No, not really. It was a cost-benefit analysis (which added to the fun of Christmas) but since I had no real control over what my parents purchased, and no way of knowing what they would select from the list, there was still a mystique attached to the season. I wrote an entire essay about Mortal Kombat and the various reasons why it was not a dangerous, violent game that would corrupt my childhood (coincidentally, the essay was almost entirely incorrect.) There was a sense of anticipation in the days leading up to Christmas, wondering which gifts were selected and how good of a job I did at prioritizing the list. Now I am calculating dollars and cents and moving on the way I do at the grocery store.