Here's a nostalgic Christmas memory for anyone who grew up in the 70's, with yet another Star Wars reference! I wonder if this will be a common theme. Long live Luke and Leia! Read on...
A Christmas a Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Quite Close
The holidays are one of my favorite times of year. I love decorating, baking, and buying fun gifts for people. When I was a kid, of course the best part of Christmas was the toys. I’m a child of the 70s, and one of the defining moments of my childhood was seeing Star Wars at the tender age of five. I instantly became a fanatic, and because Star Wars was a pop culture phenomenon, it was everywhere. And the toys--how I loved those action figures and playsets! This made Christmas even more exciting. There was the elaborate writing of lists, carefully specifying which action figure was desired (there was a big difference between Luke Skywalker in his Tatooine outfit and Luke in his X-Wing fighter outfit) and pouring over the Sears catalog (these were the Dark Ages, no internet, no Amazon wish lists) at the elaborate displays of the latest items available for purchase.
Then it finally happened, the Star Wars Christmas my brother and I had been dreaming of. No, we didn’t get the Death Star playset or the AT-AT (too expensive), but we received a decent selection of action figures. Not to mention the new holiday classic, the Star Wars Christmas album, “Christmas in the Stars.” This record contained such hits as “What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)” and “R2D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and featured the original cast R2D2 and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. It was brilliant.
That Christmas not only filled our house with all things Star Wars (although I never did get the plush R2D2 I wanted so desperately), it also set me upon my path as a writer. My brother and I played with those toys for hours on end. We took the Star Wars universe and created our own worlds and our own modified characters. Then I decided I liked writing, and what better way to start than by writing down these stories we’d concocted. The more I wrote, the more I loved it. Eventually, I moved away from this early form of fan fiction and invented my own characters and my own worlds. I can’t say I’d thank George Lucas for his influence on my childhood (I’m still too bitter about Episodes I-III), but I’m not sure I’d be an author if it weren’t for Star Wars and that one special Christmas that brought all the magic together.
Cindy Young-Turner has always been an avid reader and became fascinated by mythology and Arthurian legends at an early age. Branching her interests from mythology to classic supernatural tales to medieval history and then to fantasy seemed to be a logical progression. For more information, check out her website and blog at http://www.cindyyoungturner.com.
Cindy’s debut fantasy novel, Thief of Hope, was published in May 2011 by Crescent Moon Press. Thief of Hope features a pickpocket whose life becomes entangled with the commoners’ fight against an oppressive society, a would-be king’s bid for the throne, and the strange and dangerous magic of the faery folk. It’s available in paperback and ebook from:
What a great post, Cindy. Really enjoyed it.
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Jenny
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Thanks, Jenny! And thanks to Mysti for the opportunity to do a guest post and share a fun memory!
ReplyDeleteWhat's doubly great about these posts is that I'm finding more for my TBR pile :)
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