7 mini-stories about Christmas presents (7 Quick Takes)

Merry Christmas! I love gifts. I know some people are into experiences or donating in honor of people, but I appreciate tangible signs of our love. I like sending Christmas cards, making Christmas cookies for friends, and giving Christmas gifts. I love thinking of just the right gift for someone. That has been trickier this year since I haven’t done much in-person shopping, but I thought I would offer you a glimpse into seven gifts from Christmas.

~1~

Our Christmas visit with my family happened in a socially distant gift exchange in a gloomy rain on Christmas Eve morning. My mother and sister Treasa waved from our driveway as our little nephews and nieces gaped at me through the drizzling rain.

And I was something to gape at as I stood in our doorway in a nightgown, bathrobe, mask, and Santa hat, calling out greetings and instructions about the gifts I was leaving on the deck for our gift swap. When my sister texted to say they were on their way, I had just enough time to wrap gifts or get dressed—not do both—and I chose to wrap gifts.

After they left, I went to collect my slightly damp gifts off the deck so I could bring them inside and put them under the tree. And I realized I had missed a text from my sister asking me if I could wave because her son was sad he hadn’t gotten to wave goodbye. They were long gone. I started crying a little because this just isn’t how Christmas is supposed to be.

Then Treasa texted me and asked whether I had opened her gift. She promised it would make me feel better. I found her box and inside were two felt zebra finch ornaments she had made just for us.

You can’t be unhappy when you have homemade zebra finch ornaments on your tree. Finches are the key to so much happiness—and some chaos too—in 2020.

~2~

This was the Christmas of the two sweaters.

The first sweater: My mother knitted a cardigan and left it in our pile of gifts, but she didn’t wrap it up as a present, just told me to enjoy it if it fit. It’s a plum color with gold buttons, and I love it.

The second sweater: On Christmas morning, I opened a gift from my mother and found another sweater, but I knew that sweater because I already own one just like it. I bought that sweater in the exact same color a few weeks ago. It is a beautiful sweater, and it’s just like something I would wear because I already have it and wear it often. Naturally, because I don’t see much of my mother these days, and when I do, I am wearing a coat (or bathrobe), she would have no way of knowing I have a new sweater.

Clearly my mother knows what I like.

~3~

In the craziness that was this season, I completely neglected to have our children shop for each other and for family members. Maybe we will do better with that next year. But John gave me such fantastic gifts, including some serving spoons I’ve been wanting, kitchen storage containers I’ve been dropping hints about, and a stand for my cell phone that I never would have thought of and am already using all the time. He even bought a beautiful decorative cast iron bracket he’s going to install in our dining room—and it has a little bird in it. We think it’s a finch because, after all, we are a finch family.

In case it’s not coming through, finches were the theme of several of our gifts in this house. And the finches received their own gifts, mirror and treats. Merry Finchmas to all.

~4~

My gift to myself for Christmas dinner was keeping expectations low and making a table of simple appetizers. Our children love a buffet. Dinner in the living room with the TV on is just a dream come true. And not having to make a giant feast took the pressure off and made Christmas more relaxing.

I made cocktail meatballs, veggies and dip, a cheese and salami tray, an olive tray (using olives I wrapped and left under the tree for John), and a candy cane caprese.

For dessert, I enjoyed a slice of my mother’s exceptional pumpkin pie. My goal for 2021 is to get the recipe from her and try making it myself.

~5~

Is it really Christmas if you don’t buy a little something for yourself, too?

I gave myself a set of lenses to use with my phone.

There’s a fish-eye lens, a wide-angle lens, and a macro lens. I have been looking at them online and wanting to experiment with them, and Christmas seemed like a good time to treat myself.

If I learn to use it well, it might even be a gift to you!

~6~

On Christmas Eve, our neighbor dropped off a pitcher of egg nog, which I had never tried. It was different from what I had expected—cool and frothy and very flavorful. After I had enjoyed a bit of it, my sister reached out to let me know that the last gift I had been waiting to arrive for one of our boys had landed on her porch late that afternoon.

That’s a real Christmas pickle—not being able to go pick up the last Christmas gift you need because you’ve been drinking egg nog. You could practically write a song about it. Fortunately, I could tell my son that he could have it later on Christmas Day, and he was fine.

Besides, who wouldn’t be willing to wait a few more hours for a light-up Severus Snape wand?

~7~

Because we knew we wouldn’t have all my parents’ grandchildren in one place this Christmas, we didn’t have a cousin gift exchange where they trade names and each buy one gift. But the aunts and uncles agreed some of us might still give to our godchildren.

Way back in early December when I didn’t realize that shipping would become a nightmare, I ordered gifts for my two godchildren and John’s two godchildren. I shopped on Etsy because I thought it would be nice to shop small for some of our gifts. I love Etsy.

Two of the gifts arrived—the ones that just happened to be for my godchildren. I only realized later that the ones I ordered for my husband’s goddaughter and godson are coming from outside the country. Since my parents’ Christmas cards have been in Washington, D.C., for three weeks, I don’t have high hopes for a wooden castle playset coming from Belarus.

But I do love this plush Holy Family I found in this Etsy shop and gave to my goddaughter. I’m so happy it arrived in time.

Find more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful 12 days of Christmas!

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