Happy Holidays To All of You! (A Small Token of My Appreciation for My NTers)

[lobotomybeats]

Like most of you guys, I'm not sure how much I will be around on here the next few days. Holidays are hectic and stuff.

It's been a roller coaster of a year. There have been many ups and downs for me. I've lost friends and too many family members, had a crazy pregnancy, had a beautiful son, and (for the most part) quit using **** that was killing me. Regardless of what good or bad was coming my way, I could always find some weird sort of solace here. You guys make me laugh harder than anyone else in real life. Laughter never meant more to me than this year. I can't thank you guys enough. You always hear 'oh, it's just the internet,' when feathers are ruffled or feelings are hurt. What seems to be forgotten is that it's that same internet that inadvertently helps you through rough patches. Oddly enough, you guys often provide me with more than some of the people I encounter daily. I don't care how sad that sounds, it's the truth.

So I want to do something small for you guys. I've racked my brain and haven't really been able to come up with anything of any significance. So we'll have to settle on a giftcard. It kinda saddens me that I can't come up with anything better than that.

So, this is what I propose. I'm going to give someone a $100 Amazon giftcard or a $100 donation to the charity of your choosing. Please tell me what you are grateful for this Christmas. Remind me of why the 'hustle and bustle' is worth it. Or tell me what your fondest Christmas memory is. I don't care. I want to hear something that isn't steeped in cynicism. Don't tell me why you deserve the giftcard or donation or anything like that. I just want good Christmas stories. The person who gets the giftcard will be chosen at random, so you don't need to worry about any bias on my part. I'll find a way to pick the recipient at random.

There are no strings attached to this. I'm not going to be picking the winner based on their story or past interactions. I assure you, this is just a small token of appreciation.


Happy Holidays NikeTalk,

Nick

 

[manny1]

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[young halo]

my fondest christmas memory was actually believing santa built toys

i totally forgot about that until my coworker reminded me.

my fav gift when i was a lil one was this

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[deathdouspart]

Most memorable Holiday story? Well I can tell you one right now that happened to me.

Memorable? Yes. Joyful? No. Here's my story and a lesson I guess.

During the summer when I was about to go to 6th grade (I was around 11 or 12), I moved into some neighborhood that was pretty nice. Mostly white and some blacks. There was another korean family (im korean too) that lived 3 houses away. They had a 1 child, a daughter. Same age as me. Wasnt that attractive when I first met her haha. Her parents and my parents became really good friends since we were the only koreans in the neighborhood.

We both went to the same middle school which was majority black. We were both shy, nerdy and losers.
I got made fun of a lot of course... People would call me *****, chopsticks, etc. (No one teases the Asian girls)
We didn't talk until we had to walk back home from the bus stop everyday and I guess you can say thats when we started to become friends. We were interested in Pokemon, riding bikes, drawing on the driveway with chalks... simple things kids do.

We became close really quickly to the point where we would sneak out at night to play pokemon together... Yea, pretty lame/ But hey, we were kids back then. She became my bestfriend and I was her bestfriend .We did everything together. After school we'll throw our backpacks in our house and come out to play. During the summer, she would always ring on my doorbell and ask my mom if I can come out to play and vice versa. We would tell each other everything. Our beliefs, views, past (as if we had one lol), are wishes, goals, etc. In 8th grade we were both growing and we physically both started getting more attention. Not to sound arrogant, but I grew up rather handsome haha. Other girls began to notice me but i didnt give a damn about them. I was interested in my bestfriend. I once skipped school to buy a video game and I was a ***** and scared and i asked her to skip with me and she did. Ride or die chick right there haha. Began having feelings for her during 8th grade. She grew up nicely too. Very pretty, and honestly, beautiful. Not only on the outside, but even on the inside. She began attracting some guys but I wasn't worried. I eventually confessed and she felt the same way. We were both nervous as hell though hahah... I still remember the butterflies in my stomach... Our anniversery was Dec. 14. Well.... we were still young around 14/15 and each other's first.Even though we were now couples, we still acted like bestfriends. That never changed. Everyone in school were happy for us I guess lol. I wasn't the frail asian kid anymore. I had my friends and she had hers but we put each other before anyone.

