We had our family Christmas party tonight (last night, technically speaking). My mom gave me grey stockings, and I laughed till I had to wipe a tear from my eye. Why? I’d bought the stockings for myself a few weeks earlier and she was giving them back. For some strange reason, a few weeks ago I had stockings in my pocket while my mom and I were at the store. I’d felt embarrassed about the big ‘lump’ protruding from my hip. My mom, the sweet darling she is, offered to put the stockings in her pocket for me, saying something like, “My hips already look lumpy so I don’t mind! :)” I love her!
She carried my bulky cable-knit burden for days, each of us forgetting to get them back / give them back. So today she resolved to give them back. And, as long as we were all giving each other presents, she figured she may as well wrap them.
I was so surprised! When the others found out the story behind the socks, they seemed to get a good chortle out of it. But they didn’t enjoy it half as much as I did. Now at home (and at 2 am, nice huh) I’m wondering how such a gift gave me such great joy. All of us at one time or another have probably imagined waking up Christmas morning and opening a present to find someone had been so thoughtful to have given you exactly what you wanted. And in a way, I did want these socks — at one time! But once I’d purchased them for myself, I completely forgot about them before even trying them on. Isn’t that how so many coveted presents turn out too? Once we have what we want we tend to forget about it and want something else. I don’t think I would have realized that this year without such a perfect present from my Mom. And now I have new stockings for church! 🙂
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and happy new year,
Velda
Update: Come to find out, my mom had another present in mind but was waiting to suprise me! My parents and my in laws bought Jared and I an artisan stand mixer! WOW! Fresh baked bread all around!
Legend of Velda 