A Christmas Tale Revisited

Many, many years ago when I was a wee lad, I only wanted one thing for Christmas that year.

Amazingly enough, I got exactly what I had asked for.  My parents weren't well off, so there was never a guarantee come the morning of the 25th, but this particular year I was fortunate.  And thrilled to pieces!

Unfortunately when I opened it and started putting it together, thrilled to pieces turned to missing pieces.  I was distraught.  My parents took me and my less than complete set back to the store but they didn't have a replacement.  Through my tears, somehow I was convinced to choose another toy.  Life went on.

Sort of. 

I have zero recollection of what I chose in lieu of my LEGO Castle, but to this day I can feel the bitter disappointment of that less than perfect Christmas morning.  I can remember desperately pawing through the box in search of the missing specialty parts I needed and even cannibalizing my own store of LEGO in hopes of making up the shortfall of parts, to no avail.  I can honestly say that it is one of my most vivid childhood memories. 

Fast forward 40 years or so...

That memory bubbled up into my consciousness a few weeks ago.  Some show or movie I was watching somehow reminded me of my long ago LEGO letdown and I resolved to do something about it. 

Turns out there's this newfangled thing called the internet and down there in the cyber-tubes there's folks selling all manner of stuff.  Including one of these:

 

 

Which, after a few hours can be turned into one of these:



 

 

I had far more fun for those hours than a grown man has any real right to.  I also had to wear bifocals to decipher the finer points of the instruction booklet.  Somehow, that surrender to my age over my vanity almost made this little project that much sweeter.  Coming full circle as an adult to correct a childhood disappointment felt that much more satisfying knowing that I've fixed that sad little boy's Christmas morning all these years and miles later.

 

Now, this set isn't perfect but it has all of the important bits.  It's got a few scuffs, lacks a couple of small accessories and the figures have definitely been played with, but overall for about the same price as a comparable sized modern LEGO set, this was a really good deal.  Truth be told, it's in far better shape than mine would have been today if I had managed to get that replacement. 

 

As I've said before, I think of my personal happiness as a puzzle to be put together, one piece at a time.

 

One brick at a time works too.