10 things I'm thankful for this Christmas

As we rip open presents and deposit the cash, let's step back for a second.

Gifts only become tricky as we get older if we allow them to screw with our minds. Case in point: Finding the perfect gift for a person is more lightning in a bottle than some think, so don’t be afraid to check down and give out cash. It can be used at 95% of the stores and restaurants that populate your zip code, and it can go to local businesses. Speaking of which, they are just one of the things I am thankful for.

Here are a few more things as Christmas stands on second base with a double.

10) Local businesses

That Christmas cash we were talking about a few sentences ago… give it to a local business. More closed in the second half of 2024 than the last few years. Maybe my math is wrong, but a few favorites closed their doors. Places like Crown Candy Kitchen need extra love next year due to cocoa prices soaring. The bacon will continue to flow but the chocolate needs our dollars.

I’m thankful for a great burger joint like Jovick Brothers Burgers right up by Macklind and Loughborough. It’s nice having an IMOs a block away when you need that ravioli/pizza/salad concoction. People bark all about the pizza, but forget the glorious toasted ravioli that the St. Louis pizza staple offers. I’m thankful for having more options than fast food or chains. There’s a time and place for a last minute right turn into a drive-through for a crummy burger. Let’s not make those times more frequent.

9) The wife

By now, book makers could have constructed two novels of content from my Rachel writing. What can I say? Apparently, a metric ton. We are best friends, life fighters, partners, and lovers. If you’re going to stay married for nearly 20 years, you need to understand how to live with each other--and how to depend on each other.

As the great Robin Williams said in Good Will Hunting, she knows all of my peccadillos. All the soft spots in the floor, doors that won’t shut, and just the right tires for my mood swing highway. Physically, she could melt all the pizza in the frozen food section at Schnucks. Mentally, she’s the safekeeper of my heart and the balancing ingredient for my soul.

8) A smart son

He’s got a lot of me in his personality and physical makeup, but Vinny is fast becoming tactical like my wife. No matter what gets thrown at him, he knows what to do in a crisis. Specifically, he knows which parent to ask the question. Fixer-wise, it’s Rachel all day. Make me grilled cheese? Hey dad, get off the couch. Feeling necessary all the time and at any time is being a parent.

He’s a good student, girls like him, and there’s a good egg up top. He makes my job easy. Vinny is super observant right now. Kids keep a parent honest for the length of their days, especially on how to act and what to say in public. They’re a link to the current generation. I’m thankful to be plugged in.

7) Swedish Fish

Thank you, lovely candy, for letting me have a lot of you without feeling like complete crap later on. Down a bag of Skittles and you’ll be pounded less than an hour later. Fish from the Dolph Lundgren and Rebecca Ferguson land don’t overwhelm the system, at least not right away. They taste like cherries and are quite lovely. Candy is something more people should be thankful for.

Your dentists won’t get mad as long as you take care of your teeth. They eat candy too.

6) The Cardinals

We may not be as involved as we used to be; flames blow out or just get beaten up by change. After a certain age, you’re more prone to only do things that you really want to do. Since I chased it like a real job and applied myself to covering a team, that urge lost an engine when I entered the plumbing supply world. I watch half the amount of games, relying on highlights and replay. It’s not as interesting these days.

But I am thankful I get to write about them when there’s time and a topic. Most of my subscribers come from baseball talk. They drive me up a wall and still manage to push buttons that turn into an article. Maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s bad. We shall see.

5) A big truck

While I haven’t exactly made this social media worthy, I did buy a beautiful 2019 Dodge Ram last month. For as long as I can remember, a truck has been my dream ride. They haul easily, ride high like my work truck, and the Ram is just sexily designed. At long last and for a long time, I am a truck owner. Be nice out there to us. All of us don’t suck at driving a big vehicle.

4) Great parents

I see them every week and cherish each hangout. In less than an hour, I’m celebrating Christmas dinner with them. My dad and I hang out each week, and my mom still looks and cares for me like a great mother would. 42 or 12, I am her baby. They put in the work, haven’t stopped putting in the work, and hopefully will stick around for a ridiculous amount of time.

3) The plumbing business

At times overwhelming and entertaining in other spots, there’s an adrenaline that can surge through someone learning this shit after 40. You’re the last horse in the race, struggling to keep up with lifers. The challenge is the appetizer before the reward, though. Learning something new in this business comes with sweat, blood, and a few headaches. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be a little whiny as I unfold and head to work.

Having a job is pretty sweet in an economy that gets more expensive.

2) The movies (more specifically, 90s movies)

Don’t ever leave. I mean, you can slow down a little and breathe for a couple days every once in a while. Still, being able to consume four Die Hard films and Grumpy Old Men with the wife is a holiday in itself. A movie rewatcher is becoming my new addiction, and the doctors won’t worry too much about this one. The land of make believe helps us build empathy for real life adulting.

They also taught us that one liners are cool.

1) Tomorrow

Simply put, a chance to do it again and try to do it better this time. Little tweaks add up if you stick around to see the finished project. Getting that chance is the grand plan.

Bonus thing to be thankful for: My pets. They drive me nuts, but I couldn’t live without them.

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas.