest Fortnite game or the latest IPhone, give them your stories. You could jot some down on paper over time and make a collection, or you could record yourself telling the stories.
I keep wanting to sit my dad, Ken, down one day so I can record his stories growing up on the Bayou Teche outside Port Barre. Hopefully, one day I will be able to do so. The thing is, hopefully, I won’t wait too long.
To quote “‘Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson, “If you get a chance, take it, take it while you get a chance. If you got a dream, chase it, ‘cause a dream won’t chase you back. If you’re gonna love somebody, hold ‘em as long and as close as you can. ‘Til you can’t.”
Let this Christmas be that chance to pass down what is important to you.