When I was little, I remember Christmas presents that would light up my face as I pictured the hours of fun I would have putting to use those new gifts. Barbie doll furniture, a Cabbage Patch kid, a rocking horse, Trivia Pursuit for Juniors, a boom box. Christmas presents seemed to be about the non-essentials. They were all about having the fun that would carry one through the whole year until another new toy found its way under next year's tree.

Christmas has changed. This year, my gifts carried a much different theme, a theme not attached in any shape or form to having fun. The gifts I found under the tree this Christmas said one thing: learn to cook.

I admit I dislike cooking, and I got the hint this weekend from family and friends that perhaps I should sharpen up my skills through practice. While they spared me the not-so-subtle hint of a cookbook, I was given a George Foreman grill - an appliance that even the least gifted cook can put to use. I also received a cake pan (suggesting my baking could use some help) and a large measuring bowl (suggesting my poor cooking skills may come from a lack of precision).

While these gifts are appreciated and may even one day be put to use, they are not the same as those dolls and board games. Christmas presents today are much more practical and thus far less fun to think about putting to use. It's hard for me to conjure up much fun of putting a cake pan to use or - looking back to last Christmas - finding a creative means to use that dutch oven.

They say Christmas is for the kids and when it comes to gifts under the tree, they might be right. However, each time I unwrap a new spatula or cutting board, I get this urge, wishing for just one day of the year, I could be a kid again.