Saturday, December 05, 2009

Christmas Memory: An Astounding Present

My dad loves Christmas. Well, both Mom and Dad do, but Dad really loves it. He is good at picking things out for people and loves giving gifts. Well, Mom too. But she doesn't get as giddy as Dad.

I grew up with these beautiful, giving people, and have received so many thoughtful, perfect gifts, you'd think I'd be used to it. But three years ago Mr. Honey and I were blown away by their generous Christmas gift.

We were weary that year. I was struggling with burnout, having homeschooled for seven years, and the middle/high school years loomed rather ominously. Mr. Honey had been passed over at work and was working many extra hours in an effort to move up the ladder.

Dad and Mom saw all this, made a Christmas plan, and executed it. Then Dad began to tease us about our gift. This is a large part of why he likes giving gifts-- he loves anticipating the reaction of his loved ones, and a little good-natured ribbing ahead of time is fun, too.

We took some teasing, made a few guesses that "didn't even come close," according to Dad, and awaited Christmas. Finally, we were able to open our gift. It was a six-day Caribbean cruise.

Seriously. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Dad's mission was accomplished.

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