My fondest childhood memory:

Mine is a Christmas story...my dad was ill with cancer at the time - I didn't know how sick he was...well, we opened all the presents & I was happy with everything, but I turned around & saw a big present with a bow on top. I remember saying "Ohhhhh, who is this one for? Ohhhhhh, It's me!!!!!!" It was from my dad, just for me. It was a bird cage with a little green parakeet in it. I loved it, I named him Donner, after the reindeer. Then, that year, our dog died, my dad died, & my parakeet died, in that order. It was a rough year, but getting the parakeet was a wonderful memory.