December 15, 2025: The Christmas Countdown (Day 3)

One of my favorite Christmas gifts as a teen.

And yes, this blog will show my age.

As a kid, I loved my uncle’s 8-track tapes and his crate packed with LPs. Elvis and Elton John dominated the stack. In elementary school, I had a little stash of 45s, including “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar.

Back then, records lived on shelves like trophies. And we’d spend hours at record stores, flipping through bins and asking for recommendations.

Soon, I graduated to cassettes, playing Huey Lewis and Men at Work on repeat until the tapes shriveled in my car stereo.

And then, Christmas 1986.

I got a CD boombox. Oh my goodness, the future of sound. Like a spaceship landing under the tree.

That boombox served as my gateway drug. The warble of cassettes vanished, replaced by shocking silence between tracks. And what… no rewinding? Skipping songs with a button felt illegal.

One of my early albums was from the B-52’s. I remember tenderly handling those discs, polishing every smudge, terrified of the dreaded error message.

My collection ballooned. Soon, I had a Rolling Stones magazine subscription and a mail-order club, further growing my music tastes.

Of course, today everything is digital. Just endless streams at our fingertips. Vinyls, tapes, and CDs are now only vintage items.

Back when Spotify came out, I became an early subscriber. And guess what playlist I created first?

A Christmas one, packed with 1980s vibes.

New tools can still carry old feelings.