Morning TV star

I have to tell you about one of my favorite Christmas presents this year.

Usually when you get a coffee mug for Christmas, you might not be very excited. You’re probably thinking the kind with the candy in the mug.

I got two coffee cups for Christmas this year, and opening them brought tears to my eyes. You see, when I was younger (maybe even when I was older), I would drink coffee or hot chocolate at my grandparents’ house from two specific mugs. One said “NBC” and the other had the Today Show logo. When I would use these cups, I would pretend like I was the morning news anchor getting ready to start my show. I had that thought every single time. I would scour the cabinets just to find those mugs. And let me tell you, my grandparents have a lot of coffee mugs. Even as I got older, I always found myself searching for those mugs.

This year, my grandparents gave me those mugs. What makes them even more significant is that they were a gift from my dad from a trip he took to New York City in the early '90s. He was on a business trip that took him the Democratic National Convention during the Bill Clinton era.

The best thing about this gift is that I’m not afraid to use them. I’ve been drinking from them every morning, and each time I pour my coffee, I can’t help but think about Katie Couric and my pretend TV debut.

*My mug has the old logo, but I couldn't find one that looked like it. Photo from the NBC online store.