Same Time Next Year
Every year at Holiday time my son's dads relatives will always ask me what he would want for Christmas. When he was little they didn't ask me. If and that was a BIG if they actually gave him something it was usually a stuffed animal for the most part. So, by the time he was old enough to crawl he had dozens of stuffed animals of all kinds from bears to bunnies to frogs and of course Elmo. Three Elmo's. So, by the time he could talk I had a toy box filled the brim of stuffed animals. Some of them he still has and he still sleeps with. Sometimes there are so many on his bed that you can't find him. And some of them were given away over the years and some got lost either in the storage locker that we couldn't afford to pay for at the time or just lost somewhere where they will never be found because we don't exactly know where it was lost. He would say when he was younger that the stuffed animal monster took them. So, I just went with that. It was as good of an answer that I could come up with that the time.
So, now many years later, I am still getting that once a year call about what he would like for Christmas, they just skip his birthday which is a couple of weeks before Christmas and somehow I think that might be a good thing in this case. So, I now give the phone to my son and tell him to tell them what he would like to have. If they got to really know him and spend time with him they wouldn't need to ask. They would already know that he likes anything superhero, action figures, coloring books, cars, clothes, watches, etc... as long as they have Superman, Batman, Robin, Captain America, The Green Lantern, The Hulk, Spiderman or anything else super he is good. They would know that he likes to draw, he likes to draw what else? Superheroes! He likes to hear stories and read about the moon, space and what else? Superheroes. He is also getting into photography a little and on our neighborhood walks that we sometimes take he likes to take pictures of plants, trees and rocks. And of course he likes games for his Xbox that someone was nice enough to give to him last year as an after Christmas gift. They would also know what his favorite colors are and favorite books are that he likes a certain kind of peppermint candy during the holidays and he hates chocolate milk. They would know all this and more if they talked to him more then once a year around holiday time.
When that infamous calls came yesterday afternoon I handed the phone to my son. So, I hear him saying he wanted wrestling toys. He told them that his favorite wrestlers were the rock and C.M. Punk. That was all he said and he hung up. He told me that he asked for wrestling toys because last year that is what they got him and he didn't think that they would want to get him anything else so wrestling toys are okay.
He is right. For the past two years he has only gotten wrestling toys from them and he didn't get the Rock or CM Punk he got a championship toy belt one year and a Star Wars light stick. He graciously thanked them and gave them all a little hug took a couple of pictures with his new toys. He knew that he wouldn't see them for another year.
We are both
anticipating that in the next couple of weeks we will get a knock on the door from his relatives bearing some sort of gift and shouting Merry Christmas as the door opens.
In a weird way it has become some sort of tradition. We will place their gifts under the tree with the rest unless they insist that he opens them which they probably will and in that case they will be placed under the tree unwrapped after they are opened.
And in return he will give them something too. Usually a handmade ornament that will be wrapped as only he can with a bright bow on top and then they will smile and leave until the same time next year.
So, now many years later, I am still getting that once a year call about what he would like for Christmas, they just skip his birthday which is a couple of weeks before Christmas and somehow I think that might be a good thing in this case. So, I now give the phone to my son and tell him to tell them what he would like to have. If they got to really know him and spend time with him they wouldn't need to ask. They would already know that he likes anything superhero, action figures, coloring books, cars, clothes, watches, etc... as long as they have Superman, Batman, Robin, Captain America, The Green Lantern, The Hulk, Spiderman or anything else super he is good. They would know that he likes to draw, he likes to draw what else? Superheroes! He likes to hear stories and read about the moon, space and what else? Superheroes. He is also getting into photography a little and on our neighborhood walks that we sometimes take he likes to take pictures of plants, trees and rocks. And of course he likes games for his Xbox that someone was nice enough to give to him last year as an after Christmas gift. They would also know what his favorite colors are and favorite books are that he likes a certain kind of peppermint candy during the holidays and he hates chocolate milk. They would know all this and more if they talked to him more then once a year around holiday time.
When that infamous calls came yesterday afternoon I handed the phone to my son. So, I hear him saying he wanted wrestling toys. He told them that his favorite wrestlers were the rock and C.M. Punk. That was all he said and he hung up. He told me that he asked for wrestling toys because last year that is what they got him and he didn't think that they would want to get him anything else so wrestling toys are okay.
He is right. For the past two years he has only gotten wrestling toys from them and he didn't get the Rock or CM Punk he got a championship toy belt one year and a Star Wars light stick. He graciously thanked them and gave them all a little hug took a couple of pictures with his new toys. He knew that he wouldn't see them for another year.
We are both
In a weird way it has become some sort of tradition. We will place their gifts under the tree with the rest unless they insist that he opens them which they probably will and in that case they will be placed under the tree unwrapped after they are opened.
And in return he will give them something too. Usually a handmade ornament that will be wrapped as only he can with a bright bow on top and then they will smile and leave until the same time next year.
Comments
Post a Comment