Top Ten: It's The Thought That Counts

As honest as the day is long

As snug as a bug in a rug

At the drop of a hat

Better late than never(this is total B.S., by the way)

Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't

We've all used and heard these cliches many times. Is there any truth in these and others that are commonly tossed around? Are cliches just pithy observations that are good for a laugh, but hold little value?

We have all fallen into a routine of exchanging gifts of predetermined value(s) at predetermined times of the year. To make matters worse, money is quite often a factor when giving a gift. Did I cheap out? Did I spend too much and will doing so cause my recipient to feel awkward because of what they did or did not spend? If I spend 50.00 on this person then surely I must spend 50.00 on that person as well. Amidst allof this, the meaning and the true value of the gift gets lost. I would suggest if your thoughts echo all these concerns when you are giving a gift, your relationship with the recipient is not that strong to begin with. Sometimes we become concerned about what others around us may think about our choice of gift. Should not the intended recipient and their thoughts be the only guiding force in our selection?
Over the past few weeks I have seen some phenomenal examples of great gifts. I hope to provide you with some perspective on these gifts and explain why at least one cliche has been proved to be true.

Father's Day.

To be sure, an argument can be made that is one of the many holidays that we could all do without. Just another date conjured up by the American culture to peddle more junk we really don't need. After all, is there any gift that could sum up all that a father is, or should be? Not for my Dad there isn't. If Father's Day fell off the calendar next year, it would be fine by me. It would not impact who my dad is one bit.

Case in point.....

A few weeks back, dad dropped a great gift in my lap for Father's Day. It was put in front of me with little pomp and circumstance with nothing other than the bubble wrap it had been shipped in to disguise what was inside.

What is it, you ask? It's a video disc player. No, not a laser disc, but a video disc. It is/was to home movies what hair bands were to the 1980's. Here, then gone. Estimates say only about 750,000 of these were ever made, and perhaps about 200,000 of them were sold. A small cult following bought into them for the few years they were around. My dad was one such cult member. The disc you see pictured here was a favorite of mine for the brief of time these things existed. This year, for Father's Day, dad found the pair on Ebay and sent them my way. Even under the bubble wrap, I knew what it was the instant he put it in front of me. The size and shape were a dead give away.

Birthday x2

On this video disc player, I grew up watching many old movies. Marx Brothers films, John Wayne movies, and Sherlock Holmes to name a few. One of the funniest movies ever made is Arsenic And Old Lace.

I put its humor up against anything Will Ferrell or Jim Carrey have ever done. For my birthday this year, my parents found tickets to a stage performance and are sending Kris and I for a night out.

As my dad and I share the same birthday, it was my turn to find a gift that was befitting him and his interests.

I found my choice in his study of all things Civil War related. This is a letter from a soldier hailing from Staten Island, NYC dated 1863. He tells of his experiences at the battle of Chancellorsville. He makes references to neighborhoods my dad knows well, to streets he has walked on.

Aiden was by my side throughout the birthday celebrations all weekend long. He knows full well my interest in having a cake that is chocolate only, dipped in chocolate, decorated in chocolate, chocolate filled and....well, you get the picture.

His birthday gift to me bears out his understanding of what was to come.