Gift Exchange between Friends
I met my friend, June, in high school. I met her in 9th grade English. For over 30 years we have been the best of friends. She knows almost all of my secrets and I know most of hers from high school until now. And those secrets have gotten juicer as time passed and the older we got. We have been through thick and thin together, from high school English and Math tests to relationships with family and other friends to the birth of our kids.
To this day we still talk everyday mostly via the internet but sometimes by phone too. We know what is going on in each other's lives almost as if we were in the same house. She now lives in her family home again and my mom now lives with me and of course our kids live with us too. Her daughter is grown up now and in college and my son is still in the elementary school. But, we exchange stories on a daily basis of the good, the bad and the ugly that goes on in the neighborhoods, and our lives and the lives of our loved ones. She tells me how cheap her daughter can be and I tell her how stubborn my son can be and we both have a good laugh about both of them. We chat about high school reunions that we haven't gone too and ones that we probably won't attend if our class reunites anytime in the future. We chat about the people we found on facebook and about how they changed and we changed and how we like looking at pictures of their kids and grand kids in some cases.
So, it is not surprising that every year since high school we have given each other gifts for Christmas. We used to go shopping together back in the day when we both had very good jobs and could afford to splurge on ourselves and family members. But, things have changed in the job department but not our friendship or the gift giving that we do. Even though the gifts are as expensive as they used to be we still love doing online shopping now and just getting little things for us and our kids.
Last year, June told me that she was suffering from a cold, she sometimes gets holiday colds, and she would feel better if she had some hot soup. I found a collection of soup mugs online at Amazon that were on sale and one of the mugs said "Soup" on it and it came with a packet of chicken noodle soup and a book along with it. It was the perfect gift for her. And she loved it of course. I found a travel mug for her daughter who likes to drink coffee at school. She liked the mug.
This year she mentioned to me that she collected the nutcracker decorations but when she moved out of the tailor she shared with her boyfriend at the time some of them were either lost or stolen and she was very unhappy about that. I remembered what she told me and this year I got her a nutcracker ornament for her tree and a box of her favorite turtle candy. They were delivered gift wrapped and she is like a 5 year old when it comes to gifts and I know she has been trying her best not to peak like I told her. I know it is killing her not to know what she got. I wish I could see the expression on her face when she opens them but I still remember the expression her face when we would exchange gifts in person and her face would just light up just looking at the wrapping on the box. She would shake it first like a little kid and try to guess what was inside. Then she would tear off the paper and the bows and ask me why I wrapped it so tight because it was taking too long for her to get it open and how much tape did I use. It was so funny but it was so fun just to watch her unwrap things and smile and beam with joy just like a kid on Christmas.
She still hasn't lost that joy or the magical feeling that each Christmas brings and that is one of the things I like most about her. Although, I won't see her face this year when she opens her gifts nor will she mine when I open the ones she sent me today. She informed me that when mine came they won't be wrapped so I can either wrap them or not and I chose not too this year. I will though wrap the Spiderman shirt that she sent to my son. The gift is wrapped and now sitting under the tree. Even though she won't be here to see her open her gifts I will be here to see my son open his from her and he has the same joyful expression that she has. I have a feeling they both will be wonderfully happy this Christmas as will I with the gift she sent to me.
To this day we still talk everyday mostly via the internet but sometimes by phone too. We know what is going on in each other's lives almost as if we were in the same house. She now lives in her family home again and my mom now lives with me and of course our kids live with us too. Her daughter is grown up now and in college and my son is still in the elementary school. But, we exchange stories on a daily basis of the good, the bad and the ugly that goes on in the neighborhoods, and our lives and the lives of our loved ones. She tells me how cheap her daughter can be and I tell her how stubborn my son can be and we both have a good laugh about both of them. We chat about high school reunions that we haven't gone too and ones that we probably won't attend if our class reunites anytime in the future. We chat about the people we found on facebook and about how they changed and we changed and how we like looking at pictures of their kids and grand kids in some cases.
So, it is not surprising that every year since high school we have given each other gifts for Christmas. We used to go shopping together back in the day when we both had very good jobs and could afford to splurge on ourselves and family members. But, things have changed in the job department but not our friendship or the gift giving that we do. Even though the gifts are as expensive as they used to be we still love doing online shopping now and just getting little things for us and our kids.
Last year, June told me that she was suffering from a cold, she sometimes gets holiday colds, and she would feel better if she had some hot soup. I found a collection of soup mugs online at Amazon that were on sale and one of the mugs said "Soup" on it and it came with a packet of chicken noodle soup and a book along with it. It was the perfect gift for her. And she loved it of course. I found a travel mug for her daughter who likes to drink coffee at school. She liked the mug.
This year she mentioned to me that she collected the nutcracker decorations but when she moved out of the tailor she shared with her boyfriend at the time some of them were either lost or stolen and she was very unhappy about that. I remembered what she told me and this year I got her a nutcracker ornament for her tree and a box of her favorite turtle candy. They were delivered gift wrapped and she is like a 5 year old when it comes to gifts and I know she has been trying her best not to peak like I told her. I know it is killing her not to know what she got. I wish I could see the expression on her face when she opens them but I still remember the expression her face when we would exchange gifts in person and her face would just light up just looking at the wrapping on the box. She would shake it first like a little kid and try to guess what was inside. Then she would tear off the paper and the bows and ask me why I wrapped it so tight because it was taking too long for her to get it open and how much tape did I use. It was so funny but it was so fun just to watch her unwrap things and smile and beam with joy just like a kid on Christmas.
She still hasn't lost that joy or the magical feeling that each Christmas brings and that is one of the things I like most about her. Although, I won't see her face this year when she opens her gifts nor will she mine when I open the ones she sent me today. She informed me that when mine came they won't be wrapped so I can either wrap them or not and I chose not too this year. I will though wrap the Spiderman shirt that she sent to my son. The gift is wrapped and now sitting under the tree. Even though she won't be here to see her open her gifts I will be here to see my son open his from her and he has the same joyful expression that she has. I have a feeling they both will be wonderfully happy this Christmas as will I with the gift she sent to me.
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