Growing up with three older brothers wasn't always easy, but it was fun when they decided that they could play with you for a little while. During a Christmas long ago, when I wasn't any taller than four feet, two of my brothers thought that it would be great fun to swing me by my arms and legs onto the living room couch. We had just recently finished decorating the living room, so as I swung to and fro I saw a blur of green and red decorations. My favorite decoration in the living room was our bare, synthetic, Christmas tree on the opposite side of the living room. Well, on about the third round of this swinging game something went terrible wrong. With energy, they threw me onto the couch and at the same time that I let out a scream the tree came crashing down.
Screaming. Crying. Wailing. I held my hand firmly to my head, refusing to let anyone get close enough to figure out what was wrong, so my brothers, along with the other members of the family that had now gathered, turned to the other problem - the fallen tree. Together they hoisted it back up and noticed a new addition to the previously bare tree. A blond ball of hair now hung from the tree, the first ornament the tree would see that season. And the first gift that I received that year? A premature blond spot on my head.
Merry Christmas everyone!
