I've scratched the article I originally planned to post for today for a more Christmas themed article which also means I'll be winging it from here on it. I don't really know what I plan to accomplish with this article, but I will be focusing on some of the gifts that I have gotten that have strengthened my passion for baseball.

First, Merry Christmas to all. I hope that if you had children they didn't wake you up to early. I was fortunate enough to have my three year old sleep in until 8 a.m. this morning. After she got up it was presents and breakfast burritos.

This was our final count for Astros gear.

The sweatshirt belongs to my daughter, the t-shirt belongs to my wife and the rest of the stuff belongs to me (Thanks Mom!).

Getting these gifts took me back to my younger years when I got not just Astros stuff, but baseball stuff. I've gotten hats, jerseys and memorabilia. On the game-room walls I've got two separate pictures of Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, a dart board, a clock and a couple different signs expressing my Astros fandom. But I wasn't always specifically an Astros fan.

As a preteen I was more of a, I guess what you would call, a general baseball fan. Ricky Henderson was my favorite player and at different points in my youth I rooted for the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals. During the mid-summer classic I remember rooting for the American League team to win.

Another thing I was into was baseball cards and these two boxes are two of my favorite Christmas gifts ever:

The box on the left is the entire 1991 Score baseball card set. On the right is The Sporting News' replica set of baseball cards from 1905-1942 featuring "the classic photography of Charles Conlon." The boxes look a little beat up (the Score more so than the Conlon Collection) but I can assure you the cards on the inside have been very well taken care of.

Even as a kid I knew I shouldn't open the box but I couldn't help myself and with the way the baseball card market turned out I feel a bit more justified in my choice those many years ago. I apologize if you clicked here expecting some sort of funny or interesting story, I don't have any. I just remember the joy of Christmas morning and the happiness from all baseball gifts I got.

I'd love to hear some of baseball related Christmas memories.

Merry Christmas!