Posted on by ChatterLei

A Great Christmas Gift

We have survived most of the “firsts” of the first year of my dad’s passing. This was the first Christmas without him. It was definitely noticeable. And different. And a little empty. But, we survived and made the best of it. We are grateful Mom is still here and doing her best to figure out her new life without Dad. She is doing a great job of adjusting in her own very quiet way. We are grateful for her loving example.

One of our Christmas traditions is for the adults to exchange gifts in the following way. They bring a gift to the Christmas Day family gathering. This is not just any gift! It is a gift that they spend at least…at the very least…10 minutes shopping for on Christmas Eve Day! Haha! Actually, that is not a “rule” but for some of the last-minute gift givers, that is just how they roll. Others in the family usually take a bit more time thinking of just the perfect gift that they feel anyone would be happy to receive.

Over the years these gifts have ranged from pots and pans, to towels or blankets, or even simply a box of chocolates with maybe a $20 or $50-dollar bill attached to the top. Some years the gifts have been flashlights or batteries in a case (never can be too prepared) or even a bubbly desktop waterfall. We never assign a “theme” for the types of gifts to purchase. The only “rule” is that the gift needs to be wrapped in foil with no fancy bows on top.

Along with the tinfoil gift, the adults bring an amount of money that is placed in a non-see-through envelope. The amounts of money have ranged over the years from 20 dollars to 100 dollars. The usual amount is $50. When the family arrives on Christmas morning, one of the first things they do after removing their coats and hats is head for the envelopes to offload the money they are carrying around in their pocket or purse. They carefully place their tinfoil gift under the Christmas tree with the others. It is fun to see the silver tinfoil become a colorful reflection of the lights on the tree.

Everyone is all a buzz with comments of how good the egg bake smells and the young people have a look of impatience, hoping the prayer of thanks for the food is said quickly, so they can fill their plates with egg bake, English muffins, and fruit. Orange juice is most often the drink of choice. It is fun to have all 21 family members, adults and children, surrounding the several smaller tables pushed together to make one long table. The happy sound of eating and laughter warms my heart as I look around the table, taking in the sights and sounds of our yearly Christmas brunch.

Soon after, the dishes are cleared from the tables, which are pushed to the side of the room to make room for our circle of chairs. The gifts are pulled out from under the tree and handed out to the children whose smiles could not be brighter! It is a joyous occasion to watch as the children (teens included) open their gifts and the younger ones exclaim in delight at the new toys and games they have received. The teens were excited to see their tickets to the movie theater and a little money for popcorn, treats, and drinks, from Grandma and Grandpa. I thought they might go to the movies that afternoon, but they opted to stay and play games with us adults instead.

Fourteen adults and one highschooler participated in our tinfoil gift exchange this year. Paper was torn into 14 small pieces and each was numbered individually from 1 to 14 and placed in a small bowl. The gifts were placed in the center of the circle where we could eye the perfect one we hoped would still be available to choose when our number came up. This year my number was 6 which I picked from the bowl as my niece took it around the room from adult to adult so each could choose a number, which would dictate the order in which we could choose a gift from the pile. My husband picked number 9. We had a brief banter about which of us was really holding number 9 and which one was holding number 6. Mine was definitely number 6! *wink wink*

When it was my turn to choose an envelope and then a gift from the middle of the room, I chose a puffy envelope and an oblong gift, which rattled a little when I picked it up. Two of our granddaughters looked at each other and laughed as I carried it back to my chair. Looking at my granddaughters, I shook it gently and said it sounds like wooden pieces. They both looked at each other and laughed. Our oldest granddaughter is 23 and the other one who was laughing with her is her sister who is 17 and a senior in high school. She decided it was time to join the adult gift exchange this year since she is a senior.

Well, the only other gifts I remember seeing after I opened my gift was that there were a few gift cards to grocery stores…and, truly, I do not remember a single other gift! Mine was the best gift I have ever, ever EVER received! (OK, maybe not EVER, but it is definitely a favorite!) When I opened my gift, my granddaughters started to laugh out loud. It took me a minute to figure out what it was. And, when I figured it out, I couldn’t believe it! It was a BIDET attachment for the toilet. I was so excited! It might sound silly, but I have always wanted a Bidet and wondered why Americans are taking so long to implement such an amazing invention.

