Larry Fisher

I’ve never been overly big on holidays of any kind, including birthdays. At about the age of 10 I stopped getting annual cakes and shortly thereafter I started asking for only money as gifts, so I could spend freely whenever and on whatever I wanted. That changed this year when, turning the ripe old age of 27 and nine months into my first-ever relationship, my lovely girlfriend Sarah went to extreme lengths and spared no expense in restoring my childhood love for getting older.

Her first gift was more my style, in that she told me weeks in advance of my birthday, Nov. 8th, what she wanted to get and actually let me pick it out at the store. The gift was a much-needed new goalie bag. I was thrilled with that present as presented and didn’t expect anything more. But Sarah, a shopaholic with a huge heart and affection for every holiday event, wasn’t done . . . not even close!

On the morning of Nov. 8th, Sarah, who was battling a nasty cold at the time, ventured out to “run some errands.” I knew picking up a cake was one of them, but turns out she also pitstopped at the mall. Colour me curious . . .

First things first, get this card out of the way…just kidding, inside was an adorable message that was fitting for our love. But what’s in the rest of these boxes . . . ?

The suspense was too much . . . upon opening my eyes, I discovered two new Oilers hats as Sarah discovered a 2-for-1 sale at Lids. These were also much-needed as my old collection of Oilers hats, and there were a handful of them, were showing severe signs of sweat stains, plus the wear and tear of being several years old.

Next up a small, solid, rectangular box of which its contents couldn’t be determined with this shake test. After peeling off the NHL wrapping paper, I found a 2012 NHL trivia calendar that promised to stump even the most hardcore fans. We couldn’t wait for 2012, as Sarah flipped through some random dates and indeed stumped me a few times, though I was batting above .500 with my guesses. Now I can’t wait for 2012 and the rest this gift has to offer . . .

Saving the best for last, I opened the big box to find a retro white Oilers jersey, a real one. Last fall, I purchased a fake blue Oilers retro with Taylor Hall’s name and number on it. This fall, well starting in June when the Oilers drafted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first overall, I wanted the white version and often detoured through Jersey City to admire them but I couldn’t justify spending the difference for a legit, authentic one. Luckily for me, Sarah could and soon I will add Nugent-Hopkins’ name and number to this awesome gift. The best part is now we can both wear Oiler jerseys when watching their games on TV . . . expect for one minor problem, Sarah is still a Canucks fan!

Now for the main event, the cake. FYI, it’s easier said than done when it comes to lighting 27 candles on an ice-cream cake. After burning myself a couple times, it was showtime!

I huffed and puffed and . . . blew out ALL the candles. You know what that means: No girlfriends. That was the story of my life every Nov. 8th for the previous 26 years, but, fortunately for me, my long-winded prowess hasn’t scared Sarah off yet!