I was around 9 or 10 and I spent the previous couple of years riding my bike every chance I got. I put together a 70s era BMX using a frame that someone left sitting out for the trash. I pieced things together with parts we had laying around the house, and using money from allowance or however else little kids manage to get cash. It was my sole means of exploration and for that I was thankful to have it, but it was heavy and my undeveloped constructing skills were constantly being put to the test by my own sense of invulnerability. A couple of years go by and my love for bikes has not diminished, but grown and extended into a means of carrying on friendships during the summer months that often separate kids from their classmates. I would wake up around the break of daylight and suit up in my cargo pants and T-shirt then set off to meet up with my friends. We rode everyday, rain would not stop us, nor cuts or wrecks. The only things that slowed us down was hunger and the occasional stop at 'the bike shop' to fix a flat tire or just to stare at all the shiny new bikes. This is where an obsession began.Mosh brand bikes were all the rage at the time, and a few of my friends had gotten them. One day a new one was put up in the storefront window and when me and the guys saw it we all just stared in wonder. The 1998 model Mosh Pro XL! Holy crap guys its beautiful! Red and black and sporting all the new BMX components, what else could a boy want? Well for me, nothing. I'm not exactly sure how, but that bike sat in the window for months, tempting me. When we would stop at the bike shop I would go near it, inspecting it, imagining it was mine, and occasionally sitting on it if no one was looking. At home I would tell my parents about it, dreaming up schemes to procure it, but was usually asked to keep things in perspective which was a nice way of saying we can't afford it.As the months roll by I do realize that its unlikely that I'll ever own the thing, but despite that I'm still more than infatuated by this freaking bike. School starts back and bike riding is cut back to a minimum. The thoughts of it slowly seep into the rural boundaries of my adolescent brain. I'm being overwhelmed by the monotony of this middle school life, but alas christmas break is coming. It wasn't christmas day at all, but thats when it happened. I am looking for something in our storage room a few days before Christmas and lo and behold a Mosh Pro XL tucked away carefully and awaiting Xmas morning! THE Mosh Pro XL!!! It is a moment I won't forget. I was ecstatic, but also in awe of my parents sacrifice. Not sure what to do, and unable to control my excitement I run to my parents and hug them and ask if I can ride it. They allow it, and after that it was hard to separate me from that bike for the next couple of years.That bike is long gone now, but I am left with a reminder of Christmas spirit and of sacrifice in general. Sometimes the gifts are more than you can imagine, but what really remains is a reminder that someone out there cares enough about you to sacrifice a little bit of themselves just to see you happy.Merry Christmas Geekhack. Thanks for making this place feel like a community during the holidays. Thank you Martin!The only pics of a mosh pro xl that I could find, this one isn't all original but close enough: