Gift of Christmas Past

Sadly, a big part of Christmas these days seems to be presents. I don’t mean that because I hate giving presents. Rather I think festive marketing does too good a job of setting unrealistic expectations for the giving and receiving of presents. High expectations and looming debt are not a combination for festive cheer.

It wasn’t like that when I was a child (although, of course, it almost certainly was).

In any event today, I was thinking about Christmas and presents. I would be hard pressed to tell you what I got last year. (I do know whiskey featured in the line up which might explain why I can't remember most of the rest of them). Some presents stick in my mind, though.

Enter my copy of the original Fiend Folio. I got this for Christmas back in the mid-eighties. I can’t remember the exact year, but in the back of the book I’ve underlined 11-14 on the RPGA questionnaire so it was between 1984 and 1987.

My granny and pa got this book for me. In the old days, of course, you had to physically go to a toy shop to buy AD&D stuff. So one or both of them must have got on a bus, gone into town, walked to the toy shop and then (somehow) found the right book to buy. That's a decent investment in time for elderly pensioners, and one I appreciate to this day.

I haven't actually used this book in many years—why will no-one play AD&D with me?—but this is one of the books you'll have to pry from my cold, dead hands.

Thanks, Granny and Pa!

Happy Christmas!

I may or may not post again between now and new year. I'm going to see how the wind blows.

So—in case I don't post again—I hope, wherever you are in the world and whoever you are with, you have a marvellous, relaxing festive break. I hope your 2022 smashes your 2021.