Christmas Presents That Inspire Death

Summary

The author reflects on past Christmases, highlighting the irony of receiving candy cigarettes and toy guns as presents, juxtaposing the innocence of childhood with the adult realities of smoking-related health issues and gun violence.

Abstract

The article recounts the author's childhood Christmas memories, focusing on the contrast between the innocence of youth and the potentially harmful nature of some gifts. The author reminisces about receiving clothing, a ViewMaster, a toy gun, and notably, candy cigarettes, which were once a common but now controversial Christmas gift due to their promotion of smoking. The narrative draws attention to the historical context of smoking culture and the transformation of societal views on cigarettes, emphasizing their lethal health effects as warned by the Surgeon General. Despite changes in attitudes towards smoking, the author notes the continued prevalence of toy guns as children's presents, despite the real-world implications of gun violence.

Opinions

The author suggests a critical view of past societal norms that allowed for the marketing of smoking to children through candy cigarettes.
There is a sense of nostalgia for the simplicity and joy of childhood Christmas experiences, particularly the excitement of receiving new toys and gadgets like the ViewMaster.
The author expresses a personal preference for a bow and arrow over a toy gun, hinting at a critique of the glorification of gun culture even in play.
The article conveys a clear stance against smoking, emphasizing its dangers and the ethical implications of promoting it to children.
There is an implied questioning of why, despite the recognized dangers of smoking, toy guns remain a socially acceptable gift for children.

What is under your tree?

When you were a little kid did you ever get candy cigarettes for Christmas? I did.

I was too young to remember or care who was president at the time but I think it may have been Eisenhower. It was back when smoking was still cool, back when the tobacco industry was in cahoots with the candy industry in efforts to lure small children into addictive habits.

Even though it was close to a hundred years ago I still vividly remember that Christmas and all the gifts I got. Most of the gifts, of course, were clothes. Growing boys can be such a burden to their parents because they grow so quickly that they are always needing new clothes. Wrap those clothes and the pile of presents under the tree can look formidable.

But it would be cruel to give a child nothing but clothes for Christmas. Luckily, I got some toys, too.

My favorite toy that year was a ViewMaster(TM). I could put my eyes up to that thing, pull the lever to turn the circular disk of images, and be transported to exotic distant lands or see rare wild animals. It helped open my mind to the world. I was a ViewMaster(TM) kid for many years and every Christmas I would get new circular disks of photos to luxuriate in. (Sometimes I wish I still had that thing.)

I also got a holster with a toy gun. My older brother got one, too. We ended up having many a gunfight. And we played ‘Cowboys and Indians’ for countless hours with the neighborhood boys. We did a lot of imaginary killing. Every boy wants a gun, right? (Actually, I was a little bit disappointed because what I really wanted was a bow and arrow. When I played ‘Cowboys and Indians’ I always wanted to be an Indian.)

And, of course, there was plenty of candy and chocolates, including the aforementioned candy cigarettes. My older brother got a pack of them, too. For a few days we had imaginary cigarettes dangling from our mouths and imaginary guns in our hands. Man, were we ever cool!

Nowadays, no parent in their right mind would give their children candy cigarettes. Heck, it is probably impossible to even find candy cigarettes. They are probably illegal. After all, cigarettes are bad and enticing children to smoke is even worse. Cigarettes kill. According to the Surgeon General, they cause lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, birth defects, impotency, liver failure, and brown teeth. They are no longer cool.

Curiously, parents still give their children toy guns.