The Worst Christmas Gift I Ever Received
Today marks the one-week mark before Christmas. Most of us are feeling the familiar holiday squeeze — the pressure to get it right, to pick the perfect gift, to keep all the moving parts moving. Before the wrapping paper flies and the chaos peaks, let’s pause to unwrap a story that surprised me… and eventually shaped me.
Welcome, wisdom-seekers to Skip’s Quips – a Holiday Special Edition. This week on The Main Thing Podcast, we’re doing something a little different — and a little more intimate. No guest. No interview. Just you and me, gathered around a story that has stayed with me for nearly half a century.
And it couldn’t be landing at a better time.
This is the tale of the worst Christmas gift I ever received — and the unexpected wisdom it carried.
This Special Episode is A Gift to you
In this short Christmas reflection, I take you back to 1976, when ten-year-old Skip unwrapped a gift that left him confused, disappointed, and wondering what he had done wrong. But what I didn’t know then — and what I can see so clearly now — is that the quiet gifts we don’t understand often become the ones that shape our character the most deeply.
This story is a reminder that:
- Some gifts grow on us slowly
- Love sometimes looks like preparation
- And the smallest objects can carry the largest lessons
It’s my Christmas gift to you today — a little wisdom wrapped in memory, gratitude, and hindsight.
Where’s the Special Guest and What’s a “Skip’s Quip?”
We are doing something a little different. I’ll be sharing a wisdom lesson with you—but there won’t be a guest. Just me, sharing wisdom. A short wisdom lesson of less than 10 minutes total. We plan to do these about 6 times a year. We’re calling these special editions – “Skip’s Quips.”
Don’t worry, we will still bring you wisdom conversations with our special guests twice a month. Additionally, you will receive “Skip’s Quips” to supplement to our regular wisdom programming. Let us know what you think, and please share your feedback. You can do that via SpeakPipe.
This special “Skip’s Quip” will help you:
- Reset your heart six days before Christmas
- See gift-giving through a new, deeper lens
- Remember the shaping power of work, responsibility, and small tasks
For More Information About Skip Lineberg
Please visit our website.
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Marketing, Social Media and Graphic Design Chloe Lineberg
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Keywords
Wisdom, Gifts, Christmas, Holiday, Humility, Long-Term, Learning, Growth, Work, Labor, Character, Legacy, Development, Parenting, Grandparents, Reflection, Gratitude, Childhood, Family, Perspective, Patience, Expectations
Podcast Transcript
(0:05) – Announcer
It’s Christmas season here in America, and with it comes a familiar rhythm— a faster pace, more noise, more pressure. Many of us are scurrying, clicking, wrapping, hoping we get it right. So let me start with a simple question: What’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
(0:38) – Skip
Hey, friends – it’s Skip Lineberg. Welcome back to The Main Thing Podcast. Today, we’re doing something a little different—no guest, just you and me. And since we’re in the heart of the holiday season, I’ve got a Skip’s Quip that’s close to my heart. A short story about the worst Christmas gift I ever unwrapped. Settle in, and let’s begin the story.
(1:02) – Skip
If you’re like me, it was probably something unexpected—perhaps something odd, something that didn’t quite align with what you were hoping for or what you had quietly been imagining or even demanding in your 10-year-old boy heart. That question takes me back to a Christmas I’ll never forget. Christmas 1976.
(1:28) – Skip
I was 10 years old. The living room felt warm—tree lights glowing, family gathered close, bowls of striped mints and “heart attack candy” positioned around the living room. A moment later, my grandfather handed me a gift. It was long, slender, wrapped carefully in festive red-and-white paper with a ribbon around it.
(1:55) – Skip
For one, brief hopeful moment, my imagination took off. Was it a fishing rod? A new baseball bat? Maybe a hockey stick? I started peeling back the paper— and there it was: a broom.
(2:17) – Skip
Plain, bare wood handle, unpainted. The bristles were uneven, irregular, messy. It wasn’t like any broom I’d ever seen before. It looked like something to be used for work, not something to be admired. I just stood there, confused.
(2:35) – Skip
My unwrapped gift—that broom—in my hand. I stood there completely disappointed, because 10-year-old boys want racing cars and football helmets and G.I. Joe… not a broom. Was I being punished? Had I been a bad boy that year? Was this broom my version of that proverbial lump of coal?
(3:00) – Skip
The truth is, it was a boy-sized handmade broom from Pennsylvania Quaker country. Today, I’d treasure it instantly—very unique, very cool. But 10-year-old me? Not a chance. After all, it was just a broom. And I’m sure I sulked.
(3:22) – Skip
I’m sure my mother gave me that look— the one that says, “Hey, shape up, show some gratitude”—and I’m sure I tried, unconvincingly, to fake excitement.
Long awkward moments passed. Thankfully, gift-opening eventually gave way to dinner. Food has a way of rescuing moments like that, doesn’t it?
I leaned the broom in the corner of the living room and moved toward the dining room and the food.
(3:53) – Skip
In the months that followed, my disappointment faded—not all at once, just gradually. And that broom… it stayed. I still remember the hook on the center post in the garage where that broom hung. It stayed there for years.
(4:21) – Skip
I learned how to sweep properly—when to pull the broom, when to switch sides, when to push dirt and dust forward. Young Skip became a pretty adept sweeper. I swept that garage hundreds of times. The smooth cold concrete, the cracks, the oil stains—they’re all still etched in my memory.
(4:56) – Skip
The front porch—I swept that too. And the back deck. Many, many times. And something subtle happened: I became more helpful, more useful, more engaged, more responsible. My parents noticed. Maybe my grandfather noticed too.
(5:36) – Skip
You see, my grandfather came from a generation that believed work mattered a lot. He was a builder—the kind of man who could fix anything with his hands. And someone who believed character was formed the same way: through work with our hands.
He didn’t explain lessons; he gave them. And I imagine now his quiet knowing smile watching his grandson learn, over time, the dignity of work, the discipline of caring for what’s been entrusted to you, and the pride that comes from doing something well even when no one’s watching.
(6:11) – Skip
I used that broom until its bristles were worn down to little nubs. Here’s the irony: I remember very few Christmas gifts from my childhood… but that broom? I’ll never forget it.
(6:35) – Skip
What I once believed was the worst Christmas gift I ever received turned out to be a gift that helped shape who I became. So here’s the wisdom I carry, especially at Christmas: If you’re giving gifts this season, don’t just think about what gets the biggest reaction in the moment. Some gifts aren’t meant to impress—they’re meant to shape.
They don’t sparkle right away; they grow quietly over time. So be intentional. Think about choosing gifts that will have lasting impact. And if you’re on the receiving end—especially if a gift leaves you confused or disappointed—pause. Hold it gently.
Its meaning may not be clear yet. Its value may still be unfolding. I remember very few gifts from my childhood… but that broom from Christmas 1976—I’ll never forget it. Because sometimes the gifts that matter most don’t look like gifts at all. Sometimes they just look like brooms.
(7:26) – Skip
Hey, that’s all for now. I hope you’ll join us again in a couple weeks for our next episode of The Main Thing Podcast.