Highschool came and we can skip 9, 10, 11 grade. Nothing important happened there. We were both bestfriends and acted like a couple too. Did things couple do, dates, 7 hour talk on the phone, talked about our future, marriage etc. She was my everything. As corny as hell that sounds, you won't understand unless you felt it yourself. She did anything for me and everything. And I did the same. She once told me during my birthday that if I wanted sex, she would be willing to give it up for me. I declined for 2 reasons. First, she didn't believe in sex before marriage. She was (and still is) a strong believer in that. She believes that sex is a present for your husband only. Second, I honestly didnt wanna risk getting her pregnant. I respected her views and said it's ok and she was happy lol. I remember her smiling and cheesing hard as hell. But anyways, she was my first for everything, and I was her first for everything. Kiss, hug, dance (prom) etc.

Well then senior year came and it's time for colleges. Im not eh brightest guy and didn't do so well in HS or on my sat lol. During this time the SAT was out of 1600. I got a 1200 lol. She got a 15--? Somewhere in the 1500s (it was the low 1500s)... Her dream school was Johns Hopkins (we dont live in maryland), mine was.... whatever local college. I didnt care. Well we both applied. I applied to the local colleges and Johns Hopkins, and she did the same. I was really worried that this was the end of our relationship. If she got accepted the Johns Hopkins, then I told myself I would let her go. No way in hell would I hold back her dreams and success. Well eventually letters came back and..... she got in. My heart literally felt like someone got a sledgehammer and smashed it. I knew this was all over.... but it wasn't. She told me she declined it for this relationship. This was probably the biggest sacrifice anyone made for me.... My mind couldnt even think.... This was when I realized that all this was real. This relationship was real. Her love was real. Everything. She decided to attend the same college as me. Her parents were literally furious. It was hell in her house and her parents even talked with my parents about this. I told her to go to Hopkins and we can start our relationship when she comes back but she declined and sdfaslfjssdfkjaskl;f. It was hell. Her dad was literally about to beat the hell out of us. but lets move along.

Now before I go any further, we weren't a perfect couple or anything lol. We had our fights lol. But nothing worth mentioning.

Anyways, lets skip prom, graduation, etc. Nothing too important.

Then college came. Freshman and sophomore year wasnt important. But then came junior year.
The end of senior year came and thats when things started going down hill. She began acting strange and I knew something was up.
Long story short, her father got really sick and had to go to the emergency room and his "dream" was to see his daughter go to an elite school. Since she gave up Hopkins, grad school was what he was aiming at. She told me she's going to UVA (University of Virginia).... She said she wants to do something that will make her father happy before he passes away. (His chance are very high...). Her dream was to go to an elite school. She always aimed big. To always be the best in whatever she did. And honestly, I said ok.... I been a selfish little ****** always getting what I wanted that I didn't even have time to think about her and her family's relationship. I felt like im the one who pulled her from being close with her parents.. Senior year ended, she applied, got in a couple month later... We tried to make this long distance work, but we both realized... that we just grew up. That's basically what I wanted to tell you guys. People that you think you'll be with forever, will probably leave. We finally realized we had different dreams. Different views so we had to take different paths. Not you're probably thinking wtf? You guys broke up cause of that? There's a lot more to to it that has to do with her family but Im not going to mention that because it's very personal

Basically, right now, I feel like Im just now experiencing real life. Ever since 6th grade when i was with her, it always felt like a dream. Like paradise. To really move on with our lives, we cut off all contacts.Our final conversation ended with waterfalls everywhere from the both of us. And now, words can't even explain how I feel. I honestly feel like theres no point in living. My whole point in living was for her. You can call me a simp, but I call it love. Real love. And I believe that's what love is though. When you love someone, you're willing to do things for them that would hurt you, but you know it's best for them.

ex. if your kid wanted to play with a gun, would you give him a damn gun? Hell no. Because no matter how badly he wants to play with the gun and how much he might hate you for not giving it to him, you know what would happen if you give it to him. Because you love him, you're willing to take the blame for him to be safe.

Weird analogy.... But im sure you get what i'm saying. This is what's best for her..... us. We couldn't grow because of each other. And even though this pain hurts like a little ****** stabbing you in the brain and heart, i know this is whats best.... I keep telling myself that to ease the pain, but it doesnt help at all. To have someone you gave half of your life to go away...
I feel like i'll never find a girl like her again. Seriously. When's the last time you know a 24 yr old girl (thats fine as hell) thats a virgin? A girl that's pure? A girl willing to do anything for you even if you had nothing.

