| Mrs. 'Boro: Friends' e-mail offer insight into Christmas |
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By: JEANNE BRAGG, Post Columnist
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Posted: Sunday, December 20, 2009 8:27 am
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I sent an e-mail asking friends to tell me about their favorite Christmas gifts.
Some were funny; others serious. All were touching. I’d like to share some of them—with apologies to many for having abbreviated the stories—and to many others for not having been able to include them all.
“I had a favorite uncle and aunt who lived in Nashville who had no children. They always spent Christmas Eve with us. One year I asked Santa for a new Western Flyer bicycle (I had worn out two old ones on my paper route). I had to retire early so Santa “would be sure to come.” As I lay in bed I heard my uncle ring the bell on the bicycle as they rolled it under the tree. I knew I had a new bicycle-- but also learned who Santa really was.”
Bruce Plummer
“A few years ago, my mom gave me a picture album that included a picture of me at age 3 with my grandmother watering beautiful flowers. My grandmother died a few months later but I always remembered that special time I spent with her. I can now share it with my 3 girls!”
Leslie Walker, Barnes and Noble
“Every year my children and husband organize all the year’s photos in a picture album. For years when we had to develop them, they would be in every drawer of the house. It has been great fun and we have found many forgotten occasions.”
Mary White
“My favorites are the ones when my dad has snuck back into a store when Mom has fallen in love with something in on a trip and surprises her with it. He sweetly seems to do that almost every year. As much as I love getting their very thoughtful gifts, the best gift is getting to see how much they love to take care of each other.”
Anne MacDonald, niece
“After my girls got old enough to ‘borrow’ my scissors and never return them, my mom, Annelle Miller, gave me a huge sack of scissors from the Dollar Store. We are still using some of them today!”
Missy Eubanks
“One of the most memorable gifts received were the faces of two little Native American children when we arrived at their door on Christmas morning playing Santa Claus. I convinced my early high school girls to forgo gift giving in our family and adopt a needy family instead. The effort included the meal, pots & pans, dishes and clothing and certainly toys. Seeing the looks on the faces of Tahini and Little Feather was God's gift to us! That will always remain at the top.”
Debbie Dray
“My first year at UT, I had experienced the ‘freshman 15’. On Christmas morning my tree was loaded with Pizza pictures, fries, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc. To say the least, I was not amused.”
Melanie Shipp
“My husband bought me (the shoe wench) a pair of Ugg clogs for Christmas about 4 years ago. They have been my all time favorite pair of shoes! Not very romantic but great gift!!!”
Jeri Lamb
“My favorite gift ever had to do with something that upset me greatly. One year one of my young girls dropped ‘Our First Christmas 1982’ limited edition Hallmark ornament celebrating our first Christmas together. The bottom shattered; so did my resolve not to cry. Every year when we put the taped ornament on the tree I made sure the daughter who dropped it knew I loved her more than the ornament. My husband found the EXACT ornament on e-Bay in 1998. To this day, we hang our ornaments side by side and laugh at the original one with its bottom taped up (but I really liked jewelry, too).
Lindy Gintzig
“My favorite present is a recipe box my sisters Beth and Anne gave me. It's unusual and interesting because they mailed out recipe cards to our family members for me. I use it all the time.”
John Bragg, my son
“Mine is everyone I know.”
Ridley Bouldin
“Our daughter, Laura, was born 10 weeks early. It was so hard to leave her there in the NICU on Christmas Eve to spend Christmas with my family but I knew she was in good hands! Everything you have ever heard about hospital NICU staffs is true, and then some! We still send the staff photo Christmas cards every year.”
Susan Moss
“The first year I lived in Denver I was all alone in my house--all by myself. It was the loneliest day of my life. The next year my mother Georgia sent me plane tickets home. No gift was ever more appreciated.”
Alex Jennings
While reading the replies, I realized that circumstances make memories—some expected; others not. These memories are the true gifts of the season.
‘Til next week. |
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