It’s the most wonderful time of the year! White snow topples on top of cars and houses, Christmas lights glow throughout the city at night. Christmas trees stand tall in the front window as children sip on hot chocolate to keep warm. What children recognize Christmas by the most are the presents!

Thanksgiving and the overwhelming black Friday rush is now over. Throughout Thanksgiving break, not only did I go to every mall in the area, but I spent way too much money. I now have two new shirts, a Nike sweat shirt, a Pac sun scarf, new belly button ring and new Yoga pants. Of course this is all stuff that a teenager wants, but does not need. Over break I was approached with the most commom question, ‘what do I want for Christmas?’ Well, most teenagers these days would ask for the new iphone, or some expensive piece of technology. Not only am I super behind in the technology world, but I have an ancient block for a phone. I would love to ask for the new iphone 5 for Christmas but realistically, its just not going to happen. With a family as big as mine, all of us owning the iphone 5 would be ridiculously expensive. So a new phone is off the list. I guess I’m just going to have to be more accepting of the fact that getting a new phone is a lost cause. However there is something else that I want…

When my family and I were at the table eating meat loaf, mashed potatoes and corn, my sister tossed her food around with her fork.
“Meat loaf, beat loaf, I hate meat loaf,” she said. Making everyone happy at dinner time has always been a challenge for my father.
My dad has been unable to finish a cold beer in 18 years as he is so busy helping out us kids.

As we finished our dinner I was caught off guard…

“What do you want for Christmas,” my father asked.

Horrified. I blurted out, “I want a 2013 Easton FX1: FP13X1 Fastpitch Easton softball bat, that has a compass in the stock and a little thing that tells time”.

“You can’t have that 300 dollar bat, you will strike out anyways,” my father replied.

Oh great this was the classic ‘father softball bat block’. My father was really good at working his way out any situation. I had to try another avenue.

I still have one last chance, the big kuhuna, the head cheese, not the guy in the fat red suit, but my step mom. I had to come up with a plan and I had to come up with it quickly. The next day I started by cleaning my room, got my laundry done, I even cleaned my own bathroom. I amazed myself with the speed at which I could do my own chores’. My forehead beaded with sweat, but I stll trudged through and got the chores done. I made her a lovely dinner, and afterwards snuggled up next to her on the couch.

“Care-bear could you please tell dad to get me a bat for Christmas?” I wasked my step mom nicely.

“No honey, you can’t have that bat, you will strike out,” she replied with a smirk on her face. “Now go to bed.”

More frustrated than ever I yelled back, “but that’s all I want for Christmas and I never get what I want!”

“Courtney, you are not going to get a new bat with that kind of attitude! You are in a lot of trouble now! You better get up to bed before your father hears you!” Karin shouted back.

Stomping up the stairs I got to my room and slammed my door. Next door, I could hear a whimpering, as if someone was crying. I could hear my father walk into my sister Casey’s room next door.

“Karin’s going to kill Courtney,” Casey said in her whining voice.

“No, no Karin’s not going to kill her,” he said reassuringly. “she is just very upset with her that’s all”.

That night when I went to sleep, I had a dream. I went up to bat with my new 2013 Easton FX1: FP13X1 Fastpitch Easton softball bat and the pitch came in and BAM! I hit a homerun! My parents came running out onto the field and were carrying me on their shoulders. They were so proud. I was kind of a big deal in town.

Christmas came around it was massive chaos as usual. Wrapping paper and cardboard flying everywhere as my siblings tore through their gifts. The room settled in silence as my brother and sisters went to their rooms to enjoy their new gifts. I was left their with my father and step mom. With my father sipping on his fifth cold Miller Light he asked, “did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” I replied.

“Well we don’t always get everything we want,” my father said.

And that’s when I noticed it… standing in the corner glistening with beautiful Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon, slightly hidden by the desk, one last gift. Who’s name could be on it? I walked over and grabbed the package I thought, ‘there could be anything in there’. As I got through the paper I noticed that It must have come from France, because written on the side of the box it said, ‘Fragile’. My heart was pounding as I rummaged through the shredded paper in the box trying to find my new 2013 Easton FX1:FP13X1 Fastpitch Easton softball bat with a compass in the stock and a little thing that tells time. I got to the bottom and was at a loss for words, astonished, shocked, disappointed to say the least. As I pulled the item up I realized that I got a leg lamp.

My father was so excited as he helped me assemble it and put it in the front window. We plugged it in and went to the street to look at it. The gleam of electric sex right there in the front of our house. Oh well. As my father says… “We don’t always get everything we want.”