The joy of a Yankee swap

When I mentioned that I was participating in two Yankee swaps this week, my family didn’t sound that enthusiastic.

“No one ever gets anything good from one of those,” my husband told me.

I’m not sure I ever have. Nevertheless, I wrapped up my two gifts and went to my first party.

The rules for this type of game vary. For the first one, we formed a circle and passed the gifts around until we were told to stop. Then we could keep what was in our hands or stay for the next phase of the game. I was helping tally votes for a cookie contest, so I took the gift in my hands and left the circle.

When I opened my package later, I found it was a pair of lazy glasses. I was not familiar with lazy glasses, but I figured they might be mildly interesting. I tucked them into my purse.

At the second party, we each drew a number out of a bag. I picked #13. Starting with number one, a person opened a gift. Then the next person could steal that gift or open another. And on and on and on. But there was a limit to how many times a gift could be stolen.

I watched as gift after gift was opened—candles and liquor and other items. When I saw my friend Kevin unwrap a 12-pack of beer, I didn’t immediately think of trying to claim it. Others were more excited about it than I was, so it was stolen a few times.

When my turn came, I looked at an unopened bag that was waiting for me, and I looked at the beer.

I could hear my husband’s voice echoing in my mind: “No one ever gets anything good from one of those.”

The beer could only be stolen one more time. And I could steal it and take it home. I am not a beer drinker, but my husband enjoys a beer now and then. I could show him that something good could come from a Yankee swap. So, I claimed the beer and took it home to a surprised, happy husband.

But the bigger surprise came for me when I pulled out the lazy glasses to show my sons. As it turned out, I hadn’t fully appreciated how amazing they were. They show you the world at a 90-degree angle.

That means you can put them on and lie flat on the floor and watch TV. You can lie in your bed and read a book without lifting or propping up your head. You can even wear them and try to walk around the house without falling over or bumping into things.

I am not doing these glasses justice. They are an absolute hit. In fact, I’ve ordered three more pairs for other young men in my life, and we are excited to wrap them up as gifts.

“This was obviously the best gift today,” one of my sons said. And for us, at least, it was.

I went into both the gift exchanges with low expectations. I was just hoping to enjoy time with friends and colleagues and celebrate the Christmas season. And I came away with two gifts that brought such happiness and laughter to my household.

During this third week of Advent, we light the pink candle with anticipation and rejoicing, knowing that Jesus is coming. How wonderful to think that even this time of joyful expectancy cannot compete with the reality of celebrating Jesus’ birth on Christmas morning. And even if we worry that nothing good will come of this time of waiting and preparation, God is sure to exceed our expectations in every way.

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