December 28, 2016 – Christmas Graciousness

          I was reminded of an incident many years ago when I lived at my first house in the county.  My front door neighbor and my back door neighbor [both dear friends] and I would each exchange Christmas gifts during our own private party.  It was ‘our’ Christmas party that would rotate each year from one home to the next.

          My front door neighbor and dear friend is visiting after work one evening and I had gotten Christmas packages. She stayed while I opened the box and was about to put the small package under the tree when I noticed the tag said, “Open now – for the tree”.

          How nice I thought.  Over the years I had been acquiring my nice Christmas ornaments at the same time I was sending a matching nice ornament to family and friends.   The person who sent me the package was a recipient of many nice ornaments over the last several years, so I was excited.

          I mentioned who it was from to my friend and she was excited as I was because she helped me pick out many of the previous year ‘nice’ ornaments.

          I tore the package open – I am not the kind that is neat when it comes to unwrapping a gift.  With anticipation and a big smile, I opened the box and held up the ornament.  My smile froze on my face.  I was speechless.

          My dear friend watched my smile slowly dissolve into a frown.  She was as stunned as I was at the decoration.   It was something that looked like a child had made it and was the most garish ‘non-Christmas’ colors in existence.   My dear friend horse laughed.  Not only did she horse laugh but she had a way of laughing so hard she had this “SNORKLE” type of laugh when she gulped for air.

          It was contagious and I had to laugh.  Thank goodness she was there or I would have probably cried.  

          “You should have seen your face.” My friend finally said when she stopped laughing.

          “I know I shouldn’t feel like this – but why do I continue to send such nice ornaments out and this is what I get?”  I was being honest.  I was hurt and disappointed. Yes, I know it is better to give than receive, but, isn’t there a limit?

          My friend knew exactly what I was trying to say and understood. 

          “Is this the person I helped you pick out that silver ornament for at the jewelry store a few weeks ago?”  She asked.

          “Yes.”  I answered.

          Seeing that I was just about to cry at the situation, she snatched it out of my hand and danced around flourishing it saying imaginary gracious things about it. 

          “Oh, how beautiful . . . you shouldn’t have . . . it is perfect . . . did you make this for little ole me?”

          We fell into uproarious laughter again.  She sure knew how to diffuse a sad situation.

          Moments later my dear friend made an outlandish suggestion.

Fast forward a few days later.

          I and my front door neighbor and dear friend are at our friend and back door neighbor’s home for our ‘private’ Christmas party.  The three of us have had a lovely lunch, the table is decorated just so and we are down to the presents we exchange.

          I have re-wrapped the awful ornament.  [My real gift is hidden under the table.] I hand over the elegantly wrapped package to my back-door neighbor and dear friend saying, “This is so special.”

          She opens it and gushes with graciousness.  “OH, it’s beautiful. . . thank you so much . . .  did you make this for me, . . . how special . . . I will keep it always . . . .”

          In response to her over-the-top graciousness, my friend and I breakup into hysterical laughter.  We knew she would keep her composure, her beautiful smile, and gush with graciousness.  She went on and on and actually went over and hung it on her tree.

She certainly confirmed to us that she is the best at being gracious in even the most dire of circumstances.

It was the best gag gift ever.

The other day I asked my “gracious” friend if she remembered

that awful ornament.

“I kept it, it’s here somewhere.”

“You actually kept it?”

“Of course I did, you gave it to me.”