As I type this, im now 24 years old. Life is waiting... waiting for my next move.

 

[stillhungry]

My favorite christmas was the year the Playstation 2 first came out.  Living in a single mother household Christmas wasn't always that special, i'm sure some of you know how that is. My mom always got gloomy around the holidays as well as the rest of the rest of my family due to financial reasons.  Woke up that christmas and saw a bike.  Happiest kid ever off a bike and was well prepared to call it a day and go ride it in the snow.  I went to water the tree and their was another box, mom smiling tells me to open it.  It was a ps2...man I was crying on the inside but was trying to be "the man of the house" for my mom as I was used to playing.  I've never felt that much joy from a gift in my entire life.

Since that day, I make sure to go alllll out for my mother for christmas.  That christmas helped me realize what christmas was really about, sure the gift was nice but the joy that was given to me has made me gratetful for my family tenfold.

yall enjoy the holidays man

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

my fondest christmas memory was actually believing santa built toys

i totally forgot about that until my coworker reminded me.

my fav gift when i was a lil one was this

View media item 180608

I just wanted to add on to this since I felt it was appropriate one of the presents I got for christmas back in the day was this...

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and this...

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loboto...good on you dude.

 

[solesavage]

Edit:

As a kid, I loved everything about He-Man. My mom used to hate that I was so obsessed with the cartoon. (She was a hippy mom) So growing up she was strict on what we ate, played with, etc...
Anyways. One Christmas morning to my surprise, my parents ended up buying me He-Man and the Battle Cat. There was a catch though, she made me remove all the weapons from the toy. LOL I still love them for that.

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[lobotomybeats]

View media item 180653loboto...good on you dude.

Thanks.

I loved everything Ghostbusters back in the day. It seems like I had everything. It always annoyed me that Egon had blonde hair in the cartoon though.

 

[ksteezy]

my fondest christmas memory was actually believing santa built toys
i totally forgot about that until my coworker reminded me.
my fav gift when i was a lil one was this
View media item 180608

Ahhhhh....the memories...so bummed my grandma gave away all my TMnT toys...blimp, turtlevan, sewer, I had nearly wverything...ohh and who remembers the 2ft tall ninja turtles??...who had those?...I had all 4

 

[boris]

I'm grateful that things fell into place for me this year. It has made the holidays very enjoyable. 

 

[pr0phecy718]

my best christmas when it came to toys was getting the two big ninja turtles along with a Hulk Hogan toy...that same christmas, i also got the turtle party wagon


considering the circumstances of what happened in NY this year, i'm grateful that my close friends and family are doing well.


happy holidays everybody

 

[Ja's 2¢]

my fondest christmas memory was actually believing santa built toys

View media item 180653
loboto...good on you dude.

son, you just brought back memories. That pic reminded me my parents couldn't afford the ghostbuster's house just the ecto 1 car so I remembered the way I played with the ecto 1 I would borrow my sisters pink doll house like the doll house you see in toy story 3 and make that my home base for ghostbusters. Didn't have the ghostbuster figures either so I just used whatever toys I had whether it was Skate Sharks or Sea Quest figures. Good Times.

I am thankful for my parents for providing me a childhood the best they could do including the love and care they bestowed on me. Much appreciated to them.

 

[brownballa35]

you guys with money to throw away should really give it to charity or people who really need it.   I wont be able to give or recieve anything this year, doubt i will get to see what family i have, doubt I will make it through another year.

 

[iblink]

Whenever I'm asked what I'm most thankful/grateful for or appreciative of, I always say family. They drive me up the wall on a daiy basis, but I couldn't imagine life without any one of the people I call family.

The hustle and bustle is never worth it. The moments in between is what matters. Whether it be spending time with your family, teaching your son how to thrpw a foot ball, helping your daughter learn how to toe her shoes, finding your own inner peace, relishing in a memory from your past, or listening to your favorite album from start to finish as if it were your first time hearing it. That's what's worth if. The hustle and bustle is just a means to keep everyone busy.

I couldn't tell you my fondest Christmas moment in terms of waking up excited to get a particular gift. I grew up in a single parent house hold with no siblings. So when my moms was at work, it was just me. Not tripping. She did her best to get me gifts and make me feel like the rest of the kids in the neighborhood who always had something new on Christmas morning. I guess my fondest moment would be a culmination of the times my mom was able to make me forget about not having brothers or sisters or a pops on Christmas.

