Different sorts of gifts

Yesterday was a most Christmas-y day in its way--but nothing like the days I used to feel such excitement over when I was a child, and not like the days I used to spend weeks orchestrating for my children.  I watched some episodes of The Crown, Pam came by for an unexpected visit, and I visited my next door friends. Instead of a big fragrant Christmas tree loaded with ornaments, I have this little lights-only guy:

Christmas now is less over-the-top "merry" than it used to be, but it's wonderful in a different, quieter way.

Back in the day, we children only got toys for Christmas and birthdays, so it was a day of great delight when you finally got some long-awaited gift so imbued with the fantasies that grew in wanting it. The doll, the wardrobe for the doll your mother had made, the bicycle, the record player.  Even the ten-cent boxes of sparklers were thrills.

Sometimes the most pleasurable gift to give is the spontaneous and unexpected last minute ones. especially those given to someone who's given us gifts of a different kind throughout the year.

There's a young man at the drive-through window who always upsizes my drinks and gives me freebies.  Not only that, he always reaches through the window and holds my hand for a minute and says, "I love you, my friend."

Here's a young man who works from 5:00 in the afternoon until 3:00 in the morning, saving every dollar to get his car repaired after a recent accident.  He sometimes comes out on cold nights in a short-sleeved shirt to hand me my drink personally, and we chat.

"Where's your coat?" I asked him one cold night.

"I think I'm going to get one for Christmas," he said, happy as a kid in the old days would have been over a new bike.

I drove down Austin Highway late last night to deliver a gift of a bit of cash in a card to him.  He didn't even open it while I was there, but he had tears in his eyes just holding the envelope.  "I love cards!" he said. "I will keep this my whole life.   My grandfather passed away two years ago and he always sent us cards, and I miss those cards more than anything."

Driving back home, listening to NPR's Christmas music, I felt--well, a different kind of merry.  I felt happy and free and prosperous with good people in my world--and that includes you all who are reading this blog.

Happy Holidays to you all!