My husband installed the Bidet for me yesterday. My only question about it is…WHY did we not purchase one of these a LONG TIME AGO?! Our grandchildren thought they were being funny, but in the end it truly was one of the best gifts they could have gotten…at least for me! Well, I guess, I do have one more question: Where is the WARM water attachment? That will be the next item on our list of things to purchase in the near future. Bidets are nice, but I would guess, WARM water Bidets are even nicer.

Happy New Year’s Eve!!

Posted on by ChatterLei

Operation Santa!

After three years, of writing his annual Christmas letter to Santa, it finally happened….

On a cold winter afternoon, three days ago, there came a knock at our daughter and son-in-law’s front door. Our daughter opened the door, her eyes widening with wonder and a feeling of disbelief at the tall moving-box-sized box she saw sitting on the porch as the USPS driver backed out of their driveway and headed down the road. She walked around the box, straining to view the postal stamp at the top of the box to see who it was from. She noted the shipping price on the box and, again, her eyes widened. One hundred seventy-three dollars! Just for shipping! Then she noticed who it was from…OPERATION SANTA!

She and my son-in-law drug the box over the threshold through the front door and into the living room. Not knowing what to expect, she opened the box to see what was inside and if she needed to wrap anything. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw how many wrapped gifts were inside. About that time, her son came running out of his room to see what all the sound of rustling paper was about.

Kneeling down to be closer to him, his mommy wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him close to her. “Remember when you sent that letter to Operation Santa a few weeks ago and I told you that your letter might not be one of the letters to get adopted?” He answered in the affirmative. She explained that someone in New York adopted his letter this year and purchased several gifts for him that he had asked for in his letter.

His could barely contain his excitement. Turning toward the box that was now lying on its side with wrapped gifts spilling out onto the floor, he raced over and picked up one of the gifts asking if he could open it. His Mommy let him open one gift. Then another one. And another one. Until all of the gifts were opened, except one. There were Mario and Paw Patrol toys that he had asked for, as well as a remote control boat. The last unopened gift was substantially larger than all of the other presents. Curiosity got the best of him and his mommy. She let him open that one last gift. As he tore more and more paper off of the box, it became clear. There it was! The first thing on his Christmas list to Santa! “The Big Dig Sandbox Digger Excavator Crane with 360 Degree Rotation with Base Great for Sand, Dirt and Snow, Steel Outdoor Play Toy in Yellow”

The tears streaming down my daughter’s face, as her sweet thankful son hugged her, were not for the fact he received all kinds of new toys for Christmas. Rather, they were heartfelt tears that reflected her feelings of gratitude for the generosity of a complete stranger in a state several thousand miles away, a stranger who chose to adopt the letter from a kind-hearted boy who hoped for toys that were not clothing or shoes or things like that. My daughter’s six-year-old son who still believes in Santa Claus experienced the joy this year of being on the receiving end of someone’s else’s sacrifice of time and money to bring a child (and his family) joy at Christmas time.

This will be part of my grandson’s Christmas memories that will be shared for the remainder of his life. What a beautiful memory to share!

My daughter, for the last three years (including this year) has adopted letters and sent gifts to children who have written to Operation Santa. She has felt the good feelings of being on the giving end of this great program for those three years. And, this year had the opportunity to see her son’s excitement of being on the receiving end of Operation Santa.

My husband and I also felt the effects of being on the receiving end of this this program. As our grandson shared his excitement with us about gifts he received from someone in New York, my heart swelled with gratitude for those people who so lovingly and willingly brought joy to the face of my grandson and his parents.

I want to be a part of Operation Santa! We are too late to adopt a name this year, but next year and every year after that, we will choose a letter from a child to adopt and send gifts of joy and happiness. I can’t wait! If you want to join us by adopting your own letter for a child, click here and mark your calendar for next year to participate in OPERATION SANTA!!