Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year. It has been since I was a little kid. It's a day of anticipation: Waiting for family, waiting for Santa, waiting for morning. When I was very young and we lived in Toronto, we would drive around visiting a few extended family members who we wouldn't see on Christmas Day. As we drove through the city, my parents would point out the red lights atop the antennas on the roofs of tall buildings. That might be Rudolph leading Santa's sleigh, they would say. I would nearly pass out from the excitement.

Now that I'm older, of course, the joy of Christmas has become giving gifts rather than receiving them. (I'm particularly proud of an absurdly big Lego set I picked out this year for my nephew). And instead of a day of anticipation, Christmas Eve has become a day of nostalgia, taking me back to cold, snowy days in Canada when I was a little kid waiting for Santa and imagining the possibilities.

All of this is a roundabout way of bringing me to today's card:

I never expected I would ever own a Wayne Gretzky autograph card. They're usually insanely expensive and far, far beyond what I'm willing to buy. But this is my single favorite card (non-Steve Yzerman division) from my favorite modern hockey set. And when I found it a few weeks ago listed on eBay at a reasonable price by a seller who was willing to negotiate a little further, I decided to treat myself. It's Christmas, right? And even big kids still like Christmas toys.

This is just about the perfect card for me. For starters, it is absolutely beautiful. All of the Signature Renditions cards are, but this is especially so. It's almost an Impressionist painting of the greatest hockey player of all time. I know, I know, it's a digital alteration, not an actual painting. To that I say: Whatever. It's gorgeous.

Then there's the autograph. It's the freakin' Great One! A big, flowery "W" at the beginning, the iconic "99" at the end and quick underline to tie it all together. It's incredible to think that Wayne Gretzky himself actually held this card in his hand.

But most importantly of all is the moment. Gretzky has just completed a hat trick in game seven of the 1993 Campbell Conference finals inside Maple Leaf Gardens, in what he later called likely the best game of his career. The goal, scored midway, through the third period, would prove to be the winner in one of the best playoff series in NHL history. The Toronto team that the Kings beat was arguably the best in the franchise's last 50 years. Most importantly, from my perspective, is that I remember it well. Everyone in Toronto had been caught Leafs fever that season, as a team that had been a doormat through much of the 1980's had been completely revitalized by star forward Doug Gilmour and rookie sensation goalie Felix Potvin. No Leafs fan will ever forget the sight of goal celebration that Gretzky (and Pat Conacher and Charlie Huddy) are in the midst of on this card.

And that's what the best cards do. They take me back to a moment in time and let me enjoy the memories all over again. Just like Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas!