If I were a bit character on Seinfeld, I would be just as bad as the low-talkers, anti-dentites and re-gifters. I’m a lazy-gifter, meaning I put little or no thought into the gifts I give on holidays.
For the past five Christmases, I’ve doled out Snickers bars wrapped in $20 bills.
I watch as my younger siblings accept their gifts with little surprise and respond with a meager “thank you.” The lack of thought is obvious and I’m missing the spirit of giving.
I’ve been treating the holidays as a business would, merely obliging employees with a holiday bonus as a thank you for a year of work.
But I’m not a big business man and these aren’t my employees.
This year, I decided to surprise my family members with gifts that touch their hearts. I just needed to find them.
I’m the oldest brother to three brothers and a sister — who all play and love sports.
When a sports gift is the bulls eye of your holiday target, Chico is a great place to shop because it has a variety of sports stores to satisfy any shopping need.
As a financially strapped college student looking for sporting goods, my obvious first stop was Play It Again Sports at 2065 Dr Martin L King Jr Pkwy.
Upon entering, I felt like I was walking into my grandfather’s garage. The musty smell of used sports equipment filled my nose as I sifted through the cornucopia of weathered sporting goods.
As I looked through all the used equipment, reminiscing about backyard sporting battles with my younger siblings, I knew I had to find something we could all do together.
A gift that brings my family together would be the best.
Other than the used Outfitter 300 Deluxe pontoon boat for $299.99, which was awesome but way out of my price range, Play It Again Sports didn’t have what I was looking for. I headed across town to Chico Sports Ltd located at 698 Mangrove Ave.
While the store definitely had top-of-the-line outdoor equipment, everything was priced that way. Unless I wanted to get my siblings some long underwear, I wasn’t going to find what I was looking for at a price I could afford.
I guess I could have bought a Sessions suburban soft-shell sweater for $120, but we’d all have to share it.
If you are in the market for high-end bikes, boards and apparel Chico Sports Ltd has a wide selection and helpful sales people, but don’t expect big savings.
Next, I found myself at Big 5 Sporting Goods at 1717 Mangrove Ave.
The first product that caught my eye was the Halex Splash Cup Football Table for about $80.
Assistant manager Alley Henry said it was a glorified beer pong table, but it’s been very popular.
That would be a good gift for my roommates but not for my 13-year-old brother. Plus, cups were not included.
Henry also informed me about the special knives that come in for the holidays.
I was interested at first, as my head filled with memories of my brothers and I as little kids running around the backyard with wrapping paper tubes having sword fights.
If I get them all knives it would be like an adult version of that, but reason got the best of me and I moved on.
I found myself slowly walking the isles looking for the perfect gift. I needed something that would incite childlike excitement and mean something on a personal level.
A Sportscraft dartboard for $34.99, a street hockey set for 19.99 and matching men’s Speedos were all good ideas but nothing seemed to work toward my goal to bring us all together.
Just as I was about to give up and make my way back to the knife case, I saw it — the perfect gift — sitting in plain view on a shelf at about eye level.
The Sportscraft Tournament Tetherball Platinum set was calling my name and it was only about $50, a mere $10 more than the silver version.
Tetherball is great. It’s a four-season sport most people can play without having ever played before. The rules are simple and it works for any age.
In elementary school I was the tetherball king and my siblings have laid claim to the title as well. This is the gift that will bring my family together, even if it’s in fierce competition.
Tetherball may not work for your family but a gift that brings everyone together can be just as exciting as giving a gift that addresses someone individually. And it will probably cheaper.
My suggestion is to hit the sports stores around Chico. It worked for me.
Walter Ford can be reached at
wford@theorion.com
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