Childhood gift

When I first bought a record with the song Rag Doll on, I was really hunting for something else. As usual, I was sorting through the discs in the second hand record shop, this time to locate a specific album by the Tubes, which I actually did find later. As usual, I picked up a couple of other discs whilst browsing. Every time I hear the song Rag Doll, it drags my mind back to a certain Christmas during my childhood. I did not hear the song at the time, but an event that happened then always pops up in my mind when I hear this song to make me smile.

Each Christmas, my parents would buy me one large item and a few small gifts as well for Christmas. One year, I had not requested anything special and so my mother decided to use her hands and create something for my main gift. On Christmas morning, I eagerly rushed through my stocking gifts from Santa, then after shoveling down some of the goodies I had gained asked for my main presents.

My mother informed me she hoped that I would like it, although it was not very good this year. I wanted my gift. My mother stalled further, trying to ensure I would not be disappointed when it appeared, as she had made it herself. She informed me it was a large rag doll. I wanted my gift. She apologized, explaining that she had followed a pattern in a magazine, but that her efforts had not quite turned out the way it looked in the picture. I wanted my gift!

Eventually my mother stood shyly smiling at me, with a huge rag doll in her hands. The face was a bit the shape of the cartoon character Arnold, the hair was bright florescent orange wool, and I forget what it wore. I do recall the arms and legs were lumpy, but that I liked it and called it Sally. I had never had a rag doll before and never had another afterwards, so Sally always comes to mind, along with my mother's shy awkwardness in giving it to me when I hear that Rag Doll song.