This post brought to you by Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of my most vivid Christmas memories is from 1986, and involves a present that wasn’t even for me. It was the Christmas that my older brother got the Nintendo NES. 

I will never forget that moment, you guys. When he tore the wrapping paper and saw what was inside, he let out the most perfect high pitch note as his scream, and held it for, I’m guessing, 8 seconds. 

It was an epic response to an epic gift, and it is hands-down one of my favorite Christmas memories of all time. 

I’ll also never never forget getting to play Super Mario World™ for the first time. It didn’t hold my interest very much until I heard about the Princess in the game. I don’t think it was the fact that she was a princess that interested me, as much as the fact that there was a girl in the game. 

All the characters have continued on since that time through several different fun games. Mario, Luigi, Princess and Toad are now battling it out once again in Super Mario 3D Land. This is the first multiplayer Super Mario World™ game, now available on WiiU, set in a 3D world. Players can pick one of the characters and learn how to master their talents. Once you’ve got one down, start working on the next! One example of a cool new skill: Cat Mario can climb high (where secrets are often hidden), pounce, and my personal favorite, claw his enemies! That ought to be one heck of a cat fight! 

I can’t possibly be the only child of the ’80s with vivid memories of the first Nintendo system to arrive at their homes. Tell me a little about your memories! And did you have a favorite character back then? What about now?