Can you keep a Christmas secret?
Gift-giving is, by far, my least favorite part of the holidays. Call me Scrooge, but it starts to feel as if I’m just checking off a long list of obligations, buying simply for the sake of buying. I’ve begun opting for gift cards – thoughtfully-chosen ones, but one step away from cash all the same.
(Gifts for Kyle and the girls excepted, of course. The only problem with them is that I have a hell of a time waiting until the holidays; I prefer year-round gift-giving, whenever the mood strikes.)
Conversely, I’m not the most gracious recipient. That’s not to say I’m not appreciative; on the contrary, I’m honored to receive even the smallest token. But I don’t want anyone to feel as if I’m an obligation either. I’d rather be overlooked than overwhelmed.
I’ve received many memorable gifts on Christmas mornings over the years, but the one that stands out among all the others was Christmas 1984, when I came downstairs to find a harp next to the tree.
I had started taking lessons that past spring using a troubadour harp. It was smaller than me, with a range of only a few octaves and no pedals (flats and sharps were achieved by raising and lowering levers). It was perfectly adequate, especially for a beginner, and especially when I considered the price of a pedal harp (plus a station wagon or van in which to haul it). I enjoyed playing my teacher’s pedal harp, but I didn’t expect to get one of my own for at least another six months.
Meanwhile, late that fall, my father had accompanied my teacher to the W&W Musical Instrument Company (manufacturers of Venus Harps) in Chicago to pick up her new harp and do a little research of his own. One harp caught his attention immediately, and he made arrangements to purchase it and have it shipped.
I had no idea. Even after the giant wooden shipping crate arrived – obviously when I wasn’t home – and was stowed in our garage, I never noticed it. Maybe if I’d had the slightest inkling that it was among the most remote of possibilities, I might have been more observant. But being that I understood the magnitude of the purchase, coupled with my extremely brief tenure as a harpist, I never suspected a thing.
I wonder if someday Kyle and I will have the opportunity to pull off such a memorable gift for one or more of our kids. Being a parent now myself, I have to admire my own parents’ restraint and discretion; I’d be hard-pressed to keep such a monumental secret.
But it was that element of surprise that made it as memorable as it was. So completely unexpected, yet so incredibly welcome. There just aren’t many gifts like that, nor people who give them.
Thanks again to my parents for keeping that secret and making Christmas 1984 stand out, even more than twenty years later.
——————————
What makes a gift memorable for you? Good, bad, or downright hideous – we want to hear about it during today’s Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast, sponsored by the new and extraordinary gift-giving site, Excitations. Come browse the memorable gifts that you could win, just by writing about that childhood dream-come-true or that revoltingly ugly sweater you don once a year out of sheer guilt.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:01 am
[...] Can You Keep a Christmas Secret? [...]
November 30th, 2007 at 6:46 am
What a great memory, and story.
November 30th, 2007 at 9:51 am
THAT was precious. I love gift giving. Love it.
I too am not as good at receiving.
My ‘remembered’ gift is nowhere near the monetary significance as yours, but I remember my first set of “professional” rollerskates. I wore those things until they were soft and unrecognizable (except for the blue pom poms, of course).
That and a Greased Lightening t-shirt were my two favorite gifts for YEARS.
Yea, I’m easy.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
I’m with you on the “obligation” thing. I’ve felt overwhelmed by Christmas since each of my kids became old enough to start verbalizing their demands. We’re limiting them to 3 toys each this year, and gifts beyond our house are limited to parents and sibling’s kids (siblings themselves should get joy from that).
November 30th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
That. Is. Awesome.
I always wanted to play harp, but was too overwhelmed with the thought of getting one and transporting one to follow through. My mom is a music teacher, and she always said if I wanted to play one, we’d work out the details. I wish that I had…
Very cool that you did. Thanks for sharing this sweet memory.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I’m with you — rather be overlooked than overwhelmed.
That is so cool that you play the harp. I would have given my left arm to play ANY instrument or take dance lessons. Actually, I STILL would!
November 30th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Are you still hoping that you’ll get that harp back from your parents’ house? Any chance?
November 30th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Dude, you play the harp? How cool is that! And what a cool present.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
That was a wonderful story!
And I’m getting my oldest daughter an accordion for Christmas. Not as elegant and mystical as a harp…but here’s hoping for some polka magic, lol.
December 1st, 2007 at 7:50 am
Wonderful story. Do you still have that harp? Do you still play?
December 1st, 2007 at 10:54 am
You can guess which was my most memorable present an why. My first camera… a little Kodak Brownie when I was 12.
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:01 am
I get too excited about giving and it takes every morsel of my being to keep it a secret. Of course the look of appreciation when you find the perfect gift is worth it.
The harp is such a beautiful instrument.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:56 am
One of the worst gifts I ever recieved was a laundry basket full of cleaners from my mother in law. I had a post just after Thanksgiving of the best and worst gifts I ever received.