[EvilMeanie]

This year has a fun Joe surprise that almost moved me to tears before I remembered that I'm supposed to be both evil and mean. One of my good friends wrapped up his Haslab CC and gifted it to me because he knew I wanted one to open. I could not believe it, as he sold off his Classified collection not long ago and went full vintage and intends to either sell or trade the Haslab set. Knows full well CC is already commanding a decent price that will only go up. But he went and topped my wife by scoring the coveted number one spot in my annual Christmas Top Five!

Couldn't resist doing some pics with him last night.

[captain mal]

Christmas 1982. The day after Christmas we left on a road trip from Central Ohio to Tampa area to visit my grandparents.

I can't really remember the actual Christmas Day - but the whole thing was memorable because of the trip. My MOM didn't go. She stayed home. Only my Dad, my three siblings and me.

Upon returning home on January 1st - My Mom gave us a SECOND Christmas. She had shopped a little for us while we were gone - and we got our first GIJoe stuff. I got Hawk and the MMS. My younger brother got the VAMP, and my sister got the HISS Tank.

(Looking back - I find it really odd. WHY did my Mom not go with us? WHY did we drive all the way to Florida just to stay for a few days? So much family oddities and dynamics going on that I never knew about when I was ten years old - I'm sure.)

[captain mal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toffeeman

Two years after it was no longer available, I got the Flagg for Christmas. Walmart found a stack of four of them in the warehouse, and sold them for 50 bucks apiece. Mom and Dad snagged one before they were gone.
Spent all of Christmas Eve putting it together.

That's awesome. I love stories of back-room finds.

[Short]

Wife got me the HISS Fire Team...first Joe gift in nearly 20 years of marriage. With the collection on display it is easier for her to support and be aware of. She has never said a bad word about my collecting but this is the first Joe purchase.

[captain mal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jepper01

I think it was in 1987 when I was six years old. My dad told me, he had bought me the best present ever. All day long he kept talking about it, and I was hoping for some sort of GI joe toys. Finally after we had dinner and cleaned up we got to the presents.
I ripped the paper to see what was inside.....and it was a pink sweater. As a six year old boy I wasnt too happy about that particualar gift.

https://youtu.be/d_T3gdeSI7s?feature=shared

This story reminds me of one of my son's gifts. Ten years ago today.

[captain mal]

Almost forgot this one:

My Mom used to open some figures (Star Wars and GIJoe) - and tie strings on them - then put them on the tree as ornaments. Then she would wait and see if we noticed / found any of them.

Man, that was fun.

I also remember one year getting a whole shirt box of Star Wars figures (Return of the Jedi - 1983 I think)

[RL Bliss]

Bump

[cobraviper72]

I was 12 when the line first came out, while i dont remember getting any thing for christmas that year, the first christmas i remember getting anything for G.I. Joe was 1984, my mom was recently divorced and struggling but the only way she could get my brother and i anything for christmas was by lay away and at that time Childrens Palace offered that, now she cheated alittle and took my brother and i to pick out what we wanted, you can imagine back then everything was out, joes, transformers on and on, and so i remember the joe aisle and my brother picked the Whale, while i was torn between the Rattler and the 83 joe headquarters, i ended up picking the headquarters, those were the biggest things we were allowed to pick and i remember christmas morning, opening them and assembling them, it was a blast, she got us more than those, several figures and some smaller vehicles, but i definently remember that morning.

[Diablogunner]

One of the best Joe Christmas days for me was also my worst Christmas day. A few weeks before Christmas I got home before my parents and went to go outside and play. I opened the back door and on the porch was the WHALE box. We lived on a military base so my mom did a lot of Sear and Montgomery Wards catalog shopping. I turned around and went straight to my room to play until my mom got home. A week or so later, I get home from school, no one home and I start peeking around the house and find a whole stash of Christmas stuff. Christmas morning, I come out, open presents and I had already seen everything I got. I got the WHALE and a couple other Joe toys, but knowing and no surprises was horrible. I started crying and told my mom I had ruined Christmas. After that I never looked for gifts again, and to this day I still don't. My wife and I will leave bags right in the open for each other and never look to see what is inside.

[arcstrike]

I was born in 83 so most of my ARAH experience is with early 90s joes. Best xmas joe presents were I got the General one year and the Armor Bot another year.

The General was massive and it was my USS Flagg. It was just so much fun to play with and by far my favorite 90s vehicle.