I was eight. Santa Claus was still very real to me. My list for him was long. On that list was a bicycle and a bride doll and...and...and. I don't remember what all I had wanted, but Santa did his best to get me what I wanted.
Christmas morning came, and under the tree was a 26 inch Schwinn bike. My first and only bicycle. And it was a deluxe edition, a little more deluxe than the one in the photo above. It had a horn that was battery operated, and it was enclosed on the bike below the handlebars and the seat. All I had to do was push the button, and the horn sounded. I don't know if there was a basket on it that morning, but there soon was, and in later years some streamers flowing from the grips on the handlebars.
What surprised me about the bike in the photo above is that there are no hand brakes. It has coaster brakes, just like mine did 63 years ago.
There were no training wheels back then. I just got on and tried and tried until I could ride the bicycle. The street in the front of our house was like a brick street, but the bricks were not smooth, and I had many scrapes and bruises from the falls that I took as I learned to ride...no knee pads or helmets back then either.
When I looked at the bike in the store, I noticed that it is a "Legacy" bike, made by Schwinn. With so many brands that have come and gone in the last years, I'm glad there is still a Schwinn bike.
I cherish the memories of that bike. Unlike so many children today, it was the only bike I ever had or needed. These days, I find I need and want less and less. I know my parents were so relieved when I realized that they were the Santa, and they could breathe a little more easily.
I wish to you all a merry Christmas. May His presence in your life be your present.