In all honesty this was a good thread. Never really thought about these questions.

 

[lobotomybeats]

you guys with money to throw away should really give it to charity or people who really need it.

I've given to charity this Christmas, just as I do all year long. I just thought I'd show my appreciation here. No harm in that.

 

[freeze]

I like this thread, even if we don't win, it allows us all to just reminisce on happy times, that's always a good thing.





Honestly, I'm just thankful for my life. I'm thankful for my blessings. My mom had a rough year last year health wise, but this year has been great. I'm thankful for that, I couldn't imagine anything happening to her. I had a great girlfriend, whom I love with all of me. We broke up unfortunately, but even despite the pain, I'm thankful for that whole experience. It showed me what loving somebody truly feels like. And because of that, I can't ever go back just just playing around with women. I've learned and grown so much from that experience, so even though it ended, badly, I relive every moment in my memories whenever I get the chance. I'm thankful I was fortunate enough to meet her. I'm thankful for my life lessons, I'm thankful for my experiences. I'm thankful for my new outlook on life and my new motivation to be a better man, son, friend, student, boyfriend, future husband, future father, etc. I'm thankful for all of the wisdom I've been blessed with at a young age, the understanding of what is truly important. Allbeit I've learned these things at a price, but for anything valuable, a debt must be paid. I'm thankful for this love that I've developed, for all things, this compassion, and this desire to spread happiness and well being to those around me. I'm thankful for my sense of humor and my ability to find smiles in the darkest of times. I'm thankful for my personality and my experiences, environment and characters that have helped mold it. I'm thankful for my mind. My memory and my thought process. I'm thankful for my abilities and my will to push even when it hurts. I'm thankful for my genes, my decent looks and my body. I'm thankful for my enthusiasm when it comes to working out and staying in shape. I'm for my style and my willingness to take care of my self and to look nice and smell good. I'm thankful for my family, and their health and well being. I'm thankful for the people that I've met throughout my life and was ever able to call 'friend'. I'm thankful to those that aren't my friend, although I don't have enemies, I have associates and comrades, people that didn't quite cross over the bridge into bosom buddies lol. But I'm thankful for them as well. I'm thankful for my business life, and my professional life. I'm thank that I'm able to do amazing things and see the world and experience things. I'm thankful that this world is so big so I always have a place to go. I'm thankful for my warm home and my bed, I'm thankful that I have food to eat and clothes to wear. I'm thankful that I have my vision and my hearing, and that I wasn't born with any problems or issues that affect my life. I'm thankful that I can walk and talk and think, when there are so many out there that can't. I'm thankful for my mom. I can't stress that enough. She's not perfect, but she is perfect for me. I'm so happy that I was able to be her son. I'm thankful for the sunshine and the stars. I'm thankful for that nice breeze on hot days. I'm thankful that I'm able to recognize goodness and blessings in all things. I'm thankful that I've been able to preserve my child-like sense of wonderment and still find joy in the little things. I'm thankful for perfumes and scented lotions and hot you can catch a whiff of it when a woman walks past you. I'm thankful for women. I'm thank at how delicate and beautiful and kind and loving they are. Sure there are some that are rough, but as with most things, we are only molded by our experiences. I'm thankful for all the different races of the Earth, all the different people and perspective. I'm thankful for the trees and the plants. The seasons. I'm thankful for the intelligence of people to constantly create and redefine things. I'm thankful for those that invent. I'm thankful for sports and comedies. I'm thankful for romantic movies and Hallmark greetings cards. I'm thankful for love. I'm thankful for emotions that are so powerful that they can change everything. I'm thankful for change. I'm thankful for school. I'm thankful that we have a place to grow and learn and progress. I'm thankful for the strggles in life so that we can better appreciate and maintain the sweeter times. I'm thankful that I'm able to help others and offer them words of wisdom and guidance and gentle affirmations when they need them. I'm thankful that I have a kind heart that cares for others and with which allows me to save those that are seemingly drowning. I'm thankful that the pain and despair that I've endured has made me stronger and ultimately a better person. I'm thankful that I was able to find this site and I'm thankful for all the members here, even the bozos lol. I'm thankful for all the different perspectives and all the different personalities and characteristics that you guys bring to the table. I'm thankful that we left Yuku lol. I'm thankful for all the little things in life, all the details. I'm thankful for so much. I'm thankful that I was just able to put this into words and allow others to know the stories of my heart. I'm thankful for today, yesterday and tomorrow.

