Dad always had us cover our eyes Christmas mornings until he could position each of his children in front of the tree. Our greatest gift to him was always the joyful surprise on our faces.

I actually still have only one Christmas surprise from my father. It’s the guitar I saw leaning against the sofa when I uncovered my eyes in 1976.

A small-body, Yamaha FG-75, it’s a hearty little guitar with a big-guitar sound. At $100, it was a popular model for beginner players. At least three of my friends had one just like it.

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