“Getting that first big kid, 10-speed bike – that’s always special,” Pres. Barack Obama said of his favorite Christmas gift from his childhood. “I remember that one.”

But even more profound, the president reflects on meeting his father for the first time at Christmas – an encounter that sparked his love of basketball.

“He gave me a basketball,” he said. “I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking up the sport as a kid who didn’t know his dad.”

As for the First Lady, her favorite Christmas gift was a dollhouse.

“I remember I really didn’t know how to set up a house so I had all the furniture lined up along the walls as opposed to nestled around the fireplace,” she said. “But I loved that little doll house.”

And who’s the better gift giver? “I have given some good gifts,” the president said. Addressing his wife, he added, “You get some nice stuff. Here’s the general rule – I give nicer stuff than I get!”

Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special – which the talk show host says she pursued “from the very first day they moved into the White House” – will air Sunday, Dec. 13 at 10:00 p.m. on ABC.