I don't have any gear on my wish-list this year, but I suspect I'll be getting a little something for my outdoor fun time.

But there were quite a few past Christmas Eve's that I did have a wish for gear, and I did find some great stuff under the tree when I woke up.

The first piece of gear I ever wanted for Christmas was a sleeping bag. I must have been around ten or twelve years old and that's all I wanted. My mom thought it was an odd request because we lived in the middle of a big city and there was no place to go camping even close to us. She got me a bag anyway and I slept in it the first few nights I had it, and used it for a blanket the rest of the time I lived with her. Every night I went to sleep thinking of the day when I'd get to go camping.

I was fourteen the first time I got to use it on a real camping trip. By then I live with my father in California and he had a friend that took me with on his annual camping trip to the Sequoia NF that summer. It may sound weird, but I swear, it looked just like what I saw in my dreams...

I hope you all find something special, whatever that may be, under a tree this year...

Merry Christmas!

BTW, if you passed by the Bell Ringers with the Red Kettles you can still make a donation here:

Salvation Army