---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On…"
description: "\"I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On New Year's it flew away.\" — Milton Berle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png"
---

#  I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On New Year's it flew…

![“I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On New Year's it flew away.” quote by Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png)

> “I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On New Year's it flew away.”

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A humorous anecdote about a gift that unexpectedly disappears, highlighting the unpredictability of life and the fleeting nature of material possessions.

**In simple terms:** A gift vanished unexpectedly, showing life’s unpredictability.

Key Takeaway

Expect the unexpected and cherish moments.

Themes

humor family unexpected loss

Mood

lighthearted playful

Type

anecdotal humorous

When to use this quote

- holiday gifting
- parenting
- storytelling

Key Concepts

impermanence attachment surprise

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you cope with sudden loss of something valuable?
- What does this say about material vs. emotional gifts?

A Different Perspective

The story may downplay deeper emotional impact of loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [New year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-year/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/)

## Related quotes

> [My father gave me a bat for Christmas. The first time I tried to play with it, it flew away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/my-father-gave-me-a-bat-for-christmas-the-first-time-i-tried-to-play/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [What a childhood I had. Once on my birthday my ol' man gave me a bat. The first day I played with it, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/what-a-childhood-i-had-once-on-my-birthday-my-ol-man-gave-me-a-bat/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [For Christmas one year I bought my son a BB gun. He bought me a t-shirt with a bulls eye on the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/for-christmas-one-year-i-bought-my-son-a-bb-gun-he-bought-me-a-t/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [“And it all flew away like a dream--even my passion, and yet it really was strong and true, but...where has it gone now? Indeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-it-all-flew-away-like-a-dream-even-my-passion-and-yet-it-really/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [She looked, and a scarlet butterfly flew away from her, away down the length of the tower, and then another, another, an unraveling scarf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/she-looked-and-a-scarlet-butterfly-flew-away-from-her-away-down-the/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [2 birds named I luv u &amp; 'u love me lived in a house 'u luv me flew away who is there in the house now…?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my-babe/2-birds-named-i-luv-u-u-love-me-lived-in-a-house-u-luv-me-flew-away/)

My Babe

> [The stars were my best friends. The air was full of legends and phantoms, full of mythical and fair-tale creatures, which suddenly flew away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/the-stars-were-my-best-friends-the-air-was-full-of-legends-and/)

[Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/)

> [“Then the birds flew away, their names turned to kisses, a silence to spell a new world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/then-the-birds-flew-away-their-names-turned-to-kisses-a-silence-to/)

[Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/)

> [“Hope, that fragile tiny feather of a thing, flew away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-kahler/hope-that-fragile-tiny-feather-of-a-thing-flew-away/)

[Victoria Kahler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-kahler/)

> [When she was just a girl she expected the world, but it flew away from her reach so she ran away in her sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-she-was-just-a-girl-she-expected-the-world-but-it-flew-away-from/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Her eyes, walnut brown and shaded by fanned lashes, met mine. Held for a moment. Flew away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/her-eyes-walnut-brown-and-shaded-by-fanned-lashes-met-mine-held-for-a/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [“It flew away, whatever it was, and now he squinted up and remembered that it was the first time in a long spell he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrido-d-nolledo/it-flew-away-whatever-it-was-and-now-he-squinted-up-and-remembered/)

Wilfrido D. Nolledo

> [“Love came easy, but it just wasn't for me. It flew away like swallows on a summer evening. Love sang softly, but it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/love-came-easy-but-it-just-wasn-t-for-me-it-flew-away-like-swallows/)

[Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/)

> [“We must wait," she said. "They are involved in important buisness." Her tone was serious, almost reverntial. The two of them stopped, some five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/we-must-wait-she-said-they-are-involved-in-important-buisness-her/)

[John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/)

> [“Having managed to break the bread in half, the bird flew away so quickly, it seemed to melt into the blue sky. Philippe looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-pancol/having-managed-to-break-the-bread-in-half-the-bird-flew-away-so/)