 

[lobotomybeats]

Speaking of toys from yesteryear... Anyone remember the smell of new Happy Meal toys? When I smell something similar it's like de ja vu and suddenly I'm unwrapping a new Muppet Baby car.

 

[michigan]

Im just thankful for getting my life on track this year and for my fam.    I finally got to see my parents a few weeks ago for the first time in about 5 years.   I live in Las vegas and their in Michigan.     It crazy seeing them and how they have aged.   My little sister grew up on me.  lol when I left she was a kid still and now shes 15 turning into a young women.    The Christmas memories that stand out the most is when My brothers and I  got a Nintendo 64.   My parents were tight with money and we weren't expecting to get it.   Man the joy getting that present with my brothers was awesome lol.    I also remember going to my grand parents house's on Christmas and seeing all of my family.  lol Those were the good old days.   All of my grand parents have passed away now.     This Christmas my main focus is on making sure my daughter who turns 2 in a couple months has an amazing Christmas like I use to have as a kid.     Good thread and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.  

 

[ryda421]

I just wanted to add on to this since I felt it was appropriate one of the presents I got for christmas back in the day was this...
View media item 180650and this...
View media item 180653loboto...good on you dude.

i still have the fire house

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this one was my favorite batmobile. you could wind it up, then throw it and after a second or two it would split just like in the movie....too bad i left it in guatemala and never saw it again saw it on ebay for like 200 bucks

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this one was one of my favorites as well too bad i lost this one while traveling on the bus. my dumbass left it my mom tried to stop the bus but he kept pushing. never saw the toy again

View media item 180794
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at least i still have these haha and my power rangers collection

 

[lobotomybeats]

Oh, and I'll be picking the winner at noon EST tomorrow. I'm sorry I didn't start this thread earlier, it could have helped purchasing christmas gifts.

Again, Happy Holidays.

 

[Pedro Navaja]

mistletoe cameltoe. lets just leave it at that

 

[racingstripes]

Grateful just to be a African American man alive in this world for another year. Living in a city where there's homicides nearly everyday some who even happened to be my homies this year I can't help but to be thankful for life. Also I'm extremely grateful for my Mom, being a single Mother all my life and helping me get through college even after all my knucklehead f ups Last I'm thankful for NT, forever grateful for stumbling upon this community Happy Holidays everyone.

 

[JCMojica24]

Best Christmas gift I've ever received was probably my membership to the gym I received last year. Saved my life health wise and completely changed me as a person. Couldn't be more grateful for it! All these old pics of toys brings back great memories as a child....brings a smile my face. Great thread!

 

[mojodmonky1]

Edit:

As a kid, I loved everything about He-Man. My mom used to hate that I was so obsessed with the cartoon. (She was a hippy mom) So growing up she was strict on what we ate, played with, etc...
Anyways. One Christmas morning to my surprise, my parents ended up buying me He-Man and the Battle Cat. There was a catch though, she made me remove all the weapons from the toy. LOL I still love them for that.

View media item 180708

damn you must be an old man.

He-Man was awesome though. I think they recently released new Masters of the Universe action figures. I spent a few days looking for some but came up short. damn shame. He-man brings back memories of my childhood too. To be honest, I wasnt that big of a He-Man fan, but my older brother was. As a first born, he got all the best toys like the full on Castle Greyskull. Like most younger brothers, I liked what my brother liked, and wanted what he wanted, so He-man it is. As I got a bit older, I became more of a Transformers kid myself, For some odd reason, none of us ever got into G.I. Joes. weird.

Onto Christmas.

God willing, this will be my last Christmas as a non-parent. The wife is bout 4 months pregnant, and cue the Bart Scott... CANT WAIT. All I want for Christmas is a healthy baby. My friends tease me because they know how much I want a son, but honestly it doesnt matter. As long as my baby comes out healthy, boy or girl, its gonna be a blessing.

 

[checks grossman]

Kudos.

It's great a thing you're doing - I'd like to contribute but am a bit pre occupied here at work. I'll definitly come back later on and add to your thread. Already some great posts here...cheers to the holiday season!