Ultimate Geek Fu

Decorations are up in most of our houses. We've brought trees inside and covered them with lights and tinsel and ornaments. Offerings to our family and friends have been wrapped in colored paper and placed beneath these decorated trees. Life feels more hectic as we try to balance the needs of everyday life -- work and food -- with the needs of the holidays -- buying, wrapping, decorating, cooking and baking. In amongst it all, we try to insert more love and fellowship than usual.

All are obvious signs that Christmas is just a few days away.

Excitement is building in children as they imagine all the gifts they'll receive Christmas morning. Many a mother is worrying whether she'll have enough food for everyone at Christmas dinner. (Not only will she have enough, she'll have enough to feed at least twice as many people as actually sit down at the table.) Many a father is worrying whether the roads will be fit for travel or how heavy the traffic is going to be on the highways (either for himself or his children who are traveling). And, somewhere, at least a few people are offended at my two stereotypical parents.

Finally, Christmas morning will come. Kids will drag tired parents out of bed, spend entire seconds reveling in their latest gift before ripping into the next one. Just a few short hours after everyone gets up, the gifts will be open, the food will be eaten, and Christmas will, effectively, be over. Weeks and weeks of preparation for just a few short hours of frenzied activity. Is it really worth it?

Yeah. Definitely. Memories for a lifetime occur during those few short hours. And memories are what we're here to talk about, today.

What are your favorite Christmas memories? You score extra points if any of them have a geek association to them, but we're really just looking for what the Ghost of Christmas Past would show you in your own, personal Christmas Carol story.

Let the fun begin!