Katherine Pancol

## More by Milton Berle

> [A man falls down a flight of stairs and somebody rushes over to him and asks, Did you miss a step? No, he answers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/a-man-falls-down-a-flight-of-stairs-and-somebody-rushes-over-to-him/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [Anytime a person goes into a delicatessen and orders a pastrami on white bread, somewhere a Jew dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/anytime-a-person-goes-into-a-delicatessen-and-orders-a-pastrami-on/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [Like every comedian, if I heard a joke that I thought would work, I used it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/like-every-comedian-if-i-heard-a-joke-that-i-thought-would-work-i/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [My sister-in-law found a real surprise in her stockings - my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/my-sister-in-law-found-a-real-surprise-in-her-stockings-my-brother/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [When I was in school, one of my teachers was crazy about me. I once heard her tell another teacher, "I wish he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/when-i-was-in-school-one-of-my-teachers-was-crazy-about-me-i-once/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-d-rather-be-a-could-be-if-i-cannot-be-an-are-because-a-could-be-is/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [Every year my boss used to give me a bottle of expensive brandy because I'd told him that my doctor suggested a drink once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/every-year-my-boss-used-to-give-me-a-bottle-of-expensive-brandy/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [The problem with life is, by the time you can read women like a book, your library card has expired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/the-problem-with-life-is-by-the-time-you-can-read-women-like-a-book/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [If you hire relatives, you'll have a payroll that won't quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/if-you-hire-relatives-you-ll-have-a-payroll-that-won-t-quit/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [It's amazing how fast later comes when you buy now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/it-s-amazing-how-fast-later-comes-when-you-buy-now/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [I don't mind personal insults, but when you insult the jokes that I tell you're insulting Fred Allen, Bob Hope, Burns and Allen, Trevor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-don-t-mind-personal-insults-but-when-you-insult-the-jokes-that-i/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [I like to think of myself as the middleman between Fred Allen and Henny Youngman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-the-middleman-between-fred-allen-and/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [What an orchestra! They just sit there, but their minds are thousands of miles away with their bookies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/what-an-orchestra-they-just-sit-there-but-their-minds-are-thousands/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [My son gave me a nice bottle of cologne - Eau de Owe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/my-son-gave-me-a-nice-bottle-of-cologne-eau-de-owe/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [I was in a department store and I saw a weird-looking gadget. I asked the young saleslady what it was. She answered, "It doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-was-in-a-department-store-and-i-saw-a-weird-looking-gadget-i-asked/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

[Explore all 135 Milton Berle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

## More Bats quotes

> [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. That is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/some-people-enjoy-taking-a-light-stroll-in-the-morning-and-that-gives/)

[Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/)

> [When (the Reds) won, we loved it because we ran into the locker room and touched all the bats and gloves and got some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr-2/when-the-reds-won-we-loved-it-because-we-ran-into-the-locker-room-and/)

[Ken Griffey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr-2/)

> [It's good to find the barrel of the bat again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-utley/it-s-good-to-find-the-barrel-of-the-bat-again/)

[Chase Utley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-utley/)

> [A lot of hitters stay away from the plate, some are close up, some are forward, some are back. The thing about hitting is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-musial/a-lot-of-hitters-stay-away-from-the-plate-some-are-close-up-some-are/)

[Stan Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-musial/)

> [Mass-market movies have become about one thing. They kind of declare themselves right off the bat. . . . But when I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/mass-market-movies-have-become-about-one-thing-they-kind-of-declare/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [Went out again to the harbour in sydney... and saw some bats that were probably bigger than meowingtons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-zimmerman/went-out-again-to-the-harbour-in-sydney-and-saw-some-bats-that-were/)

[Joel Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-zimmerman/)

> [Isn't it odd? A guy bats .301 and has 35 homers. Then everybody starts to tell him what a good fielder he has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-stuart/isn-t-it-odd-a-guy-bats-301-and-has-35-homers-then-everybody-starts/)

Dick Stuart

> [The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it. The beanball is a potential murderer. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/the-beanball-is-one-of-the-meanest-things-on-earth-and-no-decent/)

[Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/)

> [Pro-rated at 500 at-bats a year that means that for two years out of the fourteen I played, I never even touched the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-cash/pro-rated-at-500-at-bats-a-year-that-means-that-for-two-years-out-of/)

Norm Cash

> [(At the back of the cave, Phoebe placed her hand against one of the stones where a spring release opened an elevator door. Chris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/at-the-back-of-the-cave-phoebe-placed-her-hand-against-one-of-the/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [A failure becomes just one time at bat if you refuse to let it defeat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marv-levy/a-failure-becomes-just-one-time-at-bat-if-you-refuse-to-let-it-defeat/)

[Marv Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marv-levy/)

> [Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-pick-on-your-sister-when-she-s-holding-a-baseball-bat/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [The fans know that I don't give at-bats away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ortiz/the-fans-know-that-i-don-t-give-at-bats-away/)

[David Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ortiz/)

> [I grew up in the '60s, which was a creative time, so it wasn't that big of a stretch to go from a baseball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/i-grew-up-in-the-60s-which-was-a-creative-time-so-it-wasn-t-that-big/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

Browse all 576 Bats quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On New Year's it flew away.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Milton Berle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-new-year-s-it-flew-away/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bats"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-new-year-s-it-flew-away/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/milton-berle-3246_bats_i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-n_1524251.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I bought my son a bat for Christmas. On New Year's it flew away.” — Milton Berle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Milton Berle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I bought my son a bat...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-new-year-s-it-flew-away/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-bought-my-son-a-bat-for-christmas-on-new-year-s-it-flew-away/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
