I remember the first tinges of Christmas fever sweeping all of us kids when the Sears Roebuck Wish Book would arrive. It was from this book that the basis of our Christmas lists would be derived.

It seems like the book would arrive in October or early November. Whatever the case may be, by the time December rolled around that Wish Book would be dog-eared, crinkled, and rather worn looking. Cocoa stains and torn pages were quite numerous as well.

I remember not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve. Partly due to getting all wound up on Coca Cola and playing with my cousins on my mom's side that evening and mostly in eager anticipation of what presents might be resting under the tree in the morning.

We would always wake up at the first hint of dawn on Christmas morning. The Christmas tree lights would be turned on as we hauled our goodie-laden stockings over by the stereo to listen to Christmas records. We would munch on the candies in our stockings until our parents would finally relent and stumble out of their yuletide slumber so we could open presents.

Watching these classic Christmas Commercials makes the Christmas memories from my childhood wash before my eyes so thick and rich that I feel if I blinked I would be 8 years old again and not wanting to leave all of my new toys at home when we left for grandma and grandpa's house.