On Saturday I found the perfect gift for Steve. I know it is perfect because he has said, over and over, 'All I want you to get me is a new pair of rubber boots.'
Now that is easier said than done. I finally found a pair at the tractor/farm store in Nicholasville, for $19.99. Wanting to revel, I texted a message to my daughter saying, 'I got dad the rubber boots! Whooee!' Now I am ashamed to say I was texting while I was driving, or rather, at stops, so in my confusion and not paying total attention, I accidentally sent the text to Steve, instead of Rachel.
Steve came home from work and said, 'I got your text. You didn't mean to send it to me, did you?' Well, I feigned a fit and yelled at him, 'You spoiled your present! It's all your fault! You shouldn't have read it!'
That behind me, I decided to wrap each boot separately (I will add a picture tonight) and wrap them exactly like, well, boots, not like a box. So there on the table sat two rubber boots, wrapped individually and looking exactly like, well, rubber boots.
This became a great laughing game. I told Steve I had bought him TWO, not one, presents, obviously, and I expect him to buy me TWO, not the one we had agreed upon. I will put both presents under the tree and he will be obliged to open them, each, alone, at a separate time, expressing adequate enthusiasm for each. After all, if he didn't get both presents, what a loss that would be!
The '2009 rubber boot fiasco' as it is now affectionately called, will live on to infamy in the annals of family history.
I heard another couple's story of creative gift giving this week. Every Christmas Anne and Bill quietly choose three or four or five things from their partner's possessions, items they had previously given as a gift on a special occasion, and wrap them to be re-opened again this Christmas. Not only does this increase the gifts under the tree without adding cost, but it gives the gift a chance to be remembered, the occasion recalled and honored and the love of the first gifting, given again.
4 comments:
I have a present for you. But I shall not be texting anyone about it. I love your life. It makes me smile:)
Perhaps you could add some "boot stuffer" surprises in each boot before wrapping!
Our family's response in opening a gift that we already knew about is "My, my, I AM surprised!"
Happy Wrapping!
Sharon
man your story took an unexpected u-turn on me....i expected that you texted rachel "i got your dad rubbers." oh the scandal there.
Okay Marilyn here is another boot story. Jenna was wishing for UGG boots for Christmas and was using her sisters laptop to shop/surf. Jolene went to the site Jenna bookmarked and deleted all the information her sister had entered and ordered Jenna her gift for Christmas. Feeling sneaky and satisfied she waited til they came to surprise Jenna. The real surprise was in her deleting she forgot to delete Jenna's email address, which was required to go on the site. Jenna got the email notifying her, the boots 'she' ordered were in.
So there when it comes to boots and technology perhaps it is better just to keep your feet on the ground.
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