story

Last night Mama V emailed me asking for Christmas stories. And I told her this one about Andrew's Christmas gift for me. After I wrote it out, I realized that this was a story that might be victim to my faulty memory in a few years. It deserved preserving! But I didn't have any pictures of the gift, or Andrew giving me the gift or Andrew with any gifts that he wasn't opening. So, to save the memory, to tell the story, I used a current seasonal shot of my Cutie. And it works pretty well.

Oh. And I used LOTS of buttons.
Thanks, Mom.


Here's the story:
Andrew, this year you didn’t really understand the presents part of Christmas. Before the season started, when we talked about Christmas, you would talk about the tree, where to put it, and that it needed a star on top. In fact, you often called the Christmas tree merely: “Christmas”. It was all about the tree.

Little by little presents began to come up. I would wrap presents. We would talk about presents for your friends. But still, you didn’t really understand that YOU would be getting presents. We didn’t even ask you what you wanted because at this point you wouldn’t really know how to answer a question like that.

Then Dad took you shopping. He took you to a local department store and brought you to the section of kitchen gadgets. You were there to get something for me. Immediately you spotted the perfect gift. It was a gadget that put a cork on an opened bottle of wine. Dad tells me that you walked around clutching the little box insisting that it was the perfect gift for me. Finally Dad agreed that it would make a nice gift.

The two of you came home and you both went straight into your room to wrap the present. Dad had you draw on the top of the box with marker. Then you put the gift under the tree.

On Christmas Eve our friends Kirsten and Eric came over and we exchanged gifts with them. When you saw that we were opening presents you brought me your gift. I told you I wanted to open it tomorrow, on Christmas Day, but you were firm. I asked you what you wrote on the top of the box and you told me “Happy Mommy’s First Christmas Eve!”

Sweet boy.

Turns out you did learn about the presents part of Christmas. And don’t get me wrong, the next morning you fully understood and cherished receiving gifts, but I underestimated your ability to understand the joy of giving gifts.

You’ve surprised me again, Andrew.



One more note: The paper under the word "giving" is part of the wrapping! At least I had that